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
Vision: A world that deals with global challenges through social enterprise and impact investing. Action: Skoll believes that you should be as entrepreneurial in impact investing as you would in any other form of investing. He founded the Skoll World Forum, made award- winning movies and started the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship. www.SkollFoundation.org
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 and technology, and to hold those in power accountable. www.FirstLook.org
Vision: To make science, technology, engineering and math accessible to diverse groups. Action: Klawe is closing the computer science (CS) gender gap and having stunning success in getting more women involved. She’s not concerned with filling quotas or being nice either. Content is designed around problems women can relate to. Female majors in CS have increased by 300 percent. www.HMC.edu
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
Vision: A corruption-free Ukraine. Action: Appointed head of Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Committee in 2014, she resigned after five months saying there was no political will in Ukraine to carry out a large- scale war against corruption. Her investigative journalism resulted in an attack in 2013 that many believe was ordered by the Ukrainian president for her investigation into his new luxury palace.
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 the modern Civil Rights Movement and a symbol of peaceful resistance to racial segregation. Her small, quiet and lone protest was to have a huge influence on the self-worth of an entire nation, one that still inspires many today. www.RosaParksFacts.com
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 and religions as he’s made the world aware of our shared humanity. www.Tutu.org
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. He’s turning municipal sewage into usable methane gas, generating 40 million litres of ethanol fuel per year. www.GrowingPower.com
Vision: Making higher education affordable for everyone. Action: Manages social-investment funds that invest in the education of students. In exchange, each student commits to pay a fixed percentage of income for 120 months after graduation. Students and investors are brought together in a win-win partnership. www.Lumni.net
