LEADERS Magazine July, August, September 2022 Volume 45, Number 3

July, August, September 2022

Volume 45 Number 3

SERVANT LEADERSHIP Tony Robbins 6

A BRIDGE BUILDER 12 XPRIZE 18 PROJECT LIBERTY 26 BREATH 30

just keep livin 44 WE ARE FAMILY 50 NOVAK DJOKOVIC FOUNDATION 68

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity.

The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.”

Winston Churchill LEADERS Magazine is published quarterly and circulated to distinguished leaders of the world. Circulation is strictly limited. To receive LEADERS Magazine, one must be a leader of a nation, an international company, a world religion, an international institute of learning, or an international labor organization; or a chief financial officer, a major investor on behalf of labor or corporate pension funds, a chief information officer or a Nobel laureate. LEADERS Magazine was founded by Henry O. Dormann (1932-2018).

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Contents PURPOSE Servant Leadership Tony Robbins

Closing Gaps and Opening Doors Robert Rubin, Founder, The Bridge, and Chairman and Co-Executive Director, The Bridge Golf Foundation

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A Bridge Builder T.D. Jakes

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A Race Against Time Daniel L. Doctoroff, Founder, Target ALS

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The Intersection of Audacity and Achievability Peter H. Diamandis, Founder and Executive Chairman, XPRIZE Foundation

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Driving Environmental and Social Change Paul M. Donofrio, Vice Chairman, Bank of America

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Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art James Nestor

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Powering Identity for the Internet Frederic Kerrest, Executive Vice Chairman, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder, Okta

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Advancing Healthcare James Flynn, Managing Partner, Deerfield

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Global Health Eric Cioè-Peña, MD, MPH, FACEP, Founding Director, Center for Global Health, Northwell Health

Human Trafficking Santhosh K. Paulus, MD, Senior Program Director, Human Trafficking, Education, Advocacy, Response and Training Program, Northwell Health

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Empowering High School Students Shannon Mabrey Rotenberg, Executive Director, and Erica Helwick Doyle, Managing Director, just keep livin Foundation

Project Liberty Frank H. McCourt, Jr., Chief Executive Officer, McCourt Global and Founder, Project Liberty

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Inspiring Innovation for Humanity’s Pressing Challenges Anousheh Ansari, Chief Executive Officer, XPRIZE Foundation

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Maternal Health Zenobia Brown, MD, Vice President and Medical Director, Population Health, Northwell Health

Digital Health Sophy Lu, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Northwell Health

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Technological Transformation Martin Fiore, US-East Regional Tax Leader, EY

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Stay Strong, Dream Big Anthony Rizzo, Founder, Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation

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We Are Family Michele Campbell, Executive Director, LeBron James Family Foundation

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Sustainable Luxury Frédéric de Narp, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Luximpact

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Mindfulness Mirabai Bush, Co-Founder, Center for Contemplative Mind in Society

The Soul of Business Alan Murray, Chief Executive Officer, Fortune Media

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Impacting the Representation in the Insurance Industry Lilian Vanvieldt, Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, Alliant Insurance Services

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Believe in Their Dreams Jelena Djokovic, Co-Founder and Global CEO, Novak Djokovic Foundation

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Building Brands Twila True, Co-Founder, True Family Enterprises

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Faster, Safer, and Cleaner Christophe Gaussin, Chief Executive Officer, Gaussin

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KANSAS CITY METROPOLITAN AREA

Terroir, People, and Time Baptiste Loiseau, Cellar Master, LOUIS XIII

Public-Private Partnership The Honorable Curt Skoog, Mayor, Overland Park, Kansas

Eliminating Waste Ernie Peia, Owner, CSS, Inc.

In the Heart of North America Tim Cowden, President and Chief Executive Officer, Kansas City Area Development Council

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Physician Leadership David L. Reich, MD, President, The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai Queens

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ESG Creating 360° Value KC McClure, Chief Financial Officer, Accenture

Present-Moment Awareness Susan Kaiser Greenland

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Accelerating the Information Revolution Catherine Lenson, Managing Partner, SoftBank Investment Advisers Creating a Sustainable Hawaii Island The Honorable Mitch Roth, Mayor, Hawaii Island

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Renewable Energy Development in Hawaii Sandra Larsen, Hawaii Market Business Leader, The AES Corporation

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The ESG Ecosystem Jeannie S. Rhee, Partner, Litigation Department and Deputy Managing Partner, Washington, D.C. Office, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison

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Mission, Vision, and Values Xiaojun (Dennis) Huang, Executive Vice President, Bank of China U.S.A.

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Prospering on the Right Path Murray Clay, President, Ulupono Initiative

Guiding Principles Elizabeth Lewis, Managing Director and Deputy Head of ESG, Blackstone

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Using Blockchain to Transform Banking Kevin Greene, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Tassat Group Inc.

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Pursuing Cityhood Bill White, Volunteer Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Buckhead City Committee

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A New Reality Ben Lytle

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BUCKHEAD

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Transforming Landscapes Ora Reynolds, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hunt Midwest Enterprises, Inc. and Incoming Board Co-Chair, Kansas City Area Development Council

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A Bold Voice for Business Tracey Osborne Oltjen, CCE, IOM, President and Chief Executive Officer, Overland Park Chamber of Commerce

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Serving Travelers Patrick Klein, Director of Aviation, Kansas City International Airport

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HOSPITALITY Dream Maker Culture Deborah Yager Fleming, Chief Executive Officer & Partner, Acqualina Resort & Residences on the Beach

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An Urban Vibe Elizabeth Andrews, General Manager, The Opus, Westchester

Making the World Work Better Edua Dickerson, Vice President, ESG and Finance Strategy, ServiceNow

A New Image to Mentalism Kevin Nicholas, Modern Mentalist

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PURPOSE

Servant Leadership An Interview with Tony Robbins EDITORS’ NOTE Tony Robbins Will you discuss your personal Another pivotal point in my journey is an entrepreneur, #1 New York journey and how it impacted your happened when I was 17. After leaving home, Times best-selling author, philancareer and path in life?

I started working as a part-time janitor earning a thropist, and the nation’s #1 life I grew up in a tough environ- mere $40 a week. I used most of what I made in and business strategist. He has ment. I grew up poor in southern a week to make the best investment in myself that empowered more than 50 million California, sometimes without enough I have ever made. For $35, I attended a three-hour people from 100 countries around food to eat. Many times, we were too seminar by Jim Rohn, a personal development the world through his audio broke to buy food or clothes. There coach who soon became my mentor. I landed a pr ograms, educational videos, was lots of love in my family, and my job with Jim which provided me with a foundaand live seminars. For more mom was wonderful in so many ways, tion that led me to my professional calling and than four and a half decades, but she struggled with addictions to what helps shape who I am to this day. millions of people have enjoyed alcohol and prescription drugs. I also Jim got me to start focusing on the few Tony Robbins the warmth, humor, and transhad a series of four fathers growing who do in life, not just the many who talk. I formational power of his business up. began to appreciate the value of role models, and personal development events. Robbins A turning point in my life that helped those special people who can help you idenis the author of six international bestsellers, shape me to this day happened on Thanks- tify a proven approach instead of expending including the 2014 New York Times #1 finan- giving when I was 11. A neighbor who knew all your energy in trial and error. What Jim cial bestseller, MONEY: Master the Game, and we were struggling knocked at the front taught me was this: for things to get better, you UNSHAKEABLE: Your Financial Freedom door holding bags filled with food for a big need to get better. For things to change, you Playbook (2017). His most recent book, LIFE Thanksgiving dinner. My father at the time have to change. And if you want to succeed at FORCE: How New Breakthroughs in Precision was embarrassed to get the help our family anything – whether it’s building a hugely profitMedicine Can Transform the Quality of Your needed at this moment. I was happy just to able business, constructing a stormproof investLife and Those You Love, was released in have food. I resolved right then and there to ment portfolio, or creating a healthy lifestyle February 2022. Robbins is involved in more become successful enough so that I could that fills you with boundless energy – you need than 100 privately held businesses with help others the way that my neighbor helped to study people who have already achieved combined sales exceeding $7 billion a year. He me and my family. the result you’re after. In other words, success has been honored by Accenture as one of the “Top 50 Business Intellectuals in the World,” by Harvard Business Press as one of the “Top 200 Business Gurus,” and by American Express as one of the “Top Six Business Leaders in the World.” Fortune magazine’s cover article named him the “CEO Whisperer,” and he has been named in the Top 50 of Worth Magazine’s 100 most powerful people in global finance for three consecutive years. He has worked with four U.S. presidents, top entertainers – from Aerosmith to Green Day, Usher and Pitbull, and athletes and sports teams including tennis great Serena Williams, UFC champion Conor McGregor, and the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. Robbins is a leading philanthropist and through his 1 Billion Meals Challenge in partnership with Feeding America, he has provided over 850 million meals in the last 7 years and he is ahead of schedule to provide 1 billion meals by 2025. Through the Tony Robbins Foundation, he has awarded over 2,000 grants and other resources to health and human services organizations, implemented a life-changing curriculum in 1,700+ correctional facilities, and gathered thousands of young leaders from around the world Tony Robbins leads numerous events each year with its youth programs.

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leaves clues. If a person has sustained success in any long-term ambition – whether it was losing weight, growing a business, sustaining an extraordinary relationship – then luck has nothing to do with it. They’re doing something different than you are. So you need to understand exactly what they’re doing differently, and precisely how they’ve mastered the skills you’ll need to replicate their success.

During the past four and a half decades of working with people from all walks of life and cultures around the world, I have repeatedly observed a single core trait that the most successful achievers share – whether they are successful in business or politics or finance or sports – a hunger that usually comes from pain they have experienced in their life fueling a passion that reaches beyond themselves.

When did you know that coaching others was your passion and what has made the work so special for you?

When I got started, the whole notion of “life coaching” did not exist. For as long as I can remember, I hated to see others suffer.

That’s why I’ve spent more than four and a half decades of my life working to help millions of people to uncover the most effective strategies to get from where they are to where they truly want to be. I’m obsessed with helping people lift themselves up from pain to power.

What was the spark that lit your entrepreneurial spirit and desire to build businesses?

I actually didn’t start out looking to be in business. My goal has always been impact, but at a certain point I realized that my words would die on my lips if I didn’t create a system to scale. I had to build the muscle of entrepreneurship, and it was built also by modeling some of the people I’m privileged to call friends – Marc Benioff, Peter Guber and Richard Branson.

Over time, I also got involved in other areas of business, and now am involved in more than 100 privately held businesses with combined sales exceeding $7 billion a year. They range from hospitality to healthcare, pro sports to eSports, private equity to wealth management, asteroid mining to creating 3D printed prosthetics and improving the safety and sustainability of our food supply.

As my business and personal networks have grown over the past four and a half decades, I have continually gained access to new ideas, opportunities, and relationships which leads me to new entrepreneurial opportunities. I am always asking, “How can I help?” When you do that continually, it builds a relationship because you’re not asking

“During the past four and a half decades of working with people from all walks of life and cultures around the world, I have repeatedly observed a single core trait that the most successful achievers share – whether they are successful in business or politics or finance or sports – a hunger that usually comes from pain they have experienced in their life fueling a passion that reaches beyond themselves.”

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for things, you’re giving. It also exposes you to new ideas and opportunities.

Do you feel that entrepreneurship can be taught or is it an ability and skill that a person is born with?

Entrepreneurs aren’t always born that way.

Some develop an entrepreneurial mind after experiencing setbacks or committing to learning about themselves and the changes they need to make to unlock extraordinary lives. The key characteristic of any entrepreneur is the ability to handle risk. The best entrepreneurs on the planet tap into asymmetric risk-reward – meaning they look to limit the downside and maximize the upside.

Take Richard Branson, for example. When he was first starting out, launching his airline company, Virgin Atlantic, in 1984, there was a huge amount of risk to get started. Trying to take on an established company like British Airways was no small endeavor. Purchasing a fleet of Boeing jets, which are unbelievably expensive, there’s huge risk in that business.

Everybody knows that Richard risks his life going in balloons, going in boats – but when it comes to business, his whole thing is, “Where is the downside? How are we protecting against the downside?”

Richard negotiated a deal with Boeing to make sure that he could send the planes back and wouldn’t be liable if Virgin went under. This mindset is how people become billionaires.

They don’t fall into the trap of taking giant risks and hoping they are going to win. They find where there is the least amount of risk with the most upside – and do that again and again.

You are known as a leading entrepreneur, life and business strategist, bestselling author, and philanthropist. How do all these areas interconnect for you and how do you successfully balance them all at such a high level on a global scale?

It all starts with my decisions on what to focus on and what I am going to do about it.

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Those decisions are always rooted in my core belief system: “How can I best serve people and the moment.”

At the moment, one focus for me is improving healthcare, and more specifically, transforming our current system of post-illness sick care into pre-illness, preventative longevity care utilizing the amazing advancements happening in precision and regenerative medicine. This is a very good example of how focus leads to balanced interconnectivity across multiple areas like personal, business and philanthropic.

A few years back and over my lifetime, I went on my own personal health journey after being confronted with a number of healthrelated challenges, including a serious snowboarding accident where a doctor told me that “Life as you know it is over.” I thought otherwise and sought out the best second opinions I could find. Today, at 62, I am stronger than before I got injured through the power of precision and regenerative medicine and maintaining the right mindset. My own experience taught me that health truly is wealth. There is an old saying, “A person who has health has a million dreams, a person without it has one.”

Through my own journey, and my access to some of the best doctors and researchers in the world making advancements in precision and regenerative medicine, I became passionate about sharing what I had learned with others and finding ways to give more people access to the life-changing diagnostics, medical insights and treatments someone like me can access.

From this, I interviewed 150 of the leading scientific, medical and wellness experts and began writing Life Force, which became a #1 New York Times bestseller the week it launched.

From the Life For ce work, I became exposed and involved with a number of cuttingedge healthcare businesses, including Fountain 8 LEADERS

Life, and important research projects in areas such as cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s.

I then supported the initial goal of improving people’s lives and transforming existing healthcare by dedicating 100 percent of profits from Life Force to charity. Book sales will provide Feeding America, the largest food bank network in the United States, the ability to provide 20 million meals to those who are food insecure and may lack a healthy diet. The rest of the book’s profits are going to support scientific research combating cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and aging.

What are the primary keys to effective leadership?

It’s important to note that anyone can be a leader; some people may be born with it, but it’s really a muscle that you build over and over by overcoming adversity and solving problems.

What is leadership? What makes a great leader? Often the “leaders” we see on TV or in the media today are figureheads that do what’s popular, but not what’s right.

Leadership is the ability to create immediate impact and compel lasting, positive change in others. It’s understanding what motivates people and how to harness the power of influence in yourself and others to achieve a greater vision for mankind at every level.

Ultimately, a leader is a master of their own psychology, because the first person you need to influence is you. Leaders master the art of influence within themselves and with others so that they can act as a force for good and serve something that’s larger than themselves – creating permanent and lasting change around them.

Whether it’s someone who’s committed themselves at work, in their family, or in their community — I admire anyone who brings out the greatness that lies within each human being and enables individuals to put that greatness into practice consistently. Leaders inspire themselves and others to do, be, give and become more than they ever thought possible.

Anyone who faces challenges and not only overcomes them, but sets a new standard and steps up to create the future they envisioned – this is someone I am inspired by.

How would you describe your personal management style?

First, I think it’s important to distinguish between a manager and a leader. Managers manage outcomes; leaders drive change and transformation. They keep their eye on the outcome and adapt their style to what best serves the purpose.

“I actually didn’t start out looking to be in business. My goal has always been impact, but at a certain point I realized that my words would die on my lips if I didn’t create a system to scale.

I had to build the muscle of entrepreneurship, and it was built also by modeling some of the people I’m privileged to call friends – Marc Benioff, Peter Guber and Richard Branson.”

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Whether I’m working with someone oneon-one, or with an organization, my goal is always to serve. I am a servant leader who also situationally adapts my leadership style based on the moment and what best serves a given situation. You may have a dominant leadership style, but the best leaders I have found tap into other styles when it better fits a situation.

