At the United Nations ESCAP headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand, the plenary hall is adorned with flags from member states. Here, the 2025 UN-SDGs Bootcamp & Forum is in full swing—an event supported by the United Nations and jointly organized by the Chinese Youth Growth Foundation, STUF United Fund, Asia Pacific Center, and Southeast Bangkok University.
In May 2025, over 30 youth representatives from across five continents gathered in the plenary hall at the UN ESCAP headquarters to jointly declare the 2025 Bangkok Youth Sustainability Declaration and the Bangkok Sustainability Book.
As an official international media partner, Harry Hsu, CEO of《The Icons》, was invited to deliver a keynote speech titled “From Influence to Action: The Responsibility of Leaders in the Sustainability Generation.”
“In the context of driving global sustainability, leaders—whether youth or corporate—can no longer be mere supporters or onlookers. Every individual should build their personal brand, ensuring that their values are visible and their influence can be sustained,” Harry reminded the assembled leaders from the public, private, academic, and research sectors. He emphasized that brand power is not just a commercial product but a declaration of values—and a tool for extending global impact.
Leaders Stand Out Because of the Power of Personal Branding
Harry Hsu emphasized that in the context of sustainability, a leader’s voice is not merely about exposure but also about carrying values and making responsibilities visible. It is both a signal and a commitment—a declaration of what you’re willing to speak up for and who you’re willing to stand with:
“Personal branding is no longer just for celebrities; it’s the essential foundation of modern leadership. In the face of climate change, social divisions, and digital imbalances, whose voice matters, and on what issues they speak, will shape what the world chooses to believe.”
Harry reminded the audience that the purpose of making your voice heard is not just to be noticed, but to have your cause adopted, amplified, and integrated into systems. When a young leader, entrepreneur, or nonprofit leader chooses to proactively build their influence, they are not merely participating in the world but helping to write its narrative and language.
In his keynote speech, he especially urged the new generation of leaders: “Especially for young leaders: your voices, perspectives, and creativity, if not effectively translated, can easily be misunderstood or overlooked. That’s why we need a framework and a language that help values be understood and influence be magnified.”
He noted that in an era of information overload, it’s not content that’s scarce, but attention. The voices that leave a lasting mark are not the loudest, but the ones that are trusted, systematic, and embedded in mechanisms for ongoing public engagement:
“A changemaker who is not prepared to express themselves effectively externally, no matter how dynamic, may be invisible on the international stage. This is not just an issue of media, international opinion, or external factors—it’s about lacking a voice of your own. Without a personal brand, it’s nearly impossible to have an impact.”
Harry Hsu: A Leader’s Personal Brand is a Structured Personal Asset
Harry Hsu pointed out that in the modern era, a personal brand is no longer just about image management; it is a structured strategic asset. It conveys values, builds trust, and becomes a key to unlocking international dialogue and resource connections. “A leader with a clear narrative, consistent style, and a solid track record of contributions can more quickly earn positive recognition from policy institutions, investors, and the media, which is a tangible influence capital,” he explained.
For young advocacy leaders, a personal brand is a commercial translation tool that transforms ideas into proposals and missions into tangible enterprises. For corporate leaders, it is an extension of communication with stakeholders, enabling them to align ESG, SDG, DEI, and other sustainability agendas with their business interests — not just “doing” but also being “recognized” and “followed up,” ultimately achieving a win-win in both commercial success and sustainable impact.
“In our work with clients, we’ve seen many who are technically advanced and visionary but lack a strategic narrative from their founders or CEOs, making it difficult for their products to enter UN systems or international collaboration frameworks,” Harry emphasized. “This is not just about exposure; it’s about negotiation leverage and value-setting,” he said.
“A brand without a named face is easily overlooked and interchangeable on the international stage. But when founders or CEOs step up and build a narrative framework through their personal brand, it creates a non-price competitive edge.”
When CEOs Step Up, Companies Can Turn a New Page!
Harry Hsu also shared a practical case. A female founder from Southeast Asia, focused on green building materials, had already built significant R&D capabilities and industry reputation in her regional market, winning several technical certifications and innovation awards over the years. However, she struggled to enter international policy dialogues and sustainable collaboration platforms. Despite repeated attempts to participate in cross-governmental projects, she failed to make the final shortlist due to the lack of a recognizable leadership image and strategic external communication.
