Safaricom's Director of Sustainable Business, Social Impact and Foundations Karen Basiye has been named a Schwab Foundation Corporate Social Innovator of the Year 2026.

Basiye was honoured for driving forward social and environmental impact within the telecoms industry, an update from the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship stated.

The recognition places her among 21 leaders from 17 organisations honoured with the 2026 Schwab Foundation Awards, joining a community of 510 social entrepreneurs and innovators that have collectively improved the lives of over 950 million people globally.

"In the face of unprecedented disruption and uncertainty, these leaders have not only adapted their models but have deepened their commitment to lasting impact," stated Hilde Schwab, Co-Founder and Chair of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.

Schwab added: "Their achievements, alongside those of the wider community, demonstrate that purpose-driven innovation can truly transform societies and build a more inclusive, sustainable future for all. I am very proud of the role the Schwab Foundation plays in helping this remarkable community to thrive."

The Schwab Foundation plays a vital convening and enabling role for social innovators, offering a trusted platform for collaboration, learning and visibility. 

More than 80 percent of surveyed innovators say the Foundation has helped progress their work and strengthen their systems thinking, while over 70 percent credit it with enabling new partnerships. Half of respondents report that Foundation support has reinforced their operational capacity. 

A major initiative is the Rise Ahead Pledge, a collective commitment by leading companies to boost the social economy by 2030. With CJ Group, Lenovo, Northwell Health, and PROSUS newly joining the pledge, this brings the total number of signatories to 28. Twenty-five of these organisations have also reported on their social innovation spending in 2024. 

In total, they invested USD 525 million into social innovation since the launch of the pledge. Thirty-six percent of this investment was provided through social procurement, 25 percent to non-financial support, and 23 percent to financial support. The pledge has driven significant advances in social procurement, the standardisation of data collection on social enterprises and impact investing. 

The 21 award winners, within four categories, are: 

Social Entrepreneurs Individuals employing innovative, market-based approaches to directly address social issues.

• Kibret Abebe (Tebita Ambulance, Ethiopia): Pioneering emergency medical services and pre-hospital care.
• Ioana Bauer Sǎndescu (eLiberare, Romania): Prioritising protection models to prevent and identify human trafficking and sexual exploitation, while holistically supporting survivors.
• Minhaj Chowdhury (Drinkwell, Bangladesh): Providing safe and affordable drinking water through patented filtration technology.
• Mario Haberfeld (Onçafari, Brazil): Advancing wildlife conservation and ecotourism, protecting endangered species including Jaguars, and co-leading the Jaguar Rivers Initiative across South America.
• Omar Itani (FabricAID, Lebanon): Building circular textile economies and improving access to affordable clothing for marginalised communities.
• Olivia Onyemaobi (Pad-Up Creations, Nigeria): Tackling menstrual poverty with more sustainable, reusable sanitary pads.
• Ana María Raad Briz (Fundación Reimagina, Chile): Driving educational innovation and empowering youth.
• Piyush Tewari (SaveLIFE Foundation, India): Improving road safety and emergency response systems. 

Corporate Social Innovators Leaders within multinational or regional companies who drive the development of new products, services, initiatives, or business models that address societal and environmental challenges. 

• François-Ghislain Morillion (VEJA, France): Transforming the footwear industry by integrating social, economic and ecological justice into its supply chain.
• Karen Basiye (Safaricom, Kenya): Driving forward social and environmental impact within the telecommunications industry.
• Hamzah Sarwar (Reckitt, UK): Leading initiatives that create positive health outcomes, strengthens communities and promotes equity. 

Public Social Innovators Leaders in the public sector who harness the power of social innovation to create public good through policy, regulation, or public initiatives. 

• Mamadou Ndiaye (Ministry of Microfinance and Social and Solidarity Economy, Senegal): Promoting inclusive economic development and social entrepreneurship.
• Orlando Rojas (The Government Lab, Chile): Enhancing public service delivery and citizen participation.
• Viviantie Sarjuni (National Entrepreneurship Institute (INSKEN), Malaysia): Supporting rural livelihoods and inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystems. 

Collective Social Innovators People who bring together organisations to solve complex problems that cannot be tackled by individual actors. 

• Emad Adly and Ghada Ahmadein (Arab Network for Environment and Development, Egypt): Advancing environmental sustainability and civil society engagement.
• Talia Milgrom-Elcott and Maya Morales Garcia (Beyond100K, USA): The nerve centre of a national movement to end the STEM teacher shortage.
• Juliana Uribe Villegas, Mariana Díaz and Lina Torres (Movilizatorio, Colombia): Innovating, building capacities and bringing together movements of movements to drive democratic, social and climate action in today’s hyperconnected world.