Launched by the Swiss Investment Fund for Emerging Markets (SIFEM)’s Technical Assistance Facility (TAF), the Skills for Employment Excellence and Impact (SEE Impact) Award recognizes and co-finances impactful, innovative, and scalable projects from underlying portfolio companies of SIFEM partner funds and financial institutions that enhance workforce skills, employability, and employment quality. The award aims to empower businesses to become exemplary employers while driving sustainable development.
The 2025 edition of the Award attracted 34 applicants across three Award tiers: Pioneer, Catalyst, and Game Changer, with each bringing forward innovative proposals.
In this blog post, we’re presenting two finalists in the Pioneer tier that have each developed highly impactful projects to advance workforce skills, employability, and employment quality.
Eminence Ways
CyberReady Nepal: Developing skilled talent for national and global cybersecurity needs
Founded in 2013, Eminence Ways Pvt. Ltd. is pioneering cybersecurity firm based in Nepal, established with a mission to fortify digital resilience. Over the past decade, the company has evolved into a trusted global partner, offering Information Technology (IT) and Information Security (IS) audits, assessments, and training services. Strategic financial partnerships with national financial institutions such as Global IME Bank Limited—a SIFEM partner financial institution in Nepal since 2024, have supported the company’s expansion and operational resilience over the years.
With a team of 80+ experts and a client base spanning more than 450 organizations across Asia, Europe, Australia, and the US, Eminence Ways continues to drive innovation and secure digital ecosystems across sectors like public administration, banking, financial services and insurance, healthcare, and aviation, among others.
Photo credit: Eminence Ways
However, the company faces a challenge. Nepal’s rapid digital transformation has outpaced the growth of its cybersecurity workforce, with fewer than 500 professionals trained in advanced frameworks. This shortage leaves critical sectors vulnerable to sophisticated cyber threats and limits job opportunities for aspiring IT talent.
Eminence Ways’ proposal to the SEE Impact Award 2025, the CyberReady Nepal initiative delivers intensive, hands-on training, internationally recognized certifications, and real-world project experience to both existing professionals and new entrants. The program’s unique “Train-the-Trainer” model ensures sustainability as certified experts become mentors, creating a continuous pipeline of skilled talent.
By the end of the program, 70% of trained individuals are expected to achieve job placement or promotion within six months, with average skills assessment scores improving by 35% post-training and certification. The project anticipates generating increased confidence and job satisfaction among participants, while teams with trained members are anticipated to meet or exceed performance targets and experience reduced turnover rates.
Organizationally, the project anticipates a 30% increase in overall revenue, expansion of advanced service offerings, and a 40% reduction in operational costs due to enhanced efficiency and lower employee attrition.
Ultimately, CyberReady Nepal aims to build a sustainable pipeline of highly skilled cybersecurity professionals, positioning Nepal as a competitive hub for international cybersecurity projects and raising industry standards nationwide.
Fundacion Boliviana Para El Desarrollo (FUBODE) IFD
Path to Middle Leadership
FUBODE IFD is a non-banking microfinance institution dedicated to promoting financial inclusion among vulnerable urban and rural populations in Bolivia, with the purpose of generating a sustainable impact on the quality of life of families and children — the primary focus of its financial products and services. Its portfolio includes microcredit, family savings, health and life insurance, remittance services, and complementary financial solutions, all reinforced by financial, environmental, and social education programs that help build sustainable livelihoods. FUBODE is linked with SIFEM through Locfund Next—a fund that provides local currency financing to Tier II and III microfinance institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean and to which SIFEM committed USD 10m in 2020.
Beyond its financial role, FUBODE stands out for its strong commitment to social responsibility, gender equity and child protection. FUBODE places children’s well-being at the heart of sustainable development: by strengthening family enterprises and income generation, it ensures that clients’ children have access to better nutrition, education, health, and protection—investing not only in businesses, but in the future of Bolivian children.
The institution has been recognized with the “Company Committed to a Life Free from Violence” seal and actively promotes safe and respectful workplaces. FUBODE’s proposal for the SEE Impact Award 2025 is closely aligned to this value.
Photo credit: FUBODE IFD
Middle managers often play a key role in translating strategy into action and fostering a positive work culture. This also holds true for FUBODE which recognizes that navigating a dynamic operational environment marked by high demands and challenging socioeconomic contexts can adversely affect workforce resilience and work culture.
To begin addressing this challenge, FUBODE has proposed the “Path to Middle Leadership” project for the SEE Impact Award 2025. This initiative is a comprehensive training and support program designed to transform middle managers into empathetic, resilient, and productive leaders. It blends face-to-face workshops, coaching, mentoring, and ongoing feedback, all structured around the ADKAR change management model (Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Reinforcement). Ambassadors, i.e., selected middle managers, receive intensive training and then facilitate team sessions and promote positive cultural change throughout the organization.
As a result of the initiative, FUBODE expects to strengthen collaboration, well-being, and resilience with the middle management acting as agents of positive change. The project is expected to result in improved talent retention, with perception of effective leadership among staff increasing to 85% and perceived emotional well-being by staff increasing by 10% within the first year of implementation. This is expected to result in increased productivity of operational teams supporting business growth and improved client service.
Charting the Future: Celebrating Impact and Innovation
As we reflect on the inspiring journeys of Eminence Ways and FUBODE IFD, it is clear that investing in people and positive work cultures are vital for building resilient, inclusive, and forward-looking organizations that can attract and retain talent to support their broader organizational goals.
SIFEM’s SEE Impact Award celebrates these efforts, recognizing that meaningful change is often induced by innovative ideas and collaborative action as demonstrated by these proposals.
Stay tuned: The winners of the SEE Impact Award 2025, including for the Pioneer tier, will be announced on November 5, 2025. For any questions, please reach out to the organizing team at _SEEImpactAward@responsAbility.com.