UN veteran joins Social Alpha Foundation as advisor

Hong Kong. 11th July 2019 – Social Alpha Foundation (SAF), the not-for-profit, grant-making platform which provides no-strings funding to companies and projects utilising blockchain for social impact, has announced the appointment of Yoshiyuki Yamamoto and Joseph Thompson.

Yamamoto, the Former Special Advisor for UN Engagement and Blockchain Technology, will serve as Advisor, while Thompson, CEO and Founder of AID: Tech, the world’s first company to deliver international aid using blockchain technology, will join as Vetting Committee Member.

 Nydia Zhang, Co-founder and Chairman of Social Alpha Foundation, saiys: “Yoshi and Joseph bring a tremendous amount of experience and expertise in the areas of international aid, governance and humanitarian relief to Social Alpha Foundation and are pioneers in their respective fields. We are thrilled to have them on board and are confident that they will both contribute to our mission of making the world a better place by using blockchain technology.”

As an Advisor, Yamamoto will be responsible for strategic partnership introductions and recommending grant recipients, donors and patrons, while also raising awareness of SAF’s mission to utilise the power of blockchain for social good. This includes harnessing global distributed networks and building communities that can change the world together.

Yamamoto says: “It is clear that the benefits of blockchain technology are manifold: research has shown that blockchain applications have already begun to demonstrate proven social impact, particularly in the health, financial inclusion, energy, climate and environment, as well as philanthropy sectors.”

“In the context of democracy and governance, blockchain stands to improve the integrity of electoral processes and transform citizen participation by allowing for a more legitimate voting process. This is in addition to the increased security blockchain offers where government data exchanges is concerned, whereby data is less liable to being hacked without a central system. I look forward to joining Social Alpha Foundation, where we can empower pilot projects to make all of these ideals a reality,” he continues.

Yamamoto joins SAF’s high-calibre advisory board made up of some of the blockchain industry’s most esteemed figures, including Sandra Ro, CEO of the Global Blockchain Business Council; David Lee, Professor for FinTech and Blockchain at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS); Joyce Tam, Executive Director at Goldman Sachs; Duncan Fitzgerald, Partner at PwC; and Jacqueline Chow, Executive Committee Member of the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children (HKSPC).

Meanwhile, as Vetting Committee Member, Thompson’s role will focus on reviewing grantee applications and determining the awarded funding for successful projects. Under his stewardship, AID:Tech aims to increase transparency and reduce global illicit outflows from developing countries due to fraud and corruption. Thompson was named as the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals Pioneer for Blockchain Technology at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2017.

Thompson says: “AID:Tech’s vision is very much aligned with Social Alpha Foundation’s, in that we believe that blockchain must go beyond business to realise its full potential. Blockchain technology stands to reduce fraud, increase transparency and efficiency, as well as bring a wide range of economic services to the often forgotten populations in remote, underserved regions. I am excited to be joining Social Alpha Foundation at a time when blockchain has demonstrably moved beyond the hype, and to support projects looking to drive innovation using blockchain for the betterment of society.”