Virtualahan’s founder, Ryan Gersava, won the Inspired Leadership Award at 2019 The Performance Theatre (TPT) conference held in Seattle – the first Filipino to receive the honors that lists Virgin Group’s Sir Richard Branson and Melinda Gates of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as previous winners.
Ryan Gersava was one of this year’s 4 TPT honorees cited as emerging global leaders of purpose-driven enterprises in the annual meeting of the world’s most influential thinkers, influencers, and doers. Gersava’s fellow awardees include Dr. John Muthee, Managing Director and co-founder of Savannah Informatics based in Nairobi; Catherine Berman, CEO, and co-founder of CNote in the U.S.; and Prukalpa Sankar, of India’s SocialCops.
Gersava was cited for his work with Virtualahan, described as the leading tech social enterprise in the Philippines that trains and employs people who experience employment discrimination because of a health condition, disability, or former life condition. Gersava started Virtualahan after experiencing being denied employment due to his medical diagnosis.
Virtualahan’s mid-year 2019 Impact Assessment cites a 99% positive impact on their learner-alumni, a 47% increase in overall quality of life, and a 42% increase in income, among other growth factors.
Osvald Bjelland, founder of The Performance Theatre noted in the June TPT Awards report, “It is an enormous source of inspiration to see the dedication of the awardees to their work and the concrete impacts they are achieving.”
Maurizio Vecchione, Executive Vice President of Global Good and Research at Intellectual Ventures, added, “It has been a delight to host the Inspired Leadership Awards at the Intellectual Ventures Laboratory and recognize these four innovative entrepreneurs for their personal investments in making the world a better place.”
The Filipino social entrepreneur’s credentials include being a Professional Fellow of the US State Department, the Global Good Fund, and The DO School. He has won multiple awards including the Google Business Stories Award, Asia-Pacific Future Maker, and Mindanao Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs Award. Ryan has spoken at the World Economic Forum, debated at the United Nations HQ.
SEND congratulations in the comments below for Ryan Gersava and his Virtualahan, for driving positive change in the Philippines and the world!
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