This event, held August 21, 2025, was a follow-on conversation to the Global Forum on Investing in Early Childhood: Business Support for a Thriving Economy & Social Wellbeing.

Speakers Jim Spurlino, CEO and founder of Spurlino Materials, and Shashank Khare, Manager – Education & ECCD at HCL Foundation, explored the following questions:

• What kind of leadership is needed to build trust, align interests, and foster sustained partnerships between early childhood development and the business sector—and how can ECD leaders strengthen the skills and mindsets required to lead this work effectively?
• How can leaders serve to be a bridge and cultivate relationships with strategic vision to engage businesses as partners in meeting their communities’ economic and social development goals?