You talk about doing well and also doing good. How do true leaders balance achieving financial results and a strong bottom line while also making a difference and serving as a force for good in society?

Everyone can do well and also do good, and I don’t think those two sentiments should be separated. I’ve always believed that you don’t get beyond scarcity; you start there. If you won’t give a dime out of a dollar, you certainly aren’t going to give $100,000 out of $1 million.

In the case of both leaders and businesses, they are charged with leading, and the only way to become wealthy, and stay wealthy, is to find a way to do more for others than anyone else is in an area that people really value. Bottom line: leaders and businesses will prosper if they become more valuable. Do more. Give more.

Be more. Serve communities more.

Simply, transactionally pulling riches and what you want from those you engage personally and for business purposes will yield far less benefit longer-term.

By listening, serving, and giving to the needs and priorities of the communities you engage, the communities more often than not will engage alongside you and multiply your efforts to do things like helping feed the hungry, educating the young and improving the health of our planet. Those communities will also remain loyal to you for doing the right thing for the community. You did good and the community has a vested interest in helping you make sure that you and your business do well.

You have written more than a halfdozen best-selling books over your career.

What interests you most about book writing and will you describe how you approach developing and writing a best-selling book?

Well I’ll tell you, the process of writing is not something I enjoy. It is a lot of work and many long hours, often late into the night and sometimes into the early morning hours. Ironically, I was often working on the sleep chapter in my latest book, Life Force, at three in the morning. That said, I chose to write books time and time again because of my passion to share important knowledge that I believe everyone should have access to so they can live the lives they want. I use books because it allows me to communicate complex topics in a proven and universally used way to gather large amounts of new knowledge no matter where in the world a person may live.

I’m a spoken communicator by nature, but I’ve always loved books. I didn’t have any role models growing up, so I would escape into books. I would read biographies, or books about overcoming extreme adversity like Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning.

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Eventually, I took a speed-reading course and set myself a goal of reading one book a day and while I did not reach that lofty target, it did inspire me to read more than 700 books in seven years.

My whole life I have been obsessed with looking at how can you help people improve their lives. I have always focused on things that really matter to people like their body, emotions, relationships, finances, career, and the spiritual side of life.

I wrote my first book, Unlimited Power: The New Science of Personal Achievement, in 1986, more than 35 years ago. However, one constant is always present. I always seek out the brightest minds in an area I am writing about during the research process. For the #1 New York Times bestseller, Money: Master of the Game, I wrote after the 2008 financial crisis that devastated

Tony Robbins’ latest book cover

so many people’s lives, I talked with 50 of the smartest minds in investing, including Warren Buffett, Ray Dalio, and Paul Tudor Jones. I took in what they graciously shared and worked to make it simple and actionable for everyday people so they could take more control of their finances, and as a result their lives. For my latest #1 New York Times bestseller, Life Force: How New Breakthroughs in Precision Medicine Can Transform the Quality of Your Life & Those You Love, with co-authors Drs. Peter Diamandis and Robert Hariri, I spoke with and relied on the expertise of 150 of the world’s leading scientific, medical and wellness experts. My new book taps into those minds to share how people can become the CEO of their own health and to remind them that the goal is not to be the richest person in the graveyard. Too often people forget that their health is their true wealth.

What was your personal inspiration for writing, Life Force, and what are the primary messages you want readers to get from the book?

I have long been a biohacker and studying and teaching health for decades, but I became increasingly focused on it because I had an injury that should have ended my career. I got injured in the snowboarding accident I touched on earlier.

I thought I broke my neck when I woke up, but I had torn my rotator cuff, and on a 0 out of 10 scale, I was in a 9.9 level of pain. Like anyone, I went to my doctors and they said: surgery, surgery, surgery. They said I may have limited mobility of my arm and would be in recovery for four to six months. The last doctor had the grimmest news for me: he said life as I knew it was over because I also had extreme spinal stenosis. No more running, no more jumping.

I am blessed enough to work with some of the greatest athletes in the world, so I started calling around to the smartest people I know in medical research and asked them about regenerative medicine therapies like placental and umbilical cord derived stem cells as a treatment option used by some elite athletes after injury.

Eventually, after doing my research, I went to a recommended location in Panama and underwent three days of non-surgical stem cell treatment. I was tired the first day, a short cytokine response the second day which I expected, and after waking up the third day I had no pain in my shoulder and none in my spine for the first time in 14 years. MRIs confirmed the healing.

This precision and regenerative health journey led me to not only my own personal discovery, but an obsession to learn more and share what is happening in precision and regenerative medicine with others. That is how Life Force was born.

Over three years, I interacted with some of the world’s leading scientific and medical experts who showed me that biotechnology is remaking sick care into a totally new healthcare model: a future-looking, proactive, personalized, precision medicine one.

I began to ask why the rest of the world is not knowledgeable or does not have access to new and amazing breakthroughs in health technology and medicine that can: • help them heal • identify disease before it takes root • maximize their energy and strength to prevent disease • extend health span and longevity There is an old saying, ‘What you don’t know can’t hurt you?’ Nothing could be further from the truth. When it comes to your health, ignorance isn’t bliss – because what you don’t know can kill you!

People need to get educated, learn what pre-disease diagnostics and therapies are out there now, and do the work to become the CEO of their own health.

You are deeply engaged in philanthropic work. Will you discuss your passion for philanthropy and how you decide where to focus your efforts?

Giving back is part of my DNA and the way I lead. Of course, my passion for giving back was

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initially fueled by my early experiences, including as I have noted the time when a neighbor gave our struggling family food on Thanksgiving. The idea that strangers cared about my family just completely changed me and made me more selfaware, selfless, and dedicated to helping care for others less fortunate.

I started in my teens by asking a local church for the names of two needy families. Just before Thanksgiving, I personally went out and delivered baskets of food to both households, each with a simple note in English and Spanish. I will never forget those words: “This is a gift from a friend.

Everybody has tough times so please accept this gift and, if you can, someday do something like this for someone else to pay it forward.”

At one of the houses, a Spanish-speaking woman with four children started to kiss me and I kept saying, “No, no, no, delivery boy!”

The truth is that day I was not looking for her acknowledgement of the heartfelt gift. I only wanted to be there in the moment to witness its impact.

As I grew more prosperous, I sought to do and give more. Two baskets became ten, ten baskets became 100, which grew into a larger volunteer Basket Brigade program that eventually morphed into the 100 Million Meals Challenge co-created with Feeding America eight years ago. That campaign grew so successful that its goals are continuing to be surpassed and new ones created. The campaign has now provided support for more than 850 million meals through Feeding America’s U.S. network of 200 food banks. Our goal is to reach a billion meals by 2025 and we are well ahead of schedule. To learn more visit: https://

www.feedingamerica.org/about-us/partners/ current-promotions/1-billion-meals.

One of the ways I am amplifying this effort is by donating profits from Life Force, as I did with Money: Master of the Game and Unshakeable, to Feeding America. I have also amplified this effort by donating an additional $10 million during the pandemic because the number of people who became food insecure in that period grew exponentially, outpacing available resources.

“My whole life I have been obsessed with looking at how can you help people improve their lives. I have always focused on things that really matter to people like their body, emotions, relationships, finances, career, and the spiritual side of life.”

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My partnership with Feeding America is an example of how I personally, and the Tony Robbins Foundation that bears my name, focus on truly transformative philanthropic efforts at scale. The foundation and I want to empower and support organizations and initiatives that work to make a difference in the quality of life of people often left behind: the homeless, the hungry, the imprisoned population, youth in need, and senior citizens. In the end, my goal and the foundation’s goal is to give value and power back to people facing struggles by creating positive change in their lives and in the communities they call home. Some other efforts we have undertaken include: • Helping provide funding to plant 71 million trees to improve local habitats and help mitigate climate change that impacts so many aspects of human need • Providing fresh water to 250,000 people a day in India in order to fight the number one killer of children in that country – waterborne diseases • Awarding more than 2,000 grants and other resources to health and human services organizations • Implementing life-changing curriculum in 1,700+ correctional facilities and providing mentorship to thousands of young leaders across the world • Supporting the nonprofit New Story by helping fund the building of new residential communities in the impoverished areas of Nacajuca, Mexico and El Espino, El Salvador, including the first 3D printed affordable home community in the world.

How important have mentors been in your life and who are some of mentors that have most influenced you?

As I mentioned, I didn’t have a lot of role models growing up, so seeking out people who were achieving what I wanted to, studying their formula for success, and modeling it, is what

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propelled me to where I am today. There is no single force more valuable than putting yourself in proximity with people who are playing the game at a higher level than you. Proximity is power.

When I was 17 and I met Jim Rohn, a motivational coach, author, and speaker who gave me a job, it changed the course of my entire life.

Until that point, I learned from being a veracious reader. What I learned and continue to teach is that success leaves clues. If a person has sustained success in any long-term ambition, then luck doesn’t have anything to do with it.

I am always reading and learning from others. I am truly blessed to have so many brilliant people I learn from in a variety of areas – health, business, finance, leadership, relationships, and emotions. As a result, I continue to learn on a daily basis from amazing leaders and friends like Paul Tudor Jones, a financial mastermind who created the Robin Hood Foundation to elevate people from poverty in New York City; Mark Benioff, the founder of Salesforce; and Peter Guber, chairman and CEO of Mandalay Entertainment and the co-owner of four professional sports teams, including the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) of Major League Soccer.

You have achieved so much and positively impacted so many lives. Are you always looking at what’s next or do you take time to reflect and appreciate what you have accomplished?

One lesson that I teach, and that I consider to be of pinnacle importance, is that success without fulfillment is the ultimate failure. Most of us are achievers – we’re constantly looking

“It’s important to note that anyone can be a leader; some people may be born with it, but it’s really a muscle that you build over and over by overcoming adversity and solving problems.”

for what’s next, and we believe that when we reach a certain point, we’ll instantly become fulfilled or happy. That’s not how life works.

How many readers out there have ever accomplished something – maybe it took you years – and after a day, an hour, or five minutes you thought to yourself, “Is this all there is?” That’s because what we get will never make us happy, but who we become in the process, no one can ever take that away. I’m proud of all I’ve accomplished, and I’m grateful for who I’ve become, who I’ve been able to touch, and what I’ve been able to give.

“Life is both pain and pleasure, both opportunity and challenge, both birth and death. There is a season and a time for everything. It is not for us to decide what the right season of life is or which season of life we should be in. It is our job to embrace the season of life that’s been given to us.”

You are known to be an optimistic person and to see challenges as opportunities. With all the challenges facing the world today, are you still optimistic about the future?

It’s no secret that we’re living in very challenging times; we’re facing massive inflation, war, and we’re divided against ourselves. In short, we are in winter. But just like there are seasons in nature, there are seasons in the economy, and in life.

Two books that I highly recommend right now are Ray Dalio’s Changing World Order, as well as William Strauss’ The 4th Turning. Both are invaluable in terms of understanding the larger cycles at play.

But I also know this: at our core as human beings, we can handle whatever life brings. We’re resourceful and resilient as a species. We can adapt. We’re much stronger than we think we are.

Life is both pain and pleasure, both opportunity and challenge, both birth and death.

There is a season and a time for everything. It is not for us to decide what the right season of life is or which season of life we should be in.

It is our job to embrace the season of life that’s been given to us.

Springtime is when it’s growth and it’s easy and it’s fun. In summer, it’s hot and sweaty and it is as if you have been working so hard and where’s the result. In autumn, we get to reap and it’s easy to buy a house or make a big purchase – you have no money and have no income, but you do it. Then there are times like now when it is winter – when it’s really dark, when it’s really hard, when it seems impossible to make progress and you think you’ll never get out of it.

You need to embrace the different seasons of life to prepare so you weather well through the others and blossom when the time comes again.

When things are going great, people think it’s going to go great forever. When it’s going horrible, people think it’s going to be horrible forever. Try to always remember the following when dark clouds move in: Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it is about learning how to dance in the rain.

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LEADERS 11

PURPOSE

A Bridge Builder An Interview with T.D. Jakes EDITORS’ NOTE T.D. Jakes, leverby Time Magazine, as well as “One of the ages his pioneering vision and Nation’s Most Influential & Mesmerizing instinct to serve others in areas extending Preachers” by The New York Times, beyond the church. He believes that in Jakes remains a charismatic, yet humble order to help lead people to their destiny, man. In 1996, with minimal resources, you have to meet people where they are he founded The Potter’s House (TPH), a in life. It is with this earnest approach non-denominational, multicultural that Jakes has been able to reach church and global humanitarian orgamillions of people from all socioeconization, in Dallas, Texas. The church has nomic backgrounds, races, nationsince expanded to include more than alities, and creeds. Digital media, film, 30,000 members, with more than 50 and television, among others, have diverse ministries. While TPH, located T.D. Jakes been instrumental in helping Jakes in southern Dallas, is the designated meet the disparate needs of countless home to numerous members, Jakes has individuals. fulfilled the needs of those residing in the northern In September 2016, he launched The Jakes and western regions of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroShow, an intellectually invigorating, yet practical plex, as well as out-of-state. TPH campuses are also daytime talk show, where Jakes helps his guests present in Frisco and Fort Worth, Texas, as well as lead empowering lives through candid conver- Denver, Colorado. sation. As a visionary leader, he encourages you to Jakes faithfully serves his local and global think differently – and progressively – so that you communities to embolden those who are margincan create a more meaningful life experience that alized, from Dallas, Texas to South Africa to is truly your own. The adage, “Give a man a fish Sydney, Australia. “The Potter’s House charter is to and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and extend a hand of help to the needy, a heart you feed him for a lifetime” is the bedrock of Jakes’ of compassion to the hurting, and a message of visionary leadership. empowerment to the disenfranchised.” To this end, For more than 40 years, he has helped millions Jakes provides a welcoming church environment of people realize their purpose through his dynamic to all. The diversity displayed throughout TPH is ministry. Recognized as “America’s Best Preacher” what makes it a truly progressive church, serving

U.S. President Barack Obama with T.D. Jakes 12 LEADERS

people of every socioeconomic status, age, nationality, and race. Each year Jakes helps underserved communities through TPH ministries, including homeless outreach, GED/literacy programs, and AIDS outreach. Jakes also empowers communities through distinct national ministries, including Global Partner System (GPS), MegaCARE, and Texas Offenders Reentry Initiative (T.O.R.I.). With a steadfast love of people, TPH is consistently ranked among the nation’s most influential churches each year.

A proclivity to disrupt the status quo, Jakes is one of the most coveted faith-based influencers in business, education, film, and entertainment.

He has advised the last three presidents; in 2009, he was a featured speaker at the inauguration of Barack Obama; and in 2011, he gave remarks at a White House Easter Prayer Breakfast. From Savoy Magazine recognizing Jakes as one of the “Top 100 Powers That Be” to Ebony Magazine honoring him on their “Power 100 List,” Jakes continues to show the world how to lead with purpose. While Jakes possesses myriad leadership qualities, his ability to leverage his linguistic prowess, strategic insights, and servant spirit is unparalleled. Some of the most successful business executives and leaders travel from all over the world to seek his counsel. Jakes has offered his insights at diverse forums, including The Aspen Institute, The Willow Creek Leadership Forum, and The SMU Tate Lecture Series, among others.

His efforts have helped some of the world’s most illustrious leaders elevate their brands to the next level.

Jakes also connects communities from across the globe through various multicultural conferences. For more than a decade, MegaFest continues to receive international recognition as the nation’s largest faith and family festival. This conference draws upwards of 100,000 attendees from as far as Singapore and China. Additionally, Jakes offers entrepreneurs, pastors, and leaders an opportunity to hone their leadership skills through the International Pastors and Leadership Conference.

Named “America’s Treasure” by Oprah Winfrey, Jakes is a master communicator for all ages. He offers a collection of awardwinning and New York Times best-selling books, including Destiny: Step Into Your Purpose, and Instinct: The Power to Unleash Your Inborn Drive. In the entertainment space, Jakes has numerous film credits to his name, including the award-winning romantic comedy, Jumping the Broom, among others.

