Jean Oelwang interview
55
she says. “The world is rapidly becoming a global village, but there are not enough leadership models in place to address the issues we’re facing.”
Beyond borders To help build new platforms for global leadership, Virgin Unite brings together partners and nurtures organizations to the point where they’re ready to be spun out independently, with separate management and boards. While Virgin Unite continues to provide fi nancial support, the independence of the organization is critical, Oelwang says, “because we feel strongly that the only agenda of these organizations has to be that of the people and the planet.” The Elders (
theelders.org), an
independent group of eminent global leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela, is one example of a Virgin Unite global leadership initiative. Another is the Carbon War Room, where Oelwang sits on the executive board. “What’s great about the Carbon War
Room is that it looks at issues through that constant lens of entrepreneurialism and market-based models,” Oelwang says. One example of the important work being done by the organization, she believes, is its data- based web hub (shippingeffi
ciency.org) designed to help improve environmental performance in global ocean shipping. The Shipping Effi ciency Initiative is a
perfect example of entrepreneurial spirit because the team “worked with the shipping companies, the retailers, the port authorities and the technology companies to help bring all those organizations together, to really scale the change that needs to happen in the shipping industry.” Arranging similar “unlikely marriages” involving business, government and NGOs has probably been the most testing on-the- job training for Virgin Unite over the last seven years, according to Oelwang. “In the past, there’s been a lot of animosity between these sectors,” she says. The challenge has been a question of “how to build respect and trust among these sectors and get them to come together to create initiatives that are going to have far more scale and impact than they would if each one was continuing to work on its own.” As business grows increasingly global,
WWW.CARBONWARROOM.COM
A dry toilet system in city park, Nairobi
“For every dollar we spend, we are getting $1.50-2 back. If you think it is expensive to do things for the environment, you should try
ignoring it. You’ll fi nd out how expensive it gets” WAYNE BALTA, VICE PRESIDENT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS AND PRODUCT SAFETY, IBM
new challenges emerge. “I think we really need to step back and look at how we create some of these new leadership platforms that cross borders,” Oelwang says. “And I think business is going to have to play a signifi cant role in that because business is one of the sectors that has successfully crossed borders and built brands across borders.”
Starting up Virgin Unite’s initiatives play out against a broader backdrop of established businesses becoming increasingly more engaged in environmental and social issues. The exciting shift is that businesses are starting to truly put people and planet at their core, alongside profi t. “I think there are some wonderful examples of companies that have been leaders in this area,” says Oelwang. In fact, there’s substantial evidence that these programs have positive benefi ts, both for business and society. (See Doing Well by Doing Good boxout below) It’s clear, however, that Oelwang has a special enthusiasm for entrepreneurial
startups – which she calls “front-line initiatives” – that are often focused on the needs of developing economies. One example: Husk Power Systems (
huskpowersystems.com), which uses new technologies to turn rice husks into eco-friendly electricity for Indian villages that have never had power. Another: Ecotact (
ecotact.org), a Kenyan company with a line of sanitation products, addressing a market created by millions of people who do not have access to basic sanitation or clean drinking water. “These are the kinds of organizations
that are just starting to get to scale right now which are very exciting,” Oelwang says. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Oelwang in many ways seems a citizen of the world. She worked early in her career for an American telecommunications company in cities throughout the US, then as a public- service VISTA volunteer in inner-city Chicago. That was followed by a series of positions with ventures in London, Bulgaria, Colombia, South Africa, Singapore, and Australia.
All that has proved valuable ISSUE 02. JUNE 2011
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