Emma Watson, Actress, gender activist
“Gender equality is not only a woman’s issue, it’s a human rights issue.” Vision: A world of gender equality. Action: Some campaigns portray the feminist cause as “man-hating.” By involving both genders in the #HeForShe campaign, Watson hopes to abolish the “us vs. them” mentality. She has launched a campaign that aims to galvanize one billion […]
Pierre Omidyar, Founder, eBay and First Look Media
“Long-term sustainable change happens if people discover their own power.” Vision: Democracy depends on a citizenry that is highly informed and deeply engaged in the issues that affect their lives. Action: First Look’s insistence on editorial independence has already attracted some of the most fiercely independent journalists around. Omidyar seeks to improve society through journalism […]
Rosa Parks (1913-2005), Civil Rights Activist
“I don’t remember feeling anger, but I did feel determined to take this as an opportunity to let it be known that I did not want to be treated in that manner.” Vision: A society free of prejudice. Action: Parks refused to give up her seat to a white commuter on a bus in 1955. She became an icon of […]
Elon Musk, Founder, Tesla
“When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.” Vision: We must expand life beyond this green and blue ball or go extinct. Action: Musk says his ideas can change history. At his car company, employees believe they are saving the planet, and at the rocket company, […]
Julie Copeland, CEO, Arbill
“It’s not simply about the impact an accident has on an individual, but on families too.” Vision: An accident-free workplace. Action: Dedicated to protecting your most valuable asset – your employees – Copeland collaborates, brainstorms and actively provides safety advice to more than 300,000 workers. She knows that legislation alone is not adequate to provide safety in […]
Anu Sridharan, Founder, NextDrop
“I’ve made so many mistakes, been in so many ‘ wow, this is nuts’ situations.” Vision: A society that nurtures tolerance and understanding among all people. Action: Twenty-something Sridharan invented a mobile app that provides real-time information on water availability in India via SMS. In addition to serving the needs of women in developing countries she has […]
Felix Finkbeiner, Founder, Plant For The Planet
“A mosquito cannot do anything against a rhino, but a thousand mosquitoes can make the rhino change its direction.” Vision: A world in balance, where climate justice prevails and children no longer have to fight for survival. Action: The 17-year-old passed his target of planting a million trees in his home country Germany, and kept on […]
Carol Hansen, CEO, Tatonka Capital Corporation
“Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Vision: A world where little girls know they can grow up to be a leader if they have a mind to. Action: As the immediate past Chair of the Women’s YPO Network (WYN) Carol gave a powerful organization a voice it never […]
Evan Chrapko, CEO, Waste to Energy
“Leave the world a better place than how you found it. That doesn’t mean you can’t do well for yourself along the way.” Vision: Solving the world’s energy problems through smart energy means, and solving social problems while you’re at it. Action: Ideas are a necessary first ingredient – and the bigger the idea, the better. […]
Desmond Tutu, Spiritual leader, social rights activist
“My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.” Vision: A society that nurtures tolerance and understanding among all people. Action: The Archbishop Emeritus has identified essential human values as the building blocks for sustainable peace: Love, hope, tolerance and courage. His role as a spiritual leader has transgressed all cultures […]