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Will you discuss your life’s journey and how your passion and commitment for serving and inspiring people developed?

I was born and raised in Charleston, West Virginia where I grew up the youngest of three children. As a child, my nickname was “Bible Boy” because I used to carry my Bible with me everywhere, preaching to an invisible congregation as I went. At 17, I was called to preach, and in 1979, I started my first church in Montgomery, Virginia with just 10 congregants.

From a young age, I learned the value of hard work from my parents. My father’s business started with just a mop and a bucket, and over the years he grew it into a janitorial service with 42 employees. My mother was an educator and a keen real estate investor. She taught me the importance of seeking truth, pursuing knowledge, and using business as a force for good. I applied these principles to my own calling and purpose: using communication as a tool to help others achieve their destiny.

What was your vision for creating The Potter’s House and how do you define its mission and purpose?

After years of moving our congregation from small town to small town in West Virginia, in 1996, I decided to relocate my family to Dallas along with 50 other families. Together, we established The Potter’s House. Our first church service drew more than 2,000 people, and since then, the membership has grown to over 30,000. Our mission at The Potter’s House is to become a global voice, offering a lifelong journey of spiritual and economic hope, encouragement, and empowerment to people locally, nationally and around the world.

In a very practical sense, our church strives to be the hands and feet of Jesus. And I’m talking about physically, tangibly. For us, this mission drives us to pinpoint areas where people – both here in Dallas and across the globe – need help and to create innovative solutions to address these issues.

T.D. Jakes with U.S. President George W. Bush

For example, The Potter’s House has a ministry called Capable Minds, Hearts & Hands, which caters to the needs of our parishioners with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD). We created a special place called “The Sensory Room” to provide a multi-sensory, immersive, and balanced environment within the church. In this room, folks with IDD or Autism can develop their sensory skills through music therapy, relieve stress and anxiety in the reading corner, or test their tactile, motor, and cognitive skills in special development areas.

Another program I am particularly proud of is the Texas Offenders Reentry Initiative (T.O.R.I.), which was founded in 2005 to provide returning former inmates and their families with holistic, wraparound services that foster positive lifestyle changes for ex-offenders. Through T.O.R.I., we help returning citizens find employment, education, housing, healthcare, spiritual

T.D. Jakes with Oprah Winfrey VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

guidance, and assist them in reuniting with their families. Since launching, we’ve helped more than 30,000 former inmates improve their lives, including some who went on to work at Dallasbased AT&T. During the last 25 years, The Potter’s House United MegaCare ministry has successfully constructed a 10-mile pipeline to provide clean water for the people of Kenya, built 14 water stations to combat water scarcity across the African continent, constructed a three-story wing in Nairobi’s Melchizedek Hospital, transported truckloads of food to countries around the world suffering from famine, participated in disaster relief efforts after hurricanes and earthquakes in the U.S. and Haiti, built a children’s center for more than 300 Zambian children orphaned by AIDS, and much more.

Our church also has a ministry for the deaf and the hard of hearing. We have a prison ministry, a hospital and nursing home ministry, a military veterans ministry. You name it, and we’ve probably got it.

Church at The Potter’s House extends far beyond the walls of the sanctuary and into the neighborhoods, communities and families we serve. As a recent example, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Potter’s House led an initiative that delivered over 10,000 meals to area hospitals, fire stations, clinics, urgent care centers and police stations. Every week, our people delivered meals to emergency first responders, and through additional partnerships, The Potter’s House supplied lifesaving PPE to these same area organizations.

We also partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the City of Dallas, and Services of Hope to help with food insecurity across the state of Texas. As a result of this collective impact, more than 5,000 boxes of food were put directly in the hands of Texas families.

While many ministries were left scrambling by the stay-at-home measures implemented at the start of the pandemic, The Potter’s House understood the value in virtual worship long

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T.D. Jakes with former AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson

before it was necessary. Since 2020, our church has seen an exponential rise in livestream worship attendance. Currently, our YouTube channel has more than 1.85 million subscribers, and our videos on that channel have over 300 million views and counting. Every Sunday, we stream our services live to thousands of people around the world. In this way, we are looking toward the future of worship, creating an environment where anyone with an internet connection can easily attend service every week, no matter where they are in their lives.

We are active members of the communities where we are planted, which is what I believe the Church is supposed to be.

What was your vision for creating the T.D. Jakes Foundation and how do you decide where to focus the resources and efforts of the Foundation?

After 45 years in the ministry, I am turning my eyes to the future and putting my attention on the legacy I want to leave behind long after I am gone. I know that my eventual successor at The Potter’s House may not be as passionate about the same community issues that I am, so my goal with the T.D. Jakes Foundation was to create an avenue for providing long-lasting solutions to the issues I care so deeply about.

For me, that means pinpointing innovative new ways to prepare people for success in the 21st-century workforce, uplift underserved populations, and connect corporations to new, highly-skilled pools of talent.

As a Black child growing up in West Virginia during a very turbulent time in our country’s history, I lacked access to the quality education my white peers received. This is an issue that has plagued people of color since long before I was born, and it unfortunately continues to this day. I always say that you can’t climb the ladder if you’re not near the steps, so I launched the T.D. Jakes Foundation in 2020 to help solve the still-present opportunity gap for 14 LEADERS

underserved students and workers. That is the purpose of the Foundation and where we are spending our time and resources.

While the Foundation has only been around for two years, it really is a result of decades of relationships and partnerships I have established over the course of my career. We work closely with Microsoft, AT&T, Goldman Sachs, the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and many other leading businesses to build programs and initiatives that can have a net positive impact on an entire generation.

Throughout my life, I have always been a bridge builder – making connections between people of different ethnicities, different faiths

or different political parties. I have found that problems can only be truly solved when we take a moment to consider someone else’s point of view.

I recently spent time with more than 300 of the world’s top CEOs to discuss diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. What I found through these conversations is that most business leaders genuinely want to be part of enacting positive change, but many simply don’t know where to direct their dollars to achieve the best results. Creating partnerships to bring about collective impact is a solution to that problem, and that’s what the T.D. Jakes Foundation is all about.

The T.D. Jakes Foundation champions STEAM curriculum for underserved students in its STEAM Academy. Will you elaborate on this effort and the impact that you hope to make through the STEAM Academy?

STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Math) careers are among the fastest growing and highest paying jobs on the market, and for that reason, we place a strong emphasis on providing STEAM education and training for people of all ages. The goal is to ensure that everyone – regardless of race, gender, or economic status – has the tools to succeed in the 21st century workforce. You can’t get a STEAM job without first gaining exposure, knowledge and experience in STEAM fields. That is why we started the STEAM Academy.

Last year, we partnered with Frito-Lay, Dallas Summer Musicals, the Moody Foundation, the Meadows Foundation, Dallas Independent School District (DISD) and iDTech to provide a Hamilton-themed STEAM program to DISD students. The program taught students how to create their own original Hamilton marketing materials, including printed posters and video trailers, using Adobe Premiere and Adobe

T.D. Jakes speaking to press at 2017 MegaFest

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T.D. Jakes speaking to a crowd at Frontiers of Flight Museum

Photoshop. The iDTech staff provided detailed lessons on the Adobe software programs at the beginning of each session, and Dallas Summer Musicals teaching artists provided a connection to theatre and to Hamilton, with a focus on cultural awareness and racial equity.

The program culminated with an exclusive Hamilton performance for students and their families. In total, 3,000 students, 36 teaching artists and 18 DISD teachers across 60 classrooms participated in the program, prior to which 92 percent of students had never used Adobe Premiere, and 76 percent had no familiarity with Adobe Photoshop.

In June of this year, we hosted our third annual STEAM Academy – a Hackathon presented by the Dallas Mavericks and powered

by Goldman Sachs. It was a two-week immersive experience where 500 students ages 14-18 worked directly alongside a Goldman Sachs engineer. They learned how to ideate, how to prototype an idea and how to communicate that in an impactful way.

Each year, we focus on a different area in the STEAM fields, and there’s always an emphasis on the arts. Last year, it was artistic design, layout, video editing and learning about the world of theatre and performing arts. This year, there was a storyboarding and public speaking component.

Children cannot be what they cannot see.

Our goal for the STEAM Academy is exposure.

Let’s expose students to the things that will give them the best advantage when entering the workforce in 5-10 years.

You founded T.D. Jakes Real Estate Ventures to create attainable and sustainable communities in a global marketplace.

Will you discuss your commitment to develop affordable housing and your plans to build an affordable housing and entertainment district on 95 acres of land in Atlanta, adjacent to Tyler Perry Studios?

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Throughout the country, I have seen far too many Black and brown working-class people falling victim to the continued gentrification of our neighborhoods. Our vision for T.D. Jakes Real Estate Ventures (TDJREV) was to develop an oasis within our cities for working families, walking them toward economic viability through financial literacy programs, live-work spaces, mixed income housing, and multigenerational options that are imperative to the betterment of society.

At Fort McPherson, which is the land adjacent to Tyler Perry Studios, we want to ensure citizens of Atlanta will have the opportunity for new affordable housing and cultural space right in their ancestral neighborhoods. I am

so excited about that project, and I sense the people of Atlanta are as well.

We are doing something similar at Capella Park, a 400-plus acre mixed-income community in south Dallas, and I am looking forward to watching all of this come to fruition.

You are an award-winning and New York Times best-selling author. What interested you in writing books and what are the key messages you want to convey through your books?

In everything I do, whether it’s preaching, producing films and music, or writing books, I use the power of communication as a tool to connect with people, teach them and hopefully change their lives. For me, writing books is yet another avenue to reach people.

I’ve written books on a variety of topics – the power of communication, entrepreneurship, forgiveness, finding your destiny, you name it. I write about things I’ve learned and discovered throughout the course of my life that were revelations to me, in hopes that they might be helpful to someone else. We all have to help each other.

If you’ve figured something out, I want to know about it. Let’s share our wisdom. I’ve written 41 books so far and the process of writing is something I enjoy; it’s a discipline that challenges me to stay consistent and on top of my game.

What do you feel are the keys to effective leadership and do you feel that leadership skills can be taught or is a person born with them?

I believe that much of effective leadership is instinctual. We instinctively know how to lead if we allow ourselves. While there are certain qualities and traits that a person can be born with that might make him or her more of a natural leader, I do believe everyone can lead, and everyone can learn how to be a more effective leader.

Dr. Phil McGraw with T.D. Jakes

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One of the most common and detrimental mistakes a leader can make is operating independently as a part of a team. Think about this: if you start trying to lift something you can’t carry, you will see how many people come to help. But pick up a box you can manage, and everyone will simply watch you carry the load. Leaders must cast a vision that is too large for them to carry alone. That is what allows your team the opportunity to step up and help carry the load further than you could have ever done it by yourself.

When you look at the polarization that is prevalent within the country, how can people be brought back together and what can be done to open effective communication between people with differing views and beliefs?

Our society is in trouble right now because we have lost the art of listening – and there is so much noise to sort through in this world.

Through social media, everyone has a platform to share their opinions and thoughts, so we have a planet full of people talking at each other without anyone taking the time to listen.

I’ve said it before, but I believe things would be vastly improved if we could all take a moment to consider someone else’s point of view. You don’t have to agree with the other person, but simply listen to what they are saying.

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” We must not become so committed to winning an argument that we lose our humanity in pursuit of scoring points on the other side.

As we witness so much unrest around the world and a continued onslaught of divisiveness, violence, inequality, and pain here in our own country, my deep hope for humanity is that we can all become our brother’s keeper.

This is not a country of red and blue states, it’s a country of mothers and fathers, of sisters and brothers. Despite our many differences, we all want the same things at the end of the day – a comfortable place to call home, the

T.D. Jakes speaking with Steven Furtick

opportunity to succeed in our chosen fields, and a safe and happy life for our children. It is well past time for us to open our arms to a unified human family and start displaying the structural empathy needed to ensure that freedom and justice for all is more than just a platitude.

The world is facing multiple crises, from public health to social justice to climate change to geopolitical conflicts.

What advice do you offer to young people who are growing up and beginning their careers during this uncertain and challenging time?

We tend to forget with each passing generation the trials we faced in the last. Throughout

T.D. Jakes speaking to Kenyan business leaders in 2021 16 LEADERS

history, we have confronted and overcome countless periods of strife. I grew up in the ‘60s in the shadow of the Vietnam war, political assassinations, racial tensions and riots. Before that it was World War II, and before that, the Depression.

While it may feel to us in the present as though there is nothing but bad news everywhere we look, what we are experiencing today is not new. I remember feeling the same way as a young man – the hardship and chaos around me seemed impossible to resolve, and yet we persevered. We have been down this road before, and each time a new generation has been able to bring the innovation and creativity needed to solve and move past even our hardest issues. It’s a long and laborious process, but I believe humanity is more than up to the task.

To young people, I say, “It’s your time!” We desperately need young people in the workforce today. We need their ideas, we need their energy, and we need their expertise. The fact is most of the jobs that will exist in 2030 haven’t even been invented yet. We need young people to sharpen their skills and be ready to lead in areas that are not native to people in my generation. I am focused on the future, and I am inspired by what I see in the hearts and minds of our youth.

You have inspired so many people during your lifetime. Who are some of the people that inspire you and how have they impacted the way you deliver your message?

I have been deeply moved by the work of people like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, and Ambassador Andrew Young. I am most inspired by those who leverage their influence to confront obstacles and bring about massive change.

To that end, I have found myself very inspired by the young people I see in the world today speaking out and demanding change. They are concerned about many

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things – the climate, the economy, and insuring an equitable future for everyone, no matter their race, socioeconomic circumstances, or gender. It takes great courage to stand up for what is right, and that courage cannot and should not be ignored. I am encouraged by their continued optimism and tenacity, and have no doubt that their engagement on these crucial issues will have a positive impact on the future.

You have said that great preaching is almost musical and has a rhythm. What do you see as the keys to communicating effectively and reaching your audiences?

I have often said, “What good is communication without connection?” Indeed, the whole point of communicating – whether it be with one person or a large group – is to form a connection with them. I may understand the text I’m preaching from, but if I don’t understand my audience, I will have failed as a communicator. I always have to make sure I’m communicating in a way that people can understand. That’s why Jesus spoke in parables. He catered his message to his audience.

If my sermons only contain references to things that happened 50 years ago, I am not connecting with a large portion of my congregation. To stay effective and relevant, I may need to adopt new references.

I’ve discovered it’s crucial to surround myself with people of all ages, ethnicities, lifestyles and backgrounds, because it sharpens my ability to connect with as many kinds of people as I possibly can.

How critical is the art of listening to being a good speaker?

I mentioned earlier that we’ve lost the art of listening. Listening is critical to being a good leader, a good speaker, a good friend. Talking without listening first is a dangerous activity. That is true of everyday conversations, but it’s also true in the context of any public speaking opportunity.

T.D. Jakes breaking ground for Clay Academy in Dallas

Listen carefully to the person who is speaking before you. Listen carefully to the questions being asked of you. You may have a wonderful speech prepared, but if you are unaware of the context surrounding your speech, you’re going to be in trouble. Listening allows you to empathize.

Listening allows you the opportunity to make connections for your audience you might not have been able to make if you were not paying attention.

You have accomplished so much during your career and have impacted countless lives. Are you able to enjoy the process and take moments to appreciate what you have achieved or are you always looking at what is next?

T.D. Jakes at Capella Park, a residential community near The Potter’s House in Dallas, Texas VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

The answer is yes! I deeply enjoy the process, and I love what I do. Working is something that has always come naturally to me; my father modeled working for me; my mother modeled working for me; we are workers! I’m just so grateful that my life’s work has made some kind of an impact.

I consider it my greatest privilege to serve people. Everything I have done and continue to do is born out of God’s calling on my life to minister and help others in some way. The most gratifying thing for me is to see someone else’s life transformed positively – whether that be spiritually, relationally, professionally, or financially. In that way, we’ve had countless mini-celebrations over the past 45 years of my ministry.

