This conceptual paper aims to add to the body of literature on social enterprises (SEs), by discussing issues and the theories related to SEs according to the lens of governance. The rapid growth of SEs in Malaysia since 1990s has been recognised by the government as an important vehicle to achieve a high nation income status by the year 2020. This, along with the increase in public trust towards SEs, has resulted in the growing interest towards issues related to SEs by both academic and practitioners. Although governance plays an important role as one of the key determinants for entrepreneurial success, little attention has been given with regards to the issue of SEs governance, For SEs, governance is more critical compared to conventional enterprises, as SEs need to balance between economic and social objectives. Moreover, governance plays a significant role in SEs, due to their focus towards multi-stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]