Pushing Beyond Barriers: AMEER SAFONE’s Voice at the DEI in Action Forum 2025

AMEER SAFONE Ventures proudly participated in the DEI in Action: Creating Inclusive and Supportive Working Environment Forum, hosted by CoreNet Global Malaysia Chapter on 25 April 2025. Held at a time when conversations about accessibility, mental health, and flexible work arrangements are more critical than ever, the forum brought together leaders from across industries to chart a more inclusive path for the future of work and spaces.

Representing AMEER SAFONE as CEO and Founder, Amirul Safuan joined a distinguished panel featuring:

• Fong Tuan Chen – Group Chief People Officer, Maybank
• Stephanie Ping – Co-founder and CEO, WORQ
• Renée A. – Asia Consultancy, Mental Health Specialist
• Moderated by Natassha Halil, Senior Manager – Client Services, CoreNet Global Malaysia Chapter

Redefining Barriers Through Lived Experience

During the panel, Amirul shared his personal journey of resilience after sustaining a spinal cord injury in 2020 that left him 86% physically paralysed. He highlighted the barriers still faced by persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Malaysia’s work ecosystem, stressing that:

“Disability was never the limitation—the real barriers were access, opportunity, and trust.”

Drawing from a recent personal experience, Amirul recounted being unable to enter a café in Mont Kiara due to inaccessible design—an experience that underscored how exclusion can happen quietly, unintentionally, but painfully.

He also reflected on his involvement at the Selangor ICT Challenge (SITC) held on 24 April 2025, where students with physical, visual, learning disabilities and neurodivergent traits showcased smart tech innovations.

AMEER SAFONE Ventures sponsored and adopted eight students from Gombak District, who have now qualified to represent Malaysia at the upcoming national-level ICT Challenge and aspire to bring the Jalur Gemilang to the international stage in Seoul, Korea.

The poignant question he left the audience with was:

“Are we ready to welcome these bright talents into our workplaces, or will we continue building barriers they cannot cross?”

A Forum for Action, Not Just Awareness

Other panellists brought complementary perspectives:

• Fong Tuan Chen shared Maybank’s strong commitment to inclusivity, noting that Maybank has successfully employed over 600 OKU employees and targets a minimum 1.5% OKU representation moving forward—proving that large organisations can mainstream disability inclusion effectively.
• Stephanie Ping spoke about how intentional, inclusive space design at WORQ fosters a sense of belonging and productivity for diverse communities.
• Renée A. emphasised that mental health must be recognised as a critical component of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategies, as psychological safety is a fundamental human need in the workplace.

Key Messages from the Forum

Several critical messages emerged from the panel discussion:

• Flexible work is not a favour—it’s the future of work.
• Inclusive design must begin at the blueprint, not after construction.
• Accessibility is not charity—it’s a right.
• We don’t need sympathy; we need sustainable systems that empower resilience.

AMEER SAFONE’s Commitment to Inclusion

At AMEER SAFONE Ventures, we believe that breaking barriers means shaping futures.

Our journey does not stop at entrepreneurship—it extends into advocacy, capacity building, and championing systems where no one is left behind because of their abilities or circumstances.

The DEI in Action Forum is a reminder that the path to inclusion is long—but it is one we must walk together, with intentionality, innovation, and courage.