I do believe it’s necessary to take a step back occasionally to acknowledge successes and celebrate one’s accomplishments. We did that in June at my 65th birthday celebration, and it was a wonderful occasion. But at the same time, I’m not one to sit back and watch the grass grow either. There’s always more good work to be done.

With all the different hats I wear in our real estate projects, the exciting work of the Foundation, our entertainment initiatives, and The Potter’s House and its many ministries, I find myself uniquely positioned at the intersection of ministry and marketplace – I feel called to bring together the humanitarian goals of my ministry and the inner workings of the free market, as real change can only happen when those in power are made to see the value in taking decisive action. I want to be a good steward of not only what God has given me, but also where He has placed me at this time.

Here’s to the next 45, and the next after that! I may not be here to see it all, but I know the future is in good hands.

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PURPOSE

The Intersection of Audacity and Achievability An Interview with Peter H. Diamandis, Founder and Executive Chairman, XPRIZE Foundation EDITORS’ NOTE Recently named to space myself and, more importantly,

by Fortune as one of the “World’s to make space a commercial effort 50 Greatest Leaders,” Peter versus a government effort. I had Diamandis is the Founder and watched for 20 years as the governExecutive Chairman of the XPRIZE ment after the Apollo program failed to Foundation, which leads the world really engage in a compelling vision, in designing and operating largeso after reading The Spirit of St. Louis scale incentive competitions. and learning that aviation started as a He is also the Executive Founder result of aviation prizes in the 1910s of Singularity University, a gradand 1920s, I thought that a space prize uate-level Silicon Valley institution could hopefully light the fuse and it that counsels the world’s leaders did. The vision for XPRIZE originally Peter H. Diamandis on exponentially growing techwas X being a variable relating to the nologies. As an entr epr eneur, title sponsor, whether it be a Pulitzer, a Diamandis has started over 25 companies in Nobel or, in the case of the prize that Lindbergh the areas of longevity, space, venture capital, won, the Orteig prize. It took me so long to and education. He is the Co-Founder and Vice find my first title sponsor, which was the Ansari Chairman of Celularity, Inc., a cellular thera- family, that the X stuck around and we turned peutics company, and the Co-Founder of BOLD it into a platform. So, the mission as we defined Capital Partners, a venture fund with $250 it originally was to open up space commercially million investing in exponential technologies. and prove that private teams could raise the Diamandis is a New York Times Bestselling capital, that we could change the regulations, author of three books: Abundance – The Future and that the general public was interested in this Is Better Than You Think; BOLD – How to Go subject, in order to light the fuse for commercial Big, Create Wealth & Impact the World; and space flight.

The Future is Faster Than You Think. He earned How has XPRIZE evolved and what degrees in molecular genetics and aerospace have been the keys to XPRIZE’s impact and engineering from MIT and holds an MD from notoriety?

Harvard Medical School.

When the XPRIZE was won by SpaceShipOne on October 4, 2004, after a FOUNDATION BRIEF XPRIZE Foundation, Inc. decade of hard work and struggles and people (xprize.org) is a not-for-profit corporation fostering saying that this was a crazy idea that would and sponsoring competition to create innova- never work, we captured the world’s imaginative breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. tion with front-page stories around the world.

The Foundation conducts competitions in seven On the heels of this, I was able to recruit Larry prize groups: Learning and Human Potential; Page, Elon Musk, and Jim Cameron onto our Energy and Resources; Space and New Frontiers; board, and enlist a number of very high-profile Civil Society; Health and Wellness; Planet and Silicon Valley donors. We transformed the Environment; and Shelter and Infrastructure. In XPRIZE from a single competition to a platform addition, the Foundation provides and operates that looked for challenges that were not being education and outreach programs related to its solved, but that should be solvable if we focus mission. These activities consist of speeches, visual the right minds, tech, and capital to finding presentations and educational materials in part- a solution. This became the XPRIZE’s new nership with key academic institutions, as well as mission and purpose in life – to create clear, research and publication of information in the measurable, objective targets around which general public interest. XPRIZE was incorporated people could rally and for which innovators and in 1994 and is currently headquartered in Los technologists could build technologies to solve.

Angeles, California.

Cleaning up oil spills in the ocean, mapping the ocean floor, pulling water out of the atmoWhat was your vision for creating XPRIZE sphere, or pulling CO2 out of the atmosphere, are all examples of these targets. This platform and how do you define its mission?

When XPRIZE was started back in 1994, it seems to be highly efficient because we have had a singular focus on opening up the space gotten a winner all but two times. I like to say frontier. This came from my deep desire to get that if all of our prizes are won, it is too easy, 18 LEADERS

and if all our prizes are lost, it is too hard – we are looking for the intersection of audacity and achievability, and the notoriety comes from the audacity of the prizes and the actual teams who compete and win them.

You are the Executive Founder of Singularity University, a graduate-level Silicon Valley institution that counsels the world’s leaders on exponentially growing technologies. What interested you in creating SU and will you discuss its impact strategy?

It began in 2008 after the XPRIZE had been won and I was focused on where XPRIZE and space technology would go next. Just as Lindbergh’s book, The Spirit of St. Louis, set me off on the journey that become XPRIZE, another book, The Singularity is Near, by Ray Kurzweil, captured my attention. When I read this book, while I knew much of what was in the book, the way that Ray framed it – how exponential technologies, computations, sensors, networks, AI, robotics, 3D printing, synthetic biology, augmented virtual reality and blockchain were transforming the world – stopped me in my tracks and I felt that there was nothing more important than how we can use these technologies to transform the world.

The mindset I had for the XPRIZE was to challenge the world’s brightest minds to solve the world’s biggest problems, and Singularity University came out of that same mindset. I had started a university 20 years earlier when I was out of college and medical school. It was called the International Space University which is one of the leading institutions for the study of space and is 35 years old this year, which is amazing.

As I read Ray Kurzweil’s book and his descriptions of all of these technologies and how they were converging, it hit me that there was no place that one could go today to obtain an understanding of these technologies and how they are impacting industries. I wrote in the margins of Ray’s book the words, “Singularity University.” When I returned from my travels, I called Ray and we had a very auspicious dinner during which we shook hands on creating Singularity University with the mission of giving the world’s leaders an overview of technologies that are going to change their industries and what is possible in the world, and to study how these technologies allow us to solve the world’s biggest problems. This is the common theme between XPRIZE and SU as they are two sides of the same coin.

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You have started more than 25 companies in the areas of longevity, space, venture capital and education. Did you always know that you had an entrepreneurial spirit and desire to build companies?

I typically start a couple of companies a year. During my childhood and teens and even into my early 20s, my mission was opening up space and I thought that I would be an astronaut or a scientist. It was really in my mid-20s that I realized that, as the saying goes, “the best way to predict the future is to create it yourself.” The future that I wanted to see happen in space was not being created, so I needed to do everything I could to create it myself.

This led to forming the International Space University, a company called Zero-G that I cofounded, and becoming CEO of a company called Space Adventures. I also cofounded the XPRIZE Foundation and a multitude of other space companies. As I did this, I realized that entrepreneurship is an incredible art form that allows one to create a clear vision of the future, compel the right people to join in the pursuit of this vision, and organize the right technology and capital to bring that future into existence.

My entrepreneurial spirit got lit in my 20s and my first real success was a group called SEDS, Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, that was a student-based space group that I founded while I was at MIT that grew into an international space organization.

I look at entrepreneurship as a means to bring a vision to reality.

Do you feel that entrepreneurship can be taught or is it a skill and ability that a person is born with?

I think that entrepreneurship comes as a result of passion and as a result of frustration. I believe it is an answer for someone who wants more than what already exists. I have 11-year-old twin boys and what I most want for them is the following: to find their passion, whatever that might be; to learn to ask great questions and to have curiosity; and to have grit and not give up. I think these are the attributes that make for a great entrepreneur and I do believe that they can be taught and that they can emerge from a person, but only when it is driven by this emotional need and an inner fuel and energy to solve a problem and achieve a goal. It is hard work to do anything big and

“We transformed the XPRIZE from a single competition to a platform that looked for challenges that were not being solved, but that should be solvable if we focus the right minds, tech, and capital to finding a solution.” bold – entrepreneurship is hard work and it has to be fueled by that emotional drive and inner passion to invest the decades it might take to reach your goal.

What interested you in writing your latest book, The Future is Faster Than You Think, and what are the key messages you wanted to convey in the book?

We had just turned the page on the last decade in 2020, and I wanted to look at what the decade ahead might hold. This book focuses on converging exponentials – it is not one exponential technology but two, three, or four of them coming together and impacting industries. The message of the book is that every industry is going to be reinvented this decade and that if you are not looking to disrupt yourself, someone else will. We are going to reinvent healthcare, education, retail, insurance, finance – every industry. The beneficiary is going to be the consumer, but many of the existing monolithic industries like healthcare and education will topple and be reinvented.

We are going to move healthcare out of the doctor’s office and hospital and into the home.

We are going to move education into a personalized AI-centered experience in the metaverse.

You have said that in the next decade we will experience more technological progress than in the past 100 years. Will you elaborate on this concept?

The speed of change is accelerating – every year we have access to more capital and that capital is being invested to drive the creation of new companies and breakthroughs. At the same time, the cost of doing things, whether it

“Technology is the only means by which we are going to address the planet scale issues of climate change and water and mass extinction. There is no question that technology caused a number of these things, but technology will also solve them.”

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is genome sequencing or compute or memory, is dropping precipitously while there are more people connected on the planet than ever before working on these problems. As a result, the rate of change is not constant – it is accelerating. Ray Kurzweil talks about this as well and, as a result, the next decade ahead is equivalent to the amount of change in the last century or more in fact.

What role do you feel technology can play in addressing global crises such as climate change, the water crisis and mass extinction?

Technology is the only means by which we are going to address the planet scale issues of climate change and water and mass extinction.

There is no question that technology caused a number of these things, but technology will also solve them. There is a perfect example that I wrote about in my first book, Abundance. The environmental disaster of the 1880s and 1890s was horse manure. As people moved out of the rural areas into downtown Detroit, New York, and Chicago, they brought with them their motive force – the horse. As the number of people started climbing in downtown cities, so did the number of horses and the amount of horse manure to the point that it became an environmental disaster and a health disaster.

The predictions were dire – the smell was awful and disease was rampant. Rather than reinventing a new horse or getting people to use less horses, what occurred was that the car came along. The car was orders of magnitude better than the horse resulting in the population of horses dropping precipitously.

We are going to be seeing quantum computing and AI give us new catalysts to help us pull fresh water out of salt water, pull CO2 out of the atmosphere – we are seeing CRISPR bring back species that have been extinct.

What is a technological innovation that you are most looking forward to seeing occur during your lifetime?

It is not any one thing; it is a multitude.

I would say that I am very excited about age reversal and extending the healthy human lifespan – not only extending it, but reversing age and being able to regain the youthful cognition, aesthetics, and mobility that you had in your 20s and 30s. I am looking forward to technologies that are able to increase our cognitive capabilities – brain-computer interface connecting

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with the cloud, expanding the capacity of our hundred billion neurons. I am looking forward to living in a hyper-realistic virtual world where I can enter and be in a simulation that is indistinguishable from real life. I am looking forward to using the advances in space technology to allow me to go and stand and walk around the moon and on the surface of Mars.

With all the advances in technology, do you worry that the human connection is going to be a thing of the past?

I think that human connection is fundamental to being human and if we lose it there will be very dire consequences. I think we are going to change human connection. I think we are going to be connecting in new ways – it may be connecting in simulation in the metaverse. In other words, it may be that high bandwidth braincomputer interface allows me to know your thoughts in such a level of connection and intimacy that I am closer to you than you could possibly imagine and that as we humans connect to the cloud and a multitude of people connect to the cloud, we are almost creating a new metaintelligence. The way I think about that is that each of us as individuals are a collection of some 40 trillion cells – you are not one living organism, you are a collaboration of 40 trillion organisms, and in the same way that those cells all connect to make you, the question is: Are we, in the future through this level of brain-computer interface, going to connect with each other at a level to make something of an even higher life form?

You devote a great deal of your time and efforts to the issue of human longevity, which you have said is one of the world’s biggest business opportunities. What interested you in this work and will you discuss your views on the future of aging?

There was a study recently out of Harvard, Oxford, and London School of Business that said adding one year of healthy life globally to every person is worth $38 trillion to the global economy, so it is big business. A man or woman who has their health has a thousand dreams; a man or woman who does not have their health has but one. I think health is the new wealth and that there is no greater gift that one can get than health. I think that being able to add 20 or 30 healthy years to a person’s life is one of the biggest business opportunities. Age is the number one correlating factor with all disease and if you can reverse aging, you will reverse disease, suffering, and the cost of healthcare – it is a super-high leverage point. I do believe that we are going to start to learn why we age, how to slow it, stop it, and potentially reverse it. There are species on this planet from the bowhead whales to sea turtles to Greenland sharks that live two, three, four, five hundred years, and if they can, why can’t we. Whether it is a hardware problem or a software problem, the tools that we are getting today are the tools 20 LEADERS

Peter Diamandis

that are going to allow us to truly probe this further and then understand how to slow down the aging process.

You have worked with some of the leading entrepreneurs and business leaders of our time. Will you highlight some of the people that have made an impact on your work and life?

There are a multitude. Ray Kurzweil has been one of the dominant players and a mentor in my life. Ray is considered one of the most brilliant thinkers in the field of AI. He was my Co-Founder of Singularity University and is now at Google. He really helped frame my exponential mindset.

The team at Google – Larry Page, Eric Schmidt, Sergey Brin – were extraordinary in supporting the XPRIZE transition from a focus on space to a focus on solving the world’s biggest problems.

I have known Jeff Bezos for 40-plus years, since college, when I was the Chairman of the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space and Jeff was the President of the Princeton chapter. Just watching his absolute commitment and entrepreneurial skills has been awe-inspiring.

This is the same with Elon Musk who I have known for over 20 years. Seeing him go from being a person who just had a passion in space with no educational background in it and starting with an aerospace textbook to becoming the chief designer as well as the CEO of SpaceX provides the realization that when you are driven by passion and abiding by the laws of physics, you can make anything happen.

These are all incredible individuals.

You have achieved so much during your career in founding and building companies and supporting entrepreneurship. Do you take moments to reflect and celebrate what you have accomplished or are you always looking to the future?

The reality is that I am always looking to the future. I think the pride I get in reflection is through the entrepreneurs I have supported and

the entrepreneurs on my team and through the companies I have helped mentor and watched succeed. I remember when the XPRIZE was won in 2004 – it was the end of an 11-yearlong journey and I remember the moment the vehicle had reached 100 kilometers in altitude, and then landed safely on the runway. I reflected back in my mind about how this long journey was accomplished and I had this mental image of me standing at the top of a mountain that I had just climbed, and as I looked around, all I saw were taller mountains. The realization was that it is the journey, not the destination, and every time you are successful in creating something, it just opens up bigger opportunities for you.

Being clear about your purpose in life and being able to use the resources, the people, the connections with your drive to make the world a better place, is what truly matters.

What do you see as the keys to effective leadership and how do you describe your management style?

I think the keys to effective leadership are around mindset and I teach this now more than ever. I focus on having an abundance mindset which means recognizing there will be more opportunities next year and not to look back.

An abundance mindset drives the desire for collaboration. I have a free 30-day course on my website that talks about this mindset for leaders. Think about the greatest leaders in the world and what made them succeed: Was it their money? Was it their technology? Was it their relationships? Or was it their mindset? I think it was their mindset. I focus on teaching an abundance mindset, an exponential mindset, a longevity mindset, a moonshot mindset, and then for me, additionally, a gratitude and curiosity mindset which I think are so important.

My management style is one of having a clear vision of what success looks like and where we are going – without a target, you will miss it every time. It is also about inspiring my team and pumping energy into the organization so they feel great about what they are doing and what we are doing. Additionally, while I used to be a micro-manager, I have too much going on to do that now and it is about building an amazing team and then trusting that team. It is about the people you hire, supporting them, giving them the resources they need, and letting them do their jobs.

What advice do you offer to young people beginning their careers during this challenging and unprecedented time?

