Impact Stage
The Tyranny of the Measurable: Is Our Obsession with Reporting Killing the Very Purpose We’re Trying to Quantify?
11 Sep (Fri) Day 2 : 10:45 – 11:35
What gets measured, gets managed.” This quote, credited to management guru Peter Drucker, serves as the justification for every dashboard, every KPI, every quarterly report. But here’s the part we quietly forget: “even when it’s pointless to measure and manage it, and even if it harms the purpose of the organisation to do so.” Measurement is the name of the game right now: we’re under pressure to quantify everything from revenue to productivity to purpose itself —and much of that is necessary. Metrics are essential; we cannot change what we cannot track. But somehow, along the way, dashboards now shape strategies. Numbers narrow visions. People learn to hit the target but miss the point. Curated by Shared Value Initiative Hong Kong, this session explores how to use metrics as tools that demonstrate real impact beyond compliance, and support internal business cases for community investment. Discover practical ways to measure wisely, interpret what the numbers truly reveal and stay alert to what can’t be counted — so measuring progress doesn’t become a substitute for making it.
Session Learnings:
- Explore practical techniques to balance hard numbers and human insigh
- Shift conversations from “What’s the easiest thing to measure?” to “What truly signals progress?”— and build metrics that serve your purpose
- Build in ways to extract additional insights beyond the quantitative to identify the “why” instead of the “what”
Post-event Actions:
- Implement data collection that captures not just what happened, but why it matters
- Leave confident in your ability to judge whether a metric genuinely strengthens both corporate decision-making and community outcomes
- Redesign stakeholder reports to highlight the story and insight behind the numbers, not just the numbers themselves
Speakers
Moderator
Virginie Ostrowski
Chief Executive Officer
Shared Value Initiative Hong Kong
Virginie Ostrowski
Shared Value Initiative Hong Kong
Chief Executive Officer
Virginie has dedicated her career to purpose-driven organisations, fostering collaboration between corporations, government, and civil society to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.
Originally a journalist, Virginie turned to communications to leverage her professional skills in addressing society’s needs. From e-health to sustainable development, she helped raise awareness and drive change on critical issues as a Communications and Marketing professional. Before joining SVIHK, she played a pivotal role in fostering a shared value cluster that brings together academics, public bodies, and private companies to spearhead sustainability initiatives in transport and energy infrastructure.
Passionate about impact and innovation, Virginie brings her strategic and operational expertise to Shared Value Initiative.
Speaking at 2026 sessions:
Day 2
The Tyranny of the Measurable: Is Our Obsession with Reporting Killing the Very Purpose We’re Trying to Quantify?
Karen Lee
Senior Manager
Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Karen Lee
Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Senior Manager
Karen is a chartered town planner and project manager specialising in urban integration, city management strategies, and data-driven community planning. At JCDISI, she leads strategic initiatives that integrate evidence-based analysis, stakeholder engagement, and participatory co-design to create shared value and support inclusive community development. Her work centres on driving policy innovation through social innovation and translational research, translating data and community insight into strategies for planning, service transformation, and cross-sector collaboration. Her recent work includes developing intergenerational play space initiatives in partnership with the Hong Kong Housing Society, advancing approaches that support ageing in place, partnering with NGOs to redesign residential care services, and applying data and analytics to inform service re-engineering for future communities in the Northern Metropolis.
Prior to joining JCDISI, she served as Technical Manager for the Elizabeth Line project in the UK and the Walk DVRC project in Hong Kong. She is co-author of the award-winning article, Tackling Double Ageing with Double Smart, and led the Double Smart Assessment Indicators for Age-friendly Community (V1.0) initiative, which received an Honourable Mention at the Hong Kong Institute of Planners Awards 2023.
My Sustainability Goals for 2026:
My 2026 sustainability goal is to help make urban planning more socially responsive by using systems thinking and community evidence to connect people’s lived experience with better planning, service, and policy decisions.
Speaking at 2026 sessions:
Day 2
The Tyranny of the Measurable: Is Our Obsession with Reporting Killing the Very Purpose We’re Trying to Quantify?Supported by
Shared Value Initiative Hong Kong
Shared Value Initiative Hong Kong (SVIHK) is a non-profit organisation driving the purpose-led business movement in Hong Kong and China. We are funded by leading companies to accelerate shared value creation by establishing long-lasting and profitable business models while addressing unmet societal needs. Our dedicated programmes and vivid ecosystem bring unlikely partnerships that simultaneously create economic and social value.