Mimi founded one of the world’s only post-consumer plastic bag recycling companies in a country – Myanmar – which consistently ranks in the top 20 hardest countries in the world to conduct business. Her company successfully diverted 4 million pounds (1,800 metric tons) of plastic waste from waterways over 3... Read more
Our plastic world and recycling challenges w/ Mimi Wu (ep#38)
Mimi Wu - Myanmar Recycles - 2021 Fellow for South Asia & Oceania
Lightning Talks: Mimi Wu | What Makes a Great Impact Entrepreneur?
Entrepreneurship Panel with the University of Virginia's Batten School
– Plastic waste and its impact on climate change and ecological disaster.
– Plastic’s petroleum origins – and market economics.
– Single-use plastic and throw away culture are major causes of the plastic pollution crisis.
– Microplastics are literally everywhere – examining their impact on human health.
– How Mimi started an industrial-scale business in a foreign country with zero experience.
– Soft skills that are key to success.
– How to get the ask.
– Navigating business challenges and mistakes.
Mimi founded one of the world’s only post-consumer plastic bag recycling companies in a country – Myanmar – which consistently ranks in the top 20 hardest countries in the world to conduct business. Her company successfully diverted 4 million pounds (1,800 metric tons) of plastic waste from waterways over 3 years.
Mimi is an impact-driven founder, Board Member, consultant, and advisor with deep operational expertise in global plastics waste management, circularity technologies, and infrastructure systems. She has intimate experience working in the Global South, having lived in Myanmar and Uganda for 11 years.
Mimi’s on-the-ground experience not only founding and operating Myanmar Recycles but also spending hours in open pit dumpsites and working with waste collectors lends authority to her deep understanding of the challenges that most of the world faces when tackling plastic production, reduction, and management. She takes an uncommon view compared to the “West” that unlocking our global green transition requires investing in the Global South’s infrastructure and hardware technology.
Since returning to the US in 2021 after Myanmar’s military coup, Mimi has been working with industry leaders, startups, and VCs on projects that implement waste collection systems and sortation facilities in Southeast Asia, global supply chain traceability, river cleanup and mangroves re-wilding, and advanced recycling solutions for hard-to-recycle plastics. She is Secretariat of the Innovators Alliance for a Global Plastics Treaty, a coalition of SME implementers and technologists driving critical solutions to solve our plastic pollution crisis.
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You can book Mimi Wu through London Speaker Bureau by submitting the enquiry form on this page or calling our team. One of our consultants will respond promptly with Mimi's current availability, speaking fees and any specific requirements for your event.
Mimi Wu's speaking fees depend on the event format (in-person or virtual), the location, the length of the engagement and the level of customisation required. Please contact London Speaker Bureau for an up-to-date fee quote for Mimi tailored to your event.
Mimi Wu speaks on Business & Management, Cities, Cities & Environment, Climate, Economics & Finance. Talks can be shaped around your audience, industry and strategic objectives - share your event brief with London Speaker Bureau and we will work with Mimi to align the content with your delegates and goals.
London Speaker Bureau can book Mimi Wu for events worldwide, subject to Mimi's schedule. Please send us your event date, location and format and we will confirm availability and handle travel and logistics on your behalf.
Virtual and hybrid keynotes are now a standard part of the speaking industry. Please contact London Speaker Bureau to confirm whether Mimi Wu is available to deliver a virtual session for your event and on which platform (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, a bespoke studio or your own).
Most keynote speeches run between 45 and 60 minutes, often followed by a 15-30 minute Q&A. Other formats - shorter conference slots, panel appearances or longer workshop sessions - may also be possible. Share your agenda with London Speaker Bureau and we will confirm what Mimi can accommodate.
London Speaker Bureau will brief Mimi Wu on your audience profile, sector and objectives so the keynote can be shaped around your event. The level of customisation possible depends on the speaker and the lead time - contact us with your brief and we will confirm what Mimi can offer.
Mimi Wu delivers keynotes in English. This profile may not list every language available; ask London Speaker Bureau to confirm. If you require simultaneous interpretation or a multilingual format, please mention this in your enquiry and London Speaker Bureau will arrange it for you.
Mimi Wu's areas of expertise include Business & Management, Cities, Cities & Environment, Climate, Economics & Finance. To get a clear sense of Mimi's style, credentials and how they engage an audience, please review the biography, popular talks and any videos or testimonials shown on this page, or request a detailed speaker brief from London Speaker Bureau.
Mimi Wu can be booked through London Speaker Bureau for corporate conferences, leadership events, internal team meetings, association gatherings and private client engagements where expertise in Business & Management, Cities, Cities & Environment, Climate, Economics & Finance is relevant. Details of Mimi's background and previous engagements are included in the biography above; contact us if you would like a more detailed list of past clients or case studies.
Beyond keynote speeches, many of the speakers on our roster also take part in workshops, executive masterclasses, panel discussions and fireside chats. Contact London Speaker Bureau with your preferred format and we will confirm what Mimi Wu is able to offer alongside or instead of a keynote.
We generally recommend enquiring at least three to twelve months in advance to secure your preferred date with Mimi Wu, particularly during peak conference seasons. Where possible we also accommodate shorter lead times - please contact London Speaker Bureau to check Mimi's current availability for your dates.