This is the most exciting time ever to be alive. As an individual, despite all of the challenges on the planet, you have access to more capital, more computational power, more people connections, and more knowledge than any time in human history. The single most important thing you need to do is to discover your true passion and purpose and, once you have found that, everything else falls into place.

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PURPOSE

Inspiring Innovation for Humanity’s Pressing Challenges An Interview with Anousheh Ansari, Chief Executive Officer, XPRIZE Foundation EDITORS’ NOTE Anousheh Ansari and then incentivizing radical breakis CEO of the XPRIZE Foundation, throughs for the benefit of humanity. the world’s leader in designing and Our audacious missions are started by operating incentive competitions to identifying clear targets and inspiring solve humanity’s grand challenges. the global community of problem Ansari, along with her family, sponsolvers to build the solutions. By sored the organization’s first compeidentifying the outcomes without tition, the Ansari XPRIZE, a $10 specifying the approach, we maximillion competition that ignited a mize innovative approaches to find new era for commercial spacethe best, most efficient solutions. Our flight. Since then, she has served on competitions are long-term and largeXPRIZE’s Board of Directors. Prior scale, such as the $100 million XPRIZE Anousheh Ansari to being named CEO of XPRIZE, Carbon Removal funded by the Musk Ansari served as the CEO of Prodea Foundation. The competitions not Systems, a leading Internet of Things (IoT) tech- only accelerate innovation, but create paradigm nology fir m she co-founded in 2006, and shifts, policy change and enable new markets. continues to serve as the Executive Chairwoman.

You and your family sponsored the She captured headlines around the world when first XPrize competition, which offered a she embarked upon an 11-day space expedition, $10 million reward to the first non-governaccomplishing her childhood dream of becoming mental organization to launch a reusable the first female private space explorer, first astro- crewed spacecraft into space twice in two naut of Iranian descent, first Muslim woman in weeks. What interested your family in space, and fourth private explorer to visit space. becoming involved with XPRIZE? Ansari serves on the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Future Council and has received numerous honors, including the WEF Young Global Leader, Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and STEM Leadership Hall of Fame, among others. She is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and serves on the board of Jabil and Peace First, as well as several other not-for-profit organizations focused on STEM education and youth empowerment.

Ansari also co-founded The Billion Dollar Fund for Women™, announced in October 2018 at the Tri Hita Karana (THK) Forum on Sustainable Development in Bali, with a goal of investing $1 billion in women-founded companies by 2020.

She published her memoir, My Dream of Stars, to share her life story as inspiration for young women around the world. Ansari holds a bachelor’s degree in electronics and computer engineering from George Mason University, a master’s degree in electrical engineering from George Washington University; and honorary doctorates from George Mason University, Utah Valley University, and International Space University.

How do you define XPRIZE’s mission and purpose?

At XPRIZE, our vision is to co-architect an abundant, hopeful, and equitable future for humanity. We do this by identifying barriers and grand challenges that humanity faces that are stopping us from achieving this desired future 22 LEADERS

It was my personal passion and dream of wanting to fly to space that persuaded the family to support it. I was on a search to find a way to fulfill my childhood dream of flying to space and I was disappointed and frustrated by the lack of advancement through the governmental space programs in including civilians in their mission to explore space. I was also disappointed by the lack of innovation which was due to a lack of competition and incentives. Serendipity brought Peter Diamandis, the founder of XPRIZE, and me together and I learned about the idea of a competition modeled after the Orteig Prize and how Charles Lindberg’s flight opened up the aviation industry. As an entrepreneur, the incentive prize model was a no-brainer for me.

Competition inspires crowdsourced solutions without a payout until the solution is actually built and tested, which minimizes risk. The competition took a long time before it was finally won by SpaceShip One from Mojave Aerospace Ventures, led by Burt Rutan, on October 4, 2004.

Now, in 2022, the private space industry is a

In Tanzania, Anousheh Ansari works with local children as part of the Global Learning XPRIZE

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On September 18, 2006, Anousheh Ansari embarked upon an 11-day space expedition on the ISS

$2 billion dollar sector and growing rapidly and the cost of access to space has been reduced by a factor x100 due to competition and better policies.

How has XPRIZE’s focus evolved since its founding and what are the key areas that the Foundation focuses on today?

Since the first XPRIZE proved successful, we’ve used this model to inspire innovation for humanity’s pressing challenges across other sectors and have seen similar and better results. We focus our work on climate and energy, biodiversity and conservation, health, circular economies, deep tech, and space and

exploration. While our mission is the same, we have expanded the domains we operate in beyond space.

How did XPRIZE Foundation adapt its work to address the global pandemic?

As we saw how the pandemic halted the normal course of life and presented us with unprecedented challenges, we explored new models to engage our vast community that we had built the past 25 years to see how we can help accelerate solutions to help society through the pandemic. Our first step was to convene the best minds, innovators, policy-makers, researchers, and scientists to identify all the different ways

our society is suffering. We created a series of meetings with over 150 participants on a weekly basis to organize ideas, incentivize short-term competitions and create partnerships to accelerate global solutions. This work gave birth to the XPRIZE Pandemic Alliance, which is a collaborative effort between all stakeholders. It’s been incredibly encouraging to see how many are participating, helping push solutions and breakthroughs forward. But for the most part, it has been about sharing and working towards a common goal of solving COVID. In total, we launched four competitions: the XPRIZE Rapid COVID Testing

“Since the first XPRIZE proved successful, we’ve used this model to inspire innovation for humanity’s pressing challenges across other sectors and have seen similar and better results. We focus our work on climate and energy, biodiversity and conservation, health, circular economies, deep tech, and space and exploration.”

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“The Billion Dollar Fund for Women was founded by four women who in one way or another had experienced how women with great ideas have a hard time bringing their ideas to bear due to lack of funding and support. Despite multiple reports from many different sources looking at historical data, proving that women founders do better on the average and have higher success rates, women have always suffered from lack of interest in investment, especially in fields like technology.”

Competition, the Pandemic Response Challenge, XPRIZE Rapid Reskilling, and the XPRIZE NextGen Mask Challenge. In our fight to find COVID-19 solutions, we engaged 437 alliance thought leaders, generated 289 COVID-19 solutions ideas, and 18 projects were initiated.

When you ar e focusing on lar ge, complex issues which require a long-term focus and commitment, how do you define success for the XPRIZE with its work?

Our main priority is impact. Beginning with the first principle of thinking to break down the challenges to find wherein our prize designs, we can incentivize the most important things to maximize impact. Once a prize ends, how competitor’s technologies scale from competition to real world applications and impact manifests differently. As an

example, the Ansari XPRIZE’s impact is just being felt now, nearly 20 years later, with its impact in lowering the cost of access to space and opening the space frontiers to more people.

Our NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE, which ended in 2021 and challenged teams to turn waste CO2 into valuable products, is already seeing many of its finalists change the world by helping the climate change fight with their innovations. Our XPRIZE Rapid COVID Testing asked innovators to develop testing solutions that could help testing shortages for this current pandemic, but many of these tests could be used for future pandemics which will help alleviate supply chain problems. Impact isn’t always easy to measure or achieve, and we’re constantly trying to improve, but it is our north star.

In Tanzania, Anousheh Ansari works with the finalists of the Global Learning XPRIZE, where teams field tested their education technology solution in Swahili 24 LEADERS

How do you define the importance of space exploration to the future of humanity?

Space research and technologies have had a dramatic impact on our lives, from communications, entertainment, banking, GPS, to very sophisticated Earth observation and meteorology. In addition, development of material and technologies in space has brought us light and durable materials we use in our clothing, aviation and other industries, and research on the International Space station has advanced our health, medicine, and material science significantly. Thanks to the new space economy enabled by the Ansari XPRIZE, we are now looking at more innovation and commercial businesses looking at Low Earth Orbit manufacturing, energy production, and other business opportunities.

In addition, space research and astronomy helps us better understand the origin of our universe and what surrounds us which is a way to find answers to our oldest question: why are we here and where are we going?

You co-founded Prodea Systems, a leading Internet of Things (IoT) technology firm in 2006. Did you always know that you had the entrepreneurial spirit and desire to build your own business?

I never thought of myself as an entrepreneur and never had the desire to build a business, however I was always a problem-solver and had an active imagination and curious mind. I believe these are all great ingredients for entrepreneurs. At the core, entrepreneurs get curious and interested in a problem and they don’t rest until they solve it. Usually, problems can represent great opportunities as well. That’s why I went to engineering school and became an engineer instead of business school.

You also co-founded The Billion Dollar Fund for Women which had a goal of investing $1 billion in women-founded companies by 2020. Will you discuss this effort and the impact that The Billion Dollar Fund for Women has made?

The Billion Dollar Fund for Women was founded by four women who in one way or another had experienced how women with great ideas have a hard time bringing their ideas to bear

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Anousheh Ansari speaking at Visioneering, XPRIZE’s annual gathering to design and evaluate future competitions with global philanthropists, entrepreneurs and thought leaders

due to lack of funding and support. Despite multiple reports from many different sources looking at historical data, proving that women founders do better on the average and have higher success rates, women have always suffered from lack of interest in investment, especially in fields like technology. We started The Billion Dollar Fund for Women to bring awareness and attention to this issue, not just through words, but through action, and we were able to get investment globally to pledge over a billion dollars to invest in woman-founded or led companies. We hope that their experience will inspire them to grow and invest more in women-led companies and use this network to find female entrepreneurs who have great ideas and great companies and want to start or scale them.

Your memoir, My Dream of Stars, shares your life story. What interested you in writing the book and what are the key messages you wanted to convey in the book?

I am not a writer and didn’t intend to write a book, however after my journey to space, I found that my story was inspiring women and young girls all over the globe to pursue their passion. I didn’t have a lot of role models growing up and learned many VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

things through trial and error. Even though I was and continue to do talks all over the world, especially addressing young women, through my memoir I wanted to reach more people and be able to tell them my entire story, not just the glory of space but all the challenges and the ups and downs that life brings. I hope people find inspiration, strength, and hope reading my memoir. We all have dreams and it is easy to give up on them. My Dream of Stars is about helping people find the courage to go after their seemingly impossible dreams.

You commit your time and energy to supporting several nonprofits. How do you decide where to focus your efforts?

It is simple, I have two focuses in life, XPRIZE and youth empowerment. Anything other than these two, I don’t spend any resources on.

What advice do you give young women interested in STEM and what can be done to build more interest and awareness around STEM? I am a big proponent of women in STEM. Our lives are already driven by technology and in the future everything we do and how we live will depend on technology. Today, most

of these products, services and solutions are designed by men, and therefore it does not serve half of our society well. By having more female voices at the table and being involved in the design of these new technologies, we can ensure we have solutions that serve women as well as men and provide a more equitable society.

You were the first female private space explorer, the first astronaut of Iranian descent, the first Muslim woman in space, and the fourth private explorer to visit space. Do you reflect on this accomplishment and take moments to appreciate what you have achieved or are you always looking to the future?

Titles have never been meaningful to me.

It does, however, provide a platform where my voice and ideas can be heard more widely and I appreciate this. My nature is to look forward, while I keep the lessons of the past close to heart. I believe staying in place causes stagnation and as the world changes around us and new knowledge is gained, we too need to change and be lifelong learners. My curious mind always keeps me questioning, wanting to learn more, and looking for what’s beyond the horizon.

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PURPOSE

Project Liberty An Interview with Frank H. McCourt, Jr., Chief Executive Officer, McCourt Global and Founder, Project Liberty EDITORS’ NOTE Frank McCourt McCourt owns the French football Did you always know you had an entreis a civic entrepreneur and the club Olympique de Marseille and formerly preneurial spirit?

CEO of McCourt Global, a private owned the Los Angeles Dodgers.

I would say that I was born with it. I think family company committed to With family roots in the construction a lot about my great-grandfather who came over building a better future through business dating back to the late 19th to this country as a 13-year-old from Ireland. its work across the r eal estate, century, he has built upon this history As an adult, he worked for the Boston Gas sports, technology, media, and with initiatives ranging from the devel- Company, and when he was 50, he decided to finance industries, as well as its opment of Boston’s Seaport to large, start his own company – leaving a secure job significant philanthropic activmixed-use projects in Dallas, London, to follow his vision and belief in himself and ities. He is a fifth-generation New York City, and elsewhere. McCourt the possibilities that this country offered. When builder who is proud to extend graduated from Georgetown University, I look at the company today, five generations his family’s 130-year legacy of and is a proud father of six. later, it has clearly changed a great deal. Today, Frank H. McCourt, Jr. merging community and social we work all over the world in many different impact with financial r esults, COMPANY BRIEF McCourt Global businesses. But at our core, we are entreprean approach that started when the original (mccourt.com) is a private family company neurs and builders, and not a day goes by that I McCourt Company was launched in Boston focused on building for tomorrow through do not think about my great-grandfather and all in 1893. McCourt is a passionate supporter of its work across real estate, sports, technology, of my ancestors, and my parents in particular. multiple academic, civic, and cultural insti- media, finance, and social impact. Led by The entrepreneurial spirit is part of my DNA tutions and initiatives.

CEO Frank McCourt, a civic entrepreneur and I believe that it is part of McCourt Global’s He is the founder of Project Liberty, a and fifth-generation builder, McCourt Global DNA as well. visionary effort to transfor m the Inter net is committed to extending the McCourt famiIs it harder to maintain the family feel through a new, equitable technology infra- ly’s 130-year legacy of merging community and culture of McCourt Global as the company structure and rebuild social media in a way and social impact with financial results – has grown in size and scale? that enables users to own and control their an approach that began when the original I would not say it is harder, but you do personal data. The project includes the devel- McCourt Company was launched in Boston need to be deliberate in focusing on maintaining opment of a groundbreaking, open-source in 1893. the culture because as you grow, the culture no Inter net protocol called the Decentralized Social Networking Protocol (DSNP), which will be owned by the public to serve as a new web infrastructure.

It also includes the cr eation of the McCourt Institute, launched with founding partners Sciences Po in Paris and Georgetown University in Washington, DC, to advance research, bring together technologists and social scientists, and develop a governance model for the Internet’s next era.

In 2020, McCourt launched and became CEO of Unfinished, an initiative that aims to strengthen civic life in the digital age by redirecting technology, especially social media, to fuel collaboration over division; renew and strengthening civic institutions to accelerate inclusive problem-solving; and grow a fairer economy. McCourt has served on Georgetown University’s Board of Dir ectors for many years and, in 2013, made a $100 million founding investment to create Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy.

He expanded on this project in 2021 with a $100 million investment to catalyze an inclusive pipeline of public policy leaders and put the school on a path to becoming Frank McCourt in conversation with Mathias Vicherat, President of Sciences Po, and Sheherazade Semsar de Boisseson, Inaugural tuition-free.

Executive Director of the McCourt Institute, during the dedication of the Institute’s Paris location in March 2022 26 LEADERS

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Frank McCourt welcoming guests at a private dinner organized by the McCourt Institute in Paris in March 2022

longer revolves around one person. It depends on everyone in the enterprise living the culture and being culture carriers. Many years ago, if you wanted to know what the culture of the organization was, someone would tell you to ask Frank. Now, if you want to know what the culture is, I would tell you to ask the last employee we hired. It is about everyone being aligned behind the values and principles of the enterprise.

It is a great question because it is something I thought long and hard about after selling the Los Angeles Dodgers when we began the next iteration of the enterprise. I had been involved in amazing projects with great companies and associated with great sports teams and organizations, but I had never really built a global enterprise that would thrive beyond any one individual – the kind of enterprise where, if I left for a year and came back, it would continue to become stronger and better. Building that kind of enterprise brings a new set of challenges, but at the same time we wanted to bring our family culture and family set of values to the organization even though parts of the business would be run by people outside of the family. We were very deliberate to make sure that the family’s values were a part of the company culture.

Many entrepreneurs are not operators, and many operators are not entrepreneurs.

Do you see yourself as both an entrepreneur and an operator?

