Lucy Siegle, Journalist

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“The global economy creates a global ignorance, in which producers and consumer cannot know or care about one another. The degradation of products, places, producers and consumers is inevitable.”

Vision: To convince everybody they have a vested interest in fighting for the environment – however disenfranchised they feel. Action: Creator of the Observer Ethical Awards, Siegle thinks the circular economy has enormous potential to create positive change. @lucysiegle

Simon Mainwaring, Founder, We First Branding

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“The future of profit is purpose. Your brand must be the celebrant, not celebrity of your customer. Be a mission with a company, not a company with a mission.”

Vision: A world in which business becomes a global force for positive social change. Action: Mainwaring wrote We First: How Brands and Consumers Use Social Media to Build a Better World. He started speaking around the world and writing for industry magazines to share these ideas. www.WeFirstBranding.com

Jeff Joerres, CEO, ManpowerGroup

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“Previous eras were defined by the raw materials that transformed them: stone, iron and bronze. Now it’s human potential.”

Vision: An era that will put unprecedented value on talent as the main driver of business success. Action: ManpowerGroup is leading governments and business leaders to re-examine how they leverage human potential in an increasingly volatile world. They don’t pretend they have a social conscience, because the core of their business is already that. www.ManpowerGroup.com

 

Deb Nelson, Director, Social Venture Network

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“We’re a network where members originally went to remind themselves that they’re not crazy.”

Vision: To support and empower diverse, innovative leaders who leverage business for a greater good. Action: Helps build valuable peer-to-peer connections among influential business leaders, social entrepreneurs and impact investors. This creates high-impact collaborations that contribute to a just, humane and sustainable world. www.SVN.org

Chris Temple and Zach Ingasci, Founders, Living on One

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“A real leader is someone who leads by example, through the personal narrative and values of their life.”

Vision: A world of equitable opportunity, where everyone – no matter race, gender, or religion – is treated with dignity. Action: The pair immerse themselves in pressing global issues and create films about their experiences to inspire action. Their approach is to take the time to listen and help share these stories on a global scale. www.LivingOnOne.org

Mindy Lubber, President, Ceres

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“A good environmental policy is good for business.”

Vision: Mobilizing business leadership for a sustainable world. Action: Ceres was formed 25 years ago after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Their mission was to bring environmentalists and capitalists together to forge a new sustainable business model, one that would help protect the planet, weaving social challenges and investor decision- making into the capital markets to help build a thriving global economy. www.Ceres.org

Matt Renner, Executive Director, World Business Academy

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“Business is the most agile and important force on earth and also the most politically and socially impactful.”

Vision: To inspire business to assume responsibility for the whole of society. Action: The academy is a nonprofit think tank and action incubator that assists those in business who share their values. They explore the roles and responsibilities of business in relation to critical moral, environmental and social issues of our day. www.WorldBusiness.org

KoAnn Skrzyniarz, CEO, Sustainable Brands

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“Cynicism is the enemy of the good. Focus on the positive and never forget that any action, big or small, in support of a better world helps tip the future in the right direction.”

Vision: Imagine a world in which our economy works for all people – this generation and the next. Action: Reframing the conversation about sustainability – from one of responsibility, cost savings and risk mitigation to one of revenue growth and opportunity for innovation. www.SustainableBrands.com

Bill and Melinda Gates, Founders, Gates Foundation

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“Don’t just go for safe projects, take on the really tough problems.”

Vision: Be an optimist. Focus on a few big goals that can help every person have a healthy, productive life. Action: Some of the projects the foundation funds will fail. Bill and Melinda Gates not only accept that, they expect it—because they think their essential role is to make bets on promising solutions that governments and businesses can’t afford to make. They adjust strategies and share the results so everyone can benefit. www.GatesFoundation.org

Scilla Elworthy, Founder, Oxford Research Group

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“If the mantra of last century was ‘what can I GET?’, the mantra of this century ( for those ahead of the curve) is ‘what can I GIVE?”

Vision: To enable leaders to make wiser decisions so that there is less suffering as a result of war. Action: Elworthy has brought nuclear weapons policy makers into dialogue with their counterparts and with their critics, in confidential under-the-radar meetings to discuss the terms of treaties. Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times. www.ScillaElworthy.com