《The Icons》team was invited to provide strategic advice, helping her refine her corporate narrative, focus on her personal positioning, and design brand language and public exposure strategies suitable for the international dialogue context. A few months later, she was invited to speak at a high-profile ESG summit, focusing on the role and practices of Southeast Asian female founders in regional sustainable transitions.
After her speech, her perspectives were picked up by various international media outlets, and her company received an inquiry from a Nordic city planning agency, opening the door to multi-party negotiations. In a short time, she transitioned from a regional market innovator to an active participant in global sustainable construction networks.
“This is not a one-off miracle, but rather the natural result of long-term value being translated and amplified through a personal brand structure,” said Harry. “Her company’s operations and business scope hadn’t changed — but she was now seen, and her brand was ready for the next growth stage. That’s the leverage effect of a personal brand,” Harry explained.
“The core of a leader’s personal brand is not about hype, but about building trust. It ensures that ideas are not confined to business presentations, policy reports, or media coverage, but instead become something that people are willing to fund, endorse, and amplify. A truly effective personal brand is a crucial lever that opens up new trust, extending the reach of one’s values.”
When Responsibility Meets Strategy: How to Make Ideas Go Further?
As a long-time advocate and driver of international communication, brand PR strategy, and global initiatives, Harry Hsu emphasized in an interview: “Influence is never a one-off burst, but rather the cumulative build-up of strategic depth. A leader should not only deliver messages but also design the system through which those messages flow—so that values can transcend boundaries and continue to resonate.”
He underscored that truly impactful advocacy doesn’t just happen at a perfect presentation, but rather leaves footprints in policy formation, resource allocation, and cultural narratives across different contexts and timeframes: “If an idea cannot cross languages and platforms, it cannot truly evolve into social change.”
Harry pointed out that while many outstanding advocates—especially young leaders and non-profit changemakers—often have passion, expertise, and sincerity, they sometimes get stuck in the self-satisfaction of having ‘good content’ and overlook the importance of strategic design and narrative translation: “They have the passion, expertise, and sincerity, but they lack the means and frequency to get the world to hear them. In the end, they’re either misunderstood or drowned out,” he explained.
“An idea isn’t meant to be heard only within the echo chamber; it must be designed so the world can understand it. If it fails to gain traction, it might not be the audience’s fault, but rather a lack of strategy on your part,” he said.
In his speech, Harry also called on governments, businesses, and international platforms to invest resources in building opportunities for advocacy skills—narrative strength, design skills, and translation abilities: “Not every valuable voice will naturally surface. We need to heat them up, add pressure, and create channels so that ideals are not just ideas, but become practical energies that society can use, institutions can absorb, and others can build upon.”
From Being Heard to Being Trusted
In his closing remarks, Harry Hsu emphasized that for young advocacy leaders to become key players in the international sustainability agenda, they must transform from “people with voices” to “people who are trusted.” This requires not only ideals but also the methods and structures to carry them forward. A personal brand is the path that expands the value of one’s voice and multiplies trust—marking the beginning of a leader’s journey to becoming a changemaker: “A meaningful advocacy is not just about standing on stage to voice an opinion, but about creating a collective design that inspires others to follow.”
“The same applies to business leaders,” he continued. “Especially in this era of sustainable development, both leaders and their companies must demonstrate their commitment to sustainability to attract resources and partnerships. Leaders must create forms of expression that allow society to embrace their beliefs. Every actor who wants the world to remember their name—whether they’re advocacy leaders or corporate leaders—must inevitably become part of this era.”
This vision aligns with the core mission that Harry Hsu has led at《The Icons》—helping a new generation of leaders, founders, and changemakers transform their influence from ideals to narratives, from narratives to recognition, and from recognition to building global collaboration capital. Through a multilingual media matrix, international advocacy initiatives, and cross-cultural branding strategies, The Icons supports leaders with both corporate direction and a sense of public responsibility, enabling them to step onto a larger world stage—no matter where they come from or what language they speak.
“As long as they believe they can move from being ‘people with voices’ to being ‘people who are trusted,’ their personal brand will inevitably become the strongest foundation for achieving their vision.”
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