I do, and I think you are hitting the nail on the head in that the secret sauce is to have the right balance. I had the benefit of growing up in our construction business which my three nephews run now, and I started at the bottom. I grew up in that operation from a laborer to a foreman to a superintendent and so on. I learned the business both in the field VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

and in the office and, at the same time, was excited about envisioning projects and possibilities. I think I went through a period when I didn’t fully appreciate the balance between the two, and I had a lot of ideas that never saw the light of day. I realized that the truly great ideas are the ones that are worthy of the light of day and actually show up in the world and make the world better. I think that understanding the balance of what might seem like a good idea to an individual and what can actually be acted upon is critical. I was blessed with being able to see how things

operate and rolling up my sleeves and doing the work, while also being blessed to have the entrepreneurial spirit to imagine what may be possible and could make an impact, just as my great-grandfather did. I think that the combination of the two has been integral in my ability to accelerate my work.

It is also about finding people who can do things that are not part of your expertise and who can bring different talents and skills to the enterprise. I have found that if you put forward possibility and inspiration and belief, it is amazing what can happen.

Where did your commitment to social impact and giving back develop and what has made this such a core value for you and the company?

I know what makes us tick, but I believe that many family businesses feel the same way.

We talk a lot about capitalism and its purpose – is it just profits or to make an impact – and much of that debate revolves around what I would call “Wall Street capitalism” which serves an important purpose in this country, but is very different from “Main Street capitalism.”

Main Street capitalism is about businesses that are part of the community. I believe that most of these businesses share the need for dual purposes – the need to create value and be profitable in order to grow the business and employ people, while focusing on social impact and supporting the communities you serve.

I do not feel this is a choice that has to be made, and the reality is that many businesses focus on both – they make money and create value, and also do good things for society and make a difference.

As I look at our own perspective, just as I mentioned my great-grandfather who was an entrepreneur and risk-taker and builder, I think back to my grandfather who was a part

Frank McCourt speaking with McCourt School of Public Policy students and faculty at Georgetown University in April 2022

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Frank McCourt celebrating a victory with Olympique de Marseille midfielder Pape Gueye

owner of the Boston Braves. In my family, the fact that he was a part owner of the Braves is a neat piece of history, but something we are much prouder of is that while he was an owner of the team, they started something called the Jimmy Fund. While the Braves left for Milwaukee in 1953 – and they are now, of course, in Atlanta – the Boston Red Sox have continued to support the Jimmy Fund since 1953. Today, the Jimmy Fund raises millions of dollars each year to support the fight against cancer.

What was your vision for creating Project Liberty and how do you define its mission?

It came out of a deep concern about the direction things were going in this country, a country that my family has helped build, quite literally, and a county that my family has benefitted from being a part of. I never thought that I would be concerned about the sustainability of democracy, but over the past decade or so, it has been of grave concern and growing. This prompted us to get into the conversation and really try to figure out what was going on, along with others, since we did not feel comfortable sitting idly by and watching the erosion of something that is dear to me and so many other people, and is key to all businesses in America being able to operate. We have an operating system that relies on democracy and capitalism which we need for all of us to thrive, and this stress and strain that we are observing right now is deeply concerning for me. I think that things are not working the way they should and the way they must in order to survive, and the reason I say that is both democracy and capitalism are based off a simple concept called trust, and when trust is destroyed, I do not believe that there is any chance that democracy, or 28 LEADERS

even capitalism, can survive. If you remove the underpinning of these operating systems, then why would they survive? What we are seeing is a rapid erosion of trust – person-toperson trust, and certainly trust within institutions and society as a whole.

When we dug deeper into this, we concluded that technology is a big part of the problem and by technology, what I mean is

two things: the way people’s data is treated and social media. Regarding the first point, I just don’t think an architecture that extracts people’s data, exploits it, and monetizes it, without giving any of the value to the people who are generating the data, and then uses the data without permission and is now even weaponizing the data, is an acceptable direction. This leads to a difficult, if not impossible, way to preserve democracy and capitalism because a surveillance type of capitalism is not right or morally correct. The idea of constantly being surveilled – whether you are walking down the street, in your home with smart devices, in your car with loaded software, shopping or searching on social media using the Internet – constantly having that data being extracted and used in these unhealthy ways I think is very unhealthy as well. This is the first area I am talking about when I refer to technology as being a big part of the problem.

The second, of course, is social media. If your mantra when you set out to build something is to “move fast and break things,” well then you are going to move fast and break things, and this objective has been achieved.

The things that are being broken are really big things – democracy is a big thing, and we cannot let it break. We need to build technology and have social media platforms that are supporting our basic operating systems and are supporting democracy. It is no surprise to me that if you design technology without optimizing fairness, justice, democracy, etc., then you are not going to achieve those objectives. The technology is agnostic and, right now, we are optimizing for

(left to right) Olympique de Marseille (OM) President Pablo Longoria, Frank McCourt, and OM head coach Jorge Sampaoli after OM qualified for the 2022-23 Champions League

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(left to right) Frank McCourt with Angela Glover Blackwell, Chair of the Unfinished Network, and Baratunde Thurston, host of Unfinished Live, welcoming attendees to 2021 Unfinished Live event at The Shed in New York City

time spent online, and what causes people to spend lots of time online is anger and outrage – so we are optimizing for anger and outrage.

That does not sound like optimizing for democracy to me or optimizing for a healthy society to me.

Project Liberty is a project that is part tech, but it is really much bigger than a tech project. It has three tracks: it has a movement making track, it has a governance track, and it has a tech track. The idea is that we came forward with a solution which is a protocol which we call Decentralized Social Networking Protocol (DSNP) which, if adopted, would transform the way the Internet works. This would allow you and me to have agency over our own data and we would decide who gets to see that data and for what purpose it is used.

We do not feel that a tech project without a movement is going to be able to change the trajectory of things. We need to get people interested and excited in changing the way things are working because they know things are not working correctly and they care about democracy and civil society and their kid’s mental health and so on. If people get interested, I think things will change, so coming forward with a solution and a movement for people to put their energy into is critical to get traction and impact.

In addition, as we are currently moving from Web2 to Web3, there is a focus on not moving fast and breaking things, but rather moving fast and fixing things.

In summary, Project Liberty is a threetrack project which is coming with a solution to how the Internet works and, if adopted, would fundamentally transform the Internet. This is an idea that is now in execution mode – it has been peer reviewed; we have built the “software” VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

stack, and we know it works. We have already released the code and we see this as a gift that we are giving to the world and we hope that people consider it, use it, and prove it. I have said that if someone comes up with a better idea, we will support that idea – this is not about pushing a product, it is about changing the way the Internet works and really beginning the process of creating a new architecture for the digital world we live in. We need a new civic architecture for a digital world which will take time and effort and ingenuity and creativity, but we will get there because that is where America is at its greatest.

How do you measure success for Project Liberty?

This is a big idea. An analogy would be the idea of putting a man on the moon which was about space exploration – but the concept of putting a man on the moon was a big, bold idea that led to many other things which we have seen happen since Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon. It is important to remember that to put a man on the moon, we needed Project Mercury, we needed Project Gemini, we needed the Apollo Project, which were steps toward putting a man on the moon.

This is similar to transforming how the Internet works – think of it as putting a man on the moon. This idea is the first step toward changing the architecture for a digital world to support the concept of a thriving democracy and thriving economy. Democracy and the economy are like space exploration in this context – think of it as the big goal. If we can transform the way the Internet works, we are on our way to achieving that goal. It is going to take lots of things to get to a place where we feel that our democracy is thriving and our economy is thriving, and you need to take steps to get there.

Having said that, one interesting thing about the Internet is that it is very different from anything we have ever seen because of the speed at which things happen due to the connectivity and the network. That is the power of the Internet. I believe that if people decide that they want the Internet to work in a healthier, better manner, it can happen much quicker than you may think.

How concerned are you about the future and are you optimistic that we can meet the challenge you are addressing?

I think that you can be deeply concerned about the future while still being highly optimistic – inherent in optimism is some kind of action. It is doing what it takes to try to make something better, and ideally this happens with many others who share that perspective and view because that is when great things happen.

It starts with a small number and then it grows and then that optimism for action manifests itself into something quite real. I believe strongly in Project Liberty. I believe strongly that we can fix this problem.

What do you see as the keys to effective leadership and do you feel that leaders are born or can leadership be taught?

I think a few keys to leadership are empathy, listening, experience, character, optimism and courage. My opinion is that there are some leadership qualities that people are born with or born into or exposed to when they are very young, so they become part of your formation. I think part is growth and, like anything else, if one is practicing leadership, you will get better at it. This is where experience comes in – experience leads to better judgment which is a critical part of being an effective leader.

Do the skills that made you successful in business translate to being successful in philanthropy?

It is an interesting question because it is causing me to reflect on how I view philanthropy at different stages. For me, the most effective form of philanthropy is very similar to how I think about business. I am really interested in the process of creation – the process of building things that have impact. The common thread in my philanthropic work is that we are building something which takes a certain entrepreneurial spirit and are impact projects. I think the impact world can benefit from this type of philanthropy, just as I think that business can benefit from understanding the needs and challenges that the impact world is confronted with.

I am excited about a new kind of philanthropy which is entrepreneurial and investing in a future that I care deeply about.

Are you able to enjoy the process and take moments to appreciate what you have accomplished?

I think I am getting a little better at reflection and taking moments to appreciate the progress and the accomplishments of our team.

My personality type is about looking towards the next project or for the next opportunity, but it is important to celebrate the wins along the way with the people who are working with you to create and implement the next big idea.

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PURPOSE

Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art An Interview with James Nestor EDITORS’ NOTE James Nestor is an to keep taking antibiotics or to be less author and science journalist who active which didn’t really work for me. has written for Scientific American, I discovered breathing as a way Outside Magazine, BBC, The New to first dampen the symptoms of my York Times, The Atlantic, National respiratory problems, then, after Public Radio, and more. He spent several months, all the problems I the last several years working experienced disappeared completely. on a book called Breath: The New I haven’t had them since and this was Science of a Lost Art. Breath was an more than a decade ago. But this was instant New York Times, Wall Street just my personal experience so I kept Journal, Los Angeles Times, Sunday it to myself. As a journalist, I was London Times bestseller. Breath was not going to write a memoir about James Nestor awarded the prize for Best General my breathing which, frankly, sounds Nonfiction Book of 2020 by the awful, so I just filed it away until years American Society of Journalists and Authors and later as I read more and more scientific research was a Finalist for the Royal Society Best Science on breathing therapies and the profound effects Book of 2020. Breath has been released in 35 they could have on asthma, snoring, anxiety, languages and has sold more than one million respiratory infections, and more. I also read copies worldwide. Nestor’s first narrative nonfic- about how poorly the modern species was tion book, DEEP: Freediving, Renegade Science, at breathing. We’re the worst breathers in the and What the Ocean Tells Us about Ourselves animal kingdom. After five or six years of doing (2014), was a BBC Book of the Week, a Finalist very casual research, I went to my agent and for the PEN American Center Best Sports Book of told her that I had an idea for a new book. the Year, an Amazon Best Science Book of 2014, She asked me what the focus would be, and BuzzFeed 19 Best Nonfiction Books of 2014, when I said it would be about breathing, she ArtForum Top 10 Book of 2014, New York Times thought it was one of the worst ideas she had Book Review Editor’s Choice, Scientific American ever heard. It took another year of convincing Recommended Read, and more. DEEP has been her. So, yes, in many ways the book was an translated into more than seven languages overnight success that took about 12 years of and was the basis for the Emmy-nominated constant work and hearing the word “no” from Virtual Reality documentary, “The Click Effect.” everyone.

Nestor has been an invited speaker at Stanford There is a major focus on the impact of Medical School, Harvard Medical School, Yale breath and breathing today. Is the converSchool of Medicine, the United Nations, UBS, sation taking place the right conversation as well as more than 100 radio and television and what do you feel are the key elements shows, including Fresh Air with Terry Gross, that need to be addressed?

The Joe Rogan Experience, BulletProof, ABC’s Each of us has our own breathing fingerNightline, CBS Morning News, and dozens of print. We all breathe in a unique way, and the vast NPR programs. majority of us have unique breathing dysfunction. We get it wrong in our own individual ways.

Will you discuss the journey that led you Along these lines, everyone responds slightly to the study of breathing and writing the differently to breathing retraining and therabook, Breath: The New Science of a Lost pies. When you hear people say that breathing Art? cures chronic panic attacks, asthma, autoimI wish I could say that I had a grand plan, mune issues, or depression, it is true that it has but what happens a lot in journalism is that you worked tremendously well for some people, stumble onto one thing that leads to another but that doesn’t mean everyone is going to have thing which leads to another. This is exactly what the same transformative response. The good happened with my interest in breathing. I had news is that improving your breathing – just been suffering from a number of respiratory prob- like improving your diet or exercise regimen – lems – bronchitis, mild pneumonia, wheezing – will only have benefits. It’s always a net gain. while I was exercising. All pretty common, and For some people, those benefits will be subtle nothing too serious, but it went on for years. while, for others, it will dramatically change Every doctor I saw told me the only solution was their health and change their lives. I’ve seen 30 LEADERS

this in hundreds of people, and experienced it myself, which is one reason I kept digging into this research for so many years, even while my journalist friends and agents were mocking me the whole time.

Do you feel that there is a strong awareness and understanding of the impact and benefits that breathing can make?

Everybody breathes, just like everybody eats and everybody sleeps. I think that there is considerable scientific evidence showing that it’s not just that you are eating food that’s important, it’s what you are eating, and how much. The same goes for sleep. It’s not just that you go to sleep every night that counts, but how you sleep, how long, what ratio of deep sleep, REM, and light sleep. We know our diets and sleep are essential to good health, but fewer people talk about breathing.

They are just focusing that we are breathing, not how; which foods, how much – same goes for sleep. But how we breathe is as least as important as what we eat and how we sleep. Consider, we get the majority of our energy from our breath, not from food and drink, but from air. How you get that energy will determine so much of your mental and physical health, and even your longevity.

The science around breathing has been there for decades and decades, and while it was new for me, it was not new for people who have been studying it, mostly to little fanfare, for the past 50 years. These researchers were at top institutions – Stanford, Yale, Harvard – and constantly publishing in academic journals, but the general public never got the message. Most of what I just have mentioned was documented at Stanford in the 1970s, and even earlier.

My role in writing the book was to try to give those people a little louder bullhorn and to put their research together so that people might listen, because what they were saying impacts every single person on the planet.

As you look at your journey in writing this book, were there many surprises along the way?

Yes, to say it mildly. In nonfiction, you write a book proposal and then you pitch that proposal to secure an advance, which is usually a pittance of cash to just get by until you finish the book. I spent about six months writing up a 60-page book proposal, and at the end I thought I was all set, but I did not realize that the real story behind breathing was not two layers deep, but 10 and 20 layers deep. It wasn’t anything you could really find on the

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“The good news is that improving your breathing – just like improving your diet or exercise regimen – will only have benefits. It’s always a net gain. For some people, those benefits will be subtle while, for others, it will dramatically change their health and change their lives.”

Internet. I had to keep rewriting this book over and over again over several years because I was discovering new things that completely rocked the foundation of this research. Ninety percent of this book was cut and thrown out. That hurt, but it’s just part of the process. At the end of the day, I wanted to present this story to be accessible to the general public. What good are scientific discoveries about human health if the vast majority of humans never hear about them? What I wrote documented my own path into this field of research: the most revelatory angles and facts I found over so many years of plugging away.

Readers notice that about a quarter of the book is End Notes filled with several hundred scientific references. I told my publisher that nobody was going to believe the content until they saw the research for themselves, and saw where it was coming from. But even with all that, even though I included photographs, X-rays, and hundreds and hundreds of clinical studies, there are still people who will not believe that breathing can really have a big effect on asthma or improve the curvature of your spine or reduce autoimmune diseases. At the end of the day, I learned that people want to believe what they want to believe, and that’s perfectly fine. My role as a journalist should never be to try to convince anyone of anything.

My role is to objectively and honestly present information and people can do with that information what they want. But before you doubt something and call it baseless, at minimum, do your research, remove your politics, and look at the data. So often we learn that things we thought were impossible 20 years ago are now accepted as self-evident.

