Ms. Mette Mørck Helland lives in Baerum. After having run a small IT-company from 1994 till 2007, she decided to explore other avenues and landed in the field of manufacturing and industrial development.

Flexiramp is her entrepreneur product. As the name indicates, it’s a flexible and very versatile lightweight ramp that can be rolled up when not in use. It is made of aluminum and glasfibre reinforced polyester (GRP). It has been tested by the Norwegian Technological Institute and approved for loads up to 400 kilograms. It comes in various widths and since it consists of 2.5 inch joints that are linked together, its length can also be adjusted according to the users’ requirements. Originally meant for wheelchair users, the ramp is equally useful for anyone who need to move, load or unload e.g. motor bikes, lawn mowers, trolleys, rotary snowploughs, trailers for small boats etc. Its field of use is almost without limit.

She holds a Master in psychology. She is also an IT engineer and holds a master in web and programming.

Mr. Bambang Ismawan is the President of Bina Swadaya, one of the biggest NGOs in Indonesia who employs over 700 persons. "Bina Swadaya" (meaning Community Self-Reliance Development Agency) is a people-centered development agency managing a number of services oriented towards the development of self-reliant communities.

While pursuing an economics degree at Gadjah Mada University, Bambang Ismawan found that he was interested in neither business nor politics, and wanted to identify with something more meaningful. He has been involved in Bina Swadaya’s formation and growth for the past 40 years, and has developed a proven track record of successful partnerships with government, NGOs and businesses. His philosophy of promoting self-reliance within Bina Swadaya’s self-help groups drives the strategic development of the organization. Bambang invests a large amount of his time on developing the leadership capabilities of the organization.

Besides generating profits from the sale of its own publications, Bina Swadaya has developed significant expertise in the field of publishing while at the same time offering market-leading consulting services. In 2001, the organization started a franchise operation for agricultural shops, which provides market access for the Bina Swadaya group’s products. It also offers microfinancing through four rural banks and cooperatives.

In 1998 Mr. Alou Keita set up a microfinance and investment organization, PASECA, a federation of village banks in the Kayes district of Mali. Alou’s banks are completely run by villagers, and a bank is only set up after the community is fully committed to providing the infrastructure and staffing for their bank.

His interest in financial management was spurred by his experiences living in a small town in Tunisia as a student at an agricultural college. He was living on a very tight budget. The requisite planning, discipline and budgeting that enabled him to survive his student years fueled his interest in financial management and micro-finance.

An agro-economist by profession, Mr Alou Keita founded PASECA to help rural people from his village and surrounding communities develop economically.

Alou has created one of the most successful of Mali’s community managed village banking networks, providing savings, credit and banking facilities for village communities. Unique among other village finance offices, the input of capital from migrant workers in France allows the banks to strengthen villages which have been weakened by emigration and the ripple effects of rural poverty. One of Mr Keita’s key innovations is a money transfer service for those living abroad which offers an effective response to the challenge of sending money home to remote villages.