How important is it for the focus on breath and breathing to be introduced and taught at a young age?

I have been lucky enough to speak at a number of schools and it is amazing how the kids respond to this. I have not seen a group of kids not become affected, even after only a few minutes of learning simple breathing exercises. While a lot of kids may not focus on their health, they do focus on how they look and if you are able to show them what is going to happen to their face if they mouth breathe – how that is going to influence the downward, sloping, structure to the face – then they start really paying attention. Teachers are also very interested in VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

breathing since it is a great way to get the kids to calm down and focus.

One of the things that many of us have lost track of is the number of kids suffering from sleep disorders or other respiratory issues which are often misdiagnosed. It’s a catastrophe. In my opinion, these breathing issues are at the center of a public health crisis. We’re dealing with all the downstream impacts of this and still, so few people are focusing on it.

You participated in an intensive breathing study at Stanford. How were you impacted by the study?

The majority of people breathe in a dysfunctional way, and upwards of about 50 percent of us are mouth breathers; meanwhile more than 60 percent of us breathe through the mouth while sleeping. People don’t realize that the symptoms of headaches and bad sleep and problems exercising could be tied to how they are breathing, specifically the pathway through which they inhale and exhale air. I am not a habitual mouth breather, but I made myself one for this experiment, as did another volunteer.

We knew our health would suffer – the science

is clear on that. But what was shocking was how profoundly it all happened, and how quickly.

Within a day or two we were complete wrecks: our sleep, mental abilities, physical health, all of it. You can only imagine all of the kids and adults that are experiencing this laundry list of problems that they think is just part of growing up or part of growing old. What I learned is a lot of these chronic maladies are tied simply to how we breathe.

Who do you feel has the responsibility to lead the effort to educate and inform about this issue?

You could ask this same question about nutrition – is it doctors, the FDA, the government, teachers, parents? I would say all of the above. The same with breathing. It’s all our responsibility. A lot of people put the blame on doctors, which I find unfair. Many doctors are seeing five, ten patients an hour – they just don’t have the time to look at their breathing, ask them about their sleep, teach them some exercises. Our medical system is not set up for the doctors to do this. I know this because there are doctors in my family, and I’ve talked to dozens and dozens of other doctors and most say the exact same thing. They are as frustrated as the patients. It will take a collective effort to drive awareness and change in this area.

How important is it for you to make the distinction that you are a journalist telling these stories and not a breath therapist?

It is very important to me. And it’s a struggle – not for me to set clear parameters, but for the general public to realize I am not the person to reach out to in order to diagnose and treat your chronic illnesses. People come up to me all the time and share the most emotional and desperate pleas: how a child is suffering from ADHD and not getting better, how a grandparent has COPD, how their wives snore, how they have sleep apnea and want to get off CPAP. As a human being, I, of course, want to help these people, but as a journalist that is not my job. I don’t have the capacity, for one, and I also am not qualified to prescribe treatments. The best thing I can do is refer them to people who are leaders in the field, whether it be a pulmonologist or an ENT or dentist. I am not here to give medical advice. I am here to give the leading medical professionals and researchers in these fields a louder voice.

It is really hard since I have seen firsthand how many people are struggling with

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respiratory disorders and not getting help, or are getting the wrong help, and now their health is really deteriorating. Hopefully, if I have been able to do anything with this book, it has been to offer readers a little more perspective and connect them with people who are certified and able to provide the care they so desperately need.

Did you realize as you worked on the book that it would make the impact that it has on so many people?

I wish the answer was yes, but it is a resounding no. I think of my wife, who had to watch me rewrite this book over and over, then watch my deadline slip away by months, then a year. I was bringing in no paychecks during this process – writing this book was a 24/7 job for several years. Even my wife, after seeing me rewrite the book for the fourth time and being two years late on the delivery of the book and not getting paid for four years, questioned what I was doing writing this book on breathing.

She definitely got nervous when I went to the Paris Catacombs on research, and traveled to talk with all these dentists. She kept asking me, “This is a book on breathing, right?” I told her yes and that it would all make sense in the end.

The truth is I had no idea how I was ever going to put the pieces of this puzzle together. And when it was all done, I honestly did not know if anyone was going to care. These are doubts every author has, and I had them in spades at the end of this process.

So, the book was done in late 2019, and printed shortly thereafter. In publishing, you are basically locked in a year in advance. Then, a few weeks before the release of the book, the world was bludgeoned with COVID. We certainly had no idea that the book would come out six months before the onset of COVID, a global respiratory pandemic. Humans are reactionary. We often only care about things once we’ve lost them.

The pandemic raised people’s appreciation of breathing, especially since so many tragically lost their ability to breath during this time. If there is any silver lining to the last two awful years of COVID, it’s that I hope it’s made the public more

“If there is any silver lining to the last two awful years of COVID, it’s that I hope it’s made the public more aware and appreciative of the wonder, and necessity, of healthy breathing. This public health crisis shined a light on the importance of breath and breathing to a person’s well-being.” aware and appreciative of the wonder, and necessity, of healthy breathing. This public health crisis shined a light on the importance of breath and breathing to a person’s well-being.

What do you want people to take away from the book?

The credit for the book needs to go to the researchers who have worked largely in vain, in silos, for decades and decades. The area of mouth breathing was researched in the 1970s and there were hundreds of papers published, but no one listened. The issue of breathing dysfunction and respiratory disorders are a global pandemic of its own kind, and if the book is able to help a few people out, then that to me is the highest compliment; if it helps raise awareness for that even a little bit, then that to me is the highest compliment – it is amazing. If the book is able to help a few people, that is even better.

You have spent your career as a journalist and focus on science and data. With the debate over fake news and truth in journalism today, what would you tell people who may be apprehensive about the importance of healthy breathing?

I think it is great that the public is questioning a lot of things because much of what

“Once you see what breathing can do for you, and you don’t have to wait weeks or months to see it – after a couple of minutes of breathing differently and breathing in a healthy way you can experience the transformation that happens in your body.”

we have been fed for a long time is incorrect. If you look at what we have been told about nutrition, or the safety of toxins in the environment, and to some extent medicine, we now know that so much of what we’ve been told is wrong.

A doctor told me that more than 50 percent of what we’ve known about medicine throughout history has been proven wrong. That includes right now. So, it is healthy to question things, because that’s how you move science forward.

What is a healthy diet, what we eat or, this macho culture saying that all we need is three hours of sleep – so much of this does not have our health and well-being at the center and it is good that people are questioning these things.

At the same time, it is really hard to find the truth because there are so many voices out there.

One of the things that attracted me to the topic of breathing was that is easy to measure, there are no negative side effects, and you can experiment on yourself for free, anytime, and see what works, because what works ultimately comes down to personal experience and what works for you. Unlike a diet, or exercise, which can take weeks or months to show real benefits, the effects of changing your breathing can happen after a few minutes, or seconds. You feel what happens to your mind, your body, your clarity. It’s not a placebo effect. This is you hacking into your biology. You can measure it with blood pressure, HRV, even brain waves, stress tests. Once you see what breathing can do for you, and you don’t have to wait weeks or months to see it – after a couple of minutes of breathing differently and breathing in a healthy way you can experience the transformation that happens in your body. If you can elicit such a powerful and beneficial response after just a few minutes, just imagine what will happen after a few hours, a few days, a few weeks, a few months, a few years. I have seen what happens. I have seen what this can do for people. I think that once people see it and feel it for themselves, they don’t need any more convincing. It is self-evident because it is not something that is happening in your mind, it is biology.

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paulweiss.com/prac�ces/sustainability-esg

PURPOSE

Advancing Healthcare An Interview with James Flynn, Managing Partner, Deerfield EDITORS’ NOTE James Flynn joined of them. Deerfield became a successful Deerfield in 2000 and is responfirm with an enjoyable culture to work sible for the management of the firm. at, and we had several people who were Under his leadership, Deerfield has interested and passionate about pursuing built deep healthcare infor maour mission to fundamentally advance tion expertise through the Deerfield healthcare. I took over the leadership of Institute; expanded its investment the firm in 2005. capabilities to include venture and We have spent the past 20 years on private structured financings; estaba journey to take the roots and foundalished the Deerfield Foundation to tion of Deerfield and evolve into an intecontribute toward the health and grated, diversified organization which welfare of disadvantaged children; we believe is fundamentally advancing James Flynn created Deerfield Discovery and healthcare through supporting both forDevelopment, LLC, which organizes profit as well as not-for-profit work.

Deerfield’s discovery research efforts; and founded How do you describe Deer field’s a healthcare innovation center at 345 Park Avenue culture and what do you look for when South in New York City. Before joining Deerfield, bringing new talent into the firm?

Flynn was a top ranked analyst at Furman Selz, I think a lot of investment people are in covering pharmaceutical and medical device the guru business, thinking they are the smartest companies. Prior to that, he served as Vice and know what is best and where the market President of Corporate Development of Alpharma is going – that is not actually a business. You Inc. He began his career in healthcare investing at have to think about it as a business, and busiKidder, Peabody & Co., where he ultimately served nesses need to evolve to maintain a margin. If as a senior analyst covering the specialty pharma- you have the exact same business model with ceutical industry. Flynn served as the Chairman many more competitors, either your margin of the Quality Committee of the Board of Trustees goes away or you need to innovate in some of Continuum Health Partners until its merger in way. We have always tried to ask what tools 2013 with Mount Sinai Health System, where he we can apply to do things differently or better, continues to serve on the Board of Trustees. He including our new building in New York City. is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the New For me, when attracting new talent, York Academy of Medicine and is a member of people need to have two things: they have to the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute be competent, and they have to care. If those Leadership Council. Flynn holds a BS in cellular two things are true, you can start anywhere and and molecular biology and economics from the move ahead because you make observations University of Michigan and an MS in biotech- over time about what you can do better – if you nology from Johns Hopkins University.

care, you adapt, and if you’re competent, you succeed. We focus on building a culture with people who care about improvement and doing things the best they can, and who are capable of doing that. If you are constantly elevating in lots of different ways, you actually get somewhere.

How important is brand awareness and brand recognition for Deerfield?

Brand is important to attract good managers and good scientists. Deerfield is still not that well known in some innovation circles, but we are working hard to get our message out to the people it is important for us to reach.

Deerfield acquired the building at 345 Park Avenue South in Manhattan and has invested heavily in transforming the building.

Will you highlight the building and the important role it will play in Deerfield’s future?

I think it is super important. The building allows us to integrate the capabilities of innovators from academia, government, industry, and the not-for-profit sectors to tackle unmet needs in healthcare. It is exciting to create an environment in which innovative thinking, groundbreaking advances in scientific discovery, and the development of new paradigms of patient care will occur every day.

Healthcare is converging – even if you are developing a drug or a device, someone has to pay for it, someone has to prescribe it, someone has to take it – and with everything moving toward value-based care, data becomes more important, remote monitoring becomes more important, and remote communication becomes more important. The point is that if we went

FIRM BRIEF Deerfield Management (deerfield.com) is an investment management firm committed to advancing healthcare through investment, information, and philanthropy. The firm works across the healthcare ecosystem to connect people, capital, ideas, and technology in bold, collaborative and inclusive ways.

“We have spent the past 20 years on a journey

Will you discuss Deerfield’s history and how the firm has evolved?

Deerfield was founded in 1994 by a small, collegial group of very senior people who had been leaders in the industry and specialized in healthcare. They had started the firm because they felt it would be fun and meaningful, and had planned to retire in three years. Most of them did, in fact, retire after three years and I replaced one

organization which we believe is fundamentally

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to take the roots and foundation of Deerfield and evolve into an integrated, diversified advancing healthcare through supporting both for-profit as well as not-for-profit work.”

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CURE – Deerfield’s innovation campus at 345 Park Avenue South in New York City

back to when I began my career in the late 1980s, everything was siloed. Today, it is all integrated and, in the future, it will be even more integrated so part of the purpose of this building is to integrate all of the different components of care to get to the future, because the future offers much better and much cheaper care.

We will host many events in the building where different constituencies will be placed together to learn about other parts of the health system. Big companies need small companies for innovation, and small companies need big companies for capital – we will bring these companies together for events in the building.

We are also interested in health policy and the latest science so we will also hold forums addressing these areas.

We think about this as creating an ecosystem that reaches beyond walls and plays a role in influencing the future of healthcare.

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What was your vision for creating the Deerfield Foundation in 2006 and how does the Foundation focus its efforts?

I could not see being in a financial business for only financial reasons being fulfilling at the end of the day, and if you think about healthcare, while the for-profit part is going to take care of a lot of the challenges, there are still a lot of areas that do not lend themselves to the for-profit model. The majority of drugs that have come to market have been developed in a university originally, which is a not-for-profit entity with different motives and a focus on being published. We have approximately 20 research collaborations where they can publish.

I have always felt that the Foundation could play a meaningful role in our mission of advancing healthcare.

What are your views on the state of healthcare and what needs to be done to meet the healthcare challenges of the future?

Under the surface, healthcare is changing really fast. You only have to go back about 15 years to see a time when a patient would visit the doctor and the notes would be written on a piece of paper and put into a file, with no way for other doctors to access that record. Today, everything is on electronic medical records so you can access patient records quickly and efficiently in order to integrate care which leads to better outcomes.

It is easy to be optimistic in healthcare right now because every disease is a finite puzzle with a finite number of pieces, and every day people are turning pieces over and the more you can see the picture, the faster the puzzle gets put together. There is great visibility on tremendous advances in therapeutics, and it is the same thing in the quality of healthcare delivery. You can see how technology and innovation are making healthcare more efficient and convenient.

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PURPOSE

Closing Gaps and Opening Doors An Interview with Robert Rubin, Founder, The Bridge, and Chairman and Co-Executive Director, The Bridge Golf Foundation EDITORS’ NOTE Starting out as a officials, and myriad lawsuits, I threw Today, new members come through existing newspaper reporter in suburban in the towel. You can’t operate an members who recommend people they know New Jersey for the now defunct Red automobile racetrack in a community for membership. The Bridge has evolved into Bank Register, Robert Rubin quickly that doesn’t want it. its own unique ecosystem, especially after the found his way to Wall Street, trading I was trying to figure out an clubhouse opened and people saw that we commodities and currencies for a exit strategy in 1992 when someone were changing the paradigm of a golf club. The quarter century for J. Aron, Drexel suggested that I build a golf course membership is capped at 180 and we have a Burnham, and AIG before retiring with a few houses, which seemed like waiting list to get in. in 2000. During part of that time, an interesting concept. Although it took How did the creation of The Bridge he sat on the Foreign Exchange ten years to get it done, we completed Golf Foundation develop?

Committee of the Federal Reserve the course in 2002. I was originally This was also somewhat of an accident. of New York, as well as President going to bring in a partner who played About seven years ago, I went to play golf at Robert Rubin Clinton’s Committee on Capital golf (I didn’t at the time) and was a real the Century Club in the middle of a week Budgeting. He is currently Chairman estate developer (I wasn’t that either) with an artist friend, a gallery owner, and a and Co-Executive Director of The Bridge Golf but, in the end, I decided to do it myself. sports journalist. The journalist said that we Foundation, a sports-based youth development Earlier in my career, I had gone to Wall should start a sports-based youth developprogram in Harlem affiliated with The Bridge, Street with no background in economics or ment program for golf because although other the acclaimed Long Island golf club which Rubin finance, and it worked out pretty well, so I sports had them, golf did not. The barriers to built and has operated since 2002. His wife, figured that even without a golf or real estate entry for golf are rather high compared to, say, Stéphane Samuel, is Co-Executive Director of The background, I could do this too if I went into it basketball. I thought it was a great idea, and Bridge Golf Foundation as well as its Director with no preconceptions. Over time, it became funded its creation. About three years ago my of Academics. Prior to creating the golf club, he what it is today – an idiosyncratic rather than wife, Stéphane, and I and decided it wasn’t owned and operated the site, which he acquired generic high-end country club. It was a risky evolving according to our vision so we decided in 1981, as an automobile racetrack, also endeavor, with a few speed bumps along the to take it in hand and run it ourselves. We known as “The Bridge.” Rubin is the author of a way, but it worked out in the end. The Bridge is essentially rebuilt The Bridge Golf Foundation number of books and articles on architecture and a cool, relaxed place where people want to be from scratch. It has been a very gratifying contemporary art, most recently Richard Prince with their friends and families. It is a wonderful experience in the sense that it is a partnership Cowboy (2020). Rubin holds a bachelor’s degree golf course, and the members are happy. between me, Stéphane, who leads our educain American Studies from Yale, an MA in Modern Will you discuss The Bridge’s member- tional component, and Michael Sweeney, who European History from Columbia University, and ship and what you are looking for when is our athletic director and who has been at The an M. Phil. in Theory and History of Architecture, bringing in new members?

Bridge for 15 years, most recently as Director also from Columbia University.

In the beginning, I had no credibility – just of Instruction. The Bridge Golf Foundation is a great piece of raw land – so I had to explain an intensive, year-round, multi-year program, What was your vision for creating The my vision to potential members at some length. organized around the game of golf but with a Bridge and will you discuss this journey?

As the saying goes, “Life is what happens while you’re making other plans.” I discovered the racetrack – “The Bridge” – by accident in 1981 when I was going to have breakfast and parked my Ferrari outside the Candy Kitchen in Bridgehampton. Someone asked me if I was going to the Ferrari Club. I did not know this even existed and when I asked him where it was, he said “at The Bridge.” I didn’t know what that was either. So I went to see what was up, and about an hour after I arrived, I was told that the place would be plowed under for a hundred-plus lot cluster subdivision if a white knight was not found to save the track. I bought a blocking amount of stock in Bridgehampton Road Races Corporation and, after a long proxy fight, I secured control and took over operations. After a decade or so of losing money and The Bridge clubhouse dealing with aggrieved neighbors, town 36 LEADERS

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VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

strong academic component, for underserved young men of color. Our mission is to help these young men improve their college readiness, graduate from college, and move into the workforce well prepared for life.

We all work very closely with the young men and know them all very well. They come for three hours every day after school – 90 minutes of sports, 90 minutes of academics – plus the six week summer program. We know their families and school situations and spend time with them. I am encouraged by the way the membership of The Bridge has bought into the mission and work of the Foundation. Our location in Harlem has three golf simulators as well as classrooms, and many members come there and take lessons when the program is not in session. They see what’s going on there.

We’ve also built this fantastic residential complex at The Bridge that has 28 beds for the young men, plus an outdoor covered gathering/ dining area. The young men come and stay for the summer and work in the golf operations under Mike – the older ones also caddie and work as counselors-in-training.

Will you highlight the educational program at The Bridge Golf Foundation?

It is a holistic program. You have to remember that we’re a wraparound to the public school system which is under-resourced and not in great shape. The buy-in of our partner schools is critical to our success. We need to be in touch with teachers in real time. We are trying to provide these young men with everything that we have been able to provide to our own children in terms of college and life readiness.

When you are running a youth sports development program, the sport is the easiest part. The educational component is tougher. We pay up to get the best tutors who show up consistently over years and are good role models for the kids.

Our focus is giving these young men a good educational foundation so that they can succeed. In the summer, we prioritize critical thinking which is an area they don’t have time for during the school year when they are focusing on their basic math and science classes. We have a six-week summer program with four weeks devoted to an intensive critical

Golf simulators at The Bridge Golf Foundation facility in Harlem

thinking workshop, followed of course by daily golf at nearby municipal courses.

In terms of impact and outcomes, we have pleasant and unpleasant surprises. Some kids have blossomed against all odds. Others, who seemed very promising, have let us down.

That’s how life is. We are doing our best within the limited time we have with these young men.

We also have a mentor program. The mentors are instrumental in providing guidance, direction, and opportunity to these young men.

We have a very long-term perspective.

Right now, our oldest cohort are college juniors.

We’ve had them in the program since they were in the eighth grade.

How have you approached the golf component of the program?

Golf is our sport and we use it as a vehicle for inspiring passion and discipline, and as a template for college readiness. Ideally the young men in the Foundation evolve as studentathletes, come to love the sport, compete at it in school, and carry their skill at the game into life – until the pandemic, we ran the Percy Sutton high school golf team in the Public School Athletic League. But if our young men are just able to become better students and thus

The residential complex at The Bridge can house 28 young men VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

are better prepared for college, then we have still done something meaningful. Everything we do is to build college readiness and life skills. If our young men are able to navigate living and working at The Bridge, then they’ve acquired some real skills ahead of going away to college.

Do you feel that this is a program that can be scaled?

We don’t rule out opening branches of Bridge Golf around the boroughs, but are not looking in the very near-term to scale it in a formal way. However, other programs in other cities are seeking us out because they have learned about what we are doing, so we are scaling informally, organically. We have had conversations with other golf clubs who are interested in our approach, particularly the strong educational component of our program.

Will you discuss your efforts to secure additional financial support for The Bridge Golf Foundation?

Up until now The Bridge membership has provided the primary financial support, but we are in the process of expanding our funding base and bringing in organizations that are focused on youth-based sports development.

We’ve received grants from the Heisman and Heckscher Foundations. After three years at the helm, I feel we now have a convincing story to take to a wider audience.

What do you feel have been the keys to your success?

I had a very good education. I was taught how to think rather than what to think. To create The Bridge, I took a blank piece of paper and went on a listening tour asking people what was wrong with golf in the Hamptons and what was missing from the experience. I heard people say that golf courses were too crowded and too stuffy. I listened, and I showed up – that’s another big part of life.

Are you able to enjoy the process and take moments to reflect and appreciate what you have built?

When I am at The Bridge, I feel very proud of myself. When I am at the Foundation, I’m very proud of the young men.

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PURPOSE

A Race Against Time An Interview with Daniel L. Doctoroff, Founder, Target ALS EDITORS’ NOTE Having lost both Rebuilding. Prior to serving as Deputy his father and uncle to ALS, Dan Mayor, he was a managing director at Doctor off founded Tar get ALS Oak Hill Capital Partners. He serves on in 2010 in collaboration with the boards of the University of Chicago Bloomber g Philanthr opies and and Bloomberg Philanthropies. He is financier and philanthropist David the author of Greater Than Ever: New Rubenstein to discover and accelYork’s Big Comeback. erate treatments for ALS, an always fatal disease where there had been What was your mission and purpose virtually no progress made since it in creating Target ALS and will you was discovered 140 years before. discuss its work?

Doctoroff and his team created a My father died of ALS in 2002, and Daniel L. Doctoroff new collaborative model of research eight years later, in 2010, I watched my that has been a major catalyst to uncle die of ALS, so it was clear that in understanding the genetics and biology of ALS my family it was hereditary. I knew I had to do and has lowered the barriers to entry for new something. I was not so much thinking about scientific discovery, and has helped to induce myself, but I was thinking about my brothers, over 100 biotech, pharmaceutical, and venture my cousins, my children, as well as the one in capital firms to demonstrate interest in the 400 people who will die of the disease if somedisease. thing isn’t done.

Then in the late fall of 2021, Doctoroff I started by bringing on board a few advisors, was diagnosed with ALS. He stepped down as primarily researchers who had some experience the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of in ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases, to Sidewalk Labs, an Alphabet company that accel- analyze why there had been so little progress and erates the integration of digital technology into to learn the positive lessons from successes in urban environments, and as the Chairman of other diseases. We concluded a number of things: The Shed, the innovative cultural institution on first was that this was a very complex disease, the Far West Side of Manhattan that he led since requiring a multi-disciplinary approach and most inception, to spend his last act on dramatically research was done in silos. We developed a scaling up Target ALS. concept of funding consortia around important Prior to forming Sidewalk Labs, he was problems and hypotheses in ALS research. Since President and CEO of Bloomberg LP, the leading 2013 we have funded 41 consortia, 25 of which provider of financial news and information, and have led to continuing industry drug discovery before that he was New York City’s longest-serving programs, six of which have already led to clinical Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and trials, and five biotech companies have already

been formed as a result of the research we have funded. The second thing we realized is that you needed to bring new talent into the disease and to do that, you must provide researchers with tools, resources and data to do their work – things like biofluid samples, postmortem tissue, animal models and stem cells. So we established and funded eight core scientific resources that anyone in the world can easily access and all they have to do is pay handling costs. Those resources have now been used on 500 projects by scientists all over the world. The third thing is that, as you know, there is no treating or saving lives if there are not drugs, and drugs need to be developed by pharma and biotech companies. We set out right from the very beginning to engage industry in everything we do since we knew that this engagement would be critical to making real progress.

We have seen an explosion of engagement in and understanding of this disease, and I am very proud that we have played a material role in that. We have become a respected neutral party in the ALS research ecosystem, which enables us to bring diverse coalitions together on projects like developing a toolkit of biomarkers, which are critical to early diagnosis, and better evaluation of clinical trials. We brought together 14 companies, 10 academic centers, 6 ALS organizations, and two venture capital firms to develop a process for identifying and using biomarkers.

We have also built three partnerships with other diseases, one related to Alzheimer’s and two related to frontotemporal dementia. There is significant overlap on many dimensions among

“At the end of the day, this is a pipeline game, and you need to fill the pipeline with as many potential targets, based on strong science, as possible.

This is why you need to bring in new talent, technologies and funding in order to gain a deeper understanding of the genetics and biology.”

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“One of the reasons why I think that I have been able to handle this diagnosis is because I have been the beneficiary of such love and support from so many people.”

neurodegenerative diseases and we believe partnerships can bring in new talent and teach the ALS field new approaches.

To be clear, I am not the person who is leading our scientific efforts. We have a fabulous CEO, Manish Raisinghani, who has been the driver of our success, and a wonderfully committed board of directors and an Independent Review Committee, which selects and oversees the projects we fund. Both are comprised equally of eminent scientists from academia and industry who volunteer their time because they believe that what we are doing together is so essential.

When you are addressing a disease like ALS that requires a long-term focus and commitment, how important is it to have metrics in place to track the progress and impact?

At the end of the day, this is a pipeline game, and you need to fill the pipeline with as many potential targets, based on strong science, as possible. This is why you need to bring in new talent, technologies and funding in order to gain a deeper understanding of the genetics and biology. Ultimately, when you find those potential targets, they get handed off to pharma and biotech companies. Our goal over the next ten years is to play a material role in dramatically increasing the number of clinical trials, some of which will be successful in saving the lives of ALS patients. You need to have a big pool of targets to do that. No lives have been saved yet, but it is definitely coming.

We believe that lives will be saved, which are likely at first to be the genetic

forms of ALS, which represent 10 percent of the cases. But our goal is that within ten years we will be in sight of everybody living.

At Target ALS and across the entire ALS field, we are in a race against time.

Do you feel that there is still an education process that needs to take place to build a deeper understanding and awareness of ALS? There is a constant education effort needed. There are organizations that have been very effective at activating the community of ALS patients and their families which has turned into political power since this has resulted in pushing legislation and action. You can make a real impact with the right audiences by making people understand the disease in a more complete way. There is a large opportunity to better educate people. With one in 400 people dying of the disease, a lot of people are touched by ALS. You are known to be an optimistic person. How has your ability to stay positive and to focus on opportunities helped as you face this disease?

I am always optimistic. I think I am also realistic, and I am aware that 80 percent of the people with this disease die within five years, and 95 percent will die within ten years. I watched my father die of ALS; my uncle die of ALS; my college roommate, Stephen Winthrop, died of ALS, so I am very aware of the likely course for me, but my nature is to look on the bright side of things. I do think that my optimistic nature is really helpful in this difficult situation.

I have been this way throughout my career. When I started New York’s Olympic bid, people thought it was crazy. I thought it was a great idea so I pursued it, and while it ultimately did not happen, many other good things happened in New York as a result of this effort.

One of the reasons why I think that I have been able to handle this diagnosis is because I have been the beneficiary of such love and support from so many people. When I announced that I received this diagnosis back in December, I received so many incredibly personal notes – about what I meant to people, about the impact I had on their career and lives. I felt that I went to my own funeral. As morose as that sounds, it actually sustains me.

I’ve been really lucky in my life. I have a wonderful family, tons of friends, have done what I wanted in my career and have started new institutions like The Shed. I have been very fortunate. I do not have any regrets. That helps to keep me positive. The reality is that I have probably only had one down hour cumulatively since this whole thing started.

With all that you have accomplished in your career, do you feel that your effort with Target ALS is your most important work?

There is nothing more important than saving lives. If Target ALS leads to that, then it will be the most significant thing I do in my life. It is also extremely personal because, forget about me, it is about my family.

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“Our goal over the next ten years is to play a material role in dramatically increasing the number of clinical trials, some of which will be successful in saving the lives of ALS patients.”

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PURPOSE

Driving Environmental and Social Change An Interview with Paul M. Donofrio, Vice Chairman, Bank of America EDITORS’ NOTE Paul Donofrio is and other financial and risk manageVice Chairman of Bank of America ment pr oducts and services. The and is a member of the compacompany provides unmatched conveny’s executive management team. nience in the United States, serving Donofrio oversees the compaapproximately 67 million consumer ny’s sustainability activities and and small business clients with co-chairs its ESG Committee. He approximately 4,200 retail financial stewards the company’s efforts centers, approximately 16,000 ATMs, in support of its $1.5 trillion and award-winning digital banking sustainable finance commitment, with more than 54 million verified including oversight of its investments digital users. Bank of America is a in Minority Depository Institutions global leader in wealth management, Paul M. Donofrio and private equity funds through corporate and investment banking its $1.25 billion commitment to and trading across a broad range of racial equality and economic opportunity, asset classes, serving corporations, governments, as well as investments made through its $1 tril- institutions and individuals around the world. lion Environmental Business Initiative. He also Bank of America offers industry-leading support has responsibility for the investment function of to approximately 3 million small business housethe company’s pension, which totals over $22 holds through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use billion. In addition, the BofA Global Research online products and services. The company department reports to him. He most recently serves clients through operations across the served as Bank of America’s Chief Financial United States, its territories and approximately Officer for more than six years from 2015 35 countries. to 2021. Before then, he held a number of key roles across the company, based in New York City Will you provide an overview of your role and London. He served as co-head of Global and areas of focus?

Corporate and Investment Banking, head My role as Vice Chairman is multiof Global Corporate Banking, head of Global faceted. Alongside our CEO, Brian Moynihan, Corporate Credit and Transaction Banking, I oversee the company’s sustainability activico-head of Investment Banking, head of all ties and co-chair our ESG Committee, as well Global Industry Groups and co-head of the Global Healthcare Group. His product experience includes M&A, global capital markets, including debt, equity, foreign exchange and derivative capital markets, as well as traditional banking products, such as loans, leases, global payments and deposits. Prior to joining Bank of America, Donofrio worked at UBS, where he was a senior member of the healthcare group from 1994 to 1999, focusing on biotech, specialty pharmaceuticals, and large cap pharmaceutical companies. Previously, he worked at Kidder, Peabody & Co. in the healthcare, technology and debt restructuring groups.

A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Donofrio served in the U.S. Navy from 1982 to 1988 as a naval flight officer.

as steward the company’s efforts in support of our $1.5 trillion sustainable finance commitment, including oversight of our investments in Minority Depository Institutions and private equity funds through our $1.25 billion commitment to racial equality and economic opportunity and investments made through our $1 trillion Environmental Business Initiative.

I have additional responsibility for the investment function of the company’s pension, which totals over $22 billion.

My experience leading several lines of business throughout my career has positioned me well to guide our company’s overarching sustainability activities which permeate everything we do for our employees, clients, and communities.

I joined the company in 1999 and most recently served as Chief Financial Officer for more than six years. Prior to that, I was co-head of Global Corporate and Investment Banking, head of Global Corporate Banking, head of Global Corporate Credit and Transaction Banking, to name a few roles. My extensive experience across Investment Banking and Capital Markets, in addition to traditional banking products such as loans, leases, global payments and deposits, has helped me deliver the company’s capabilities and services holistically, while helping to guide clients in their environmental, social and governance objectives.

“As a global financial services organization, we have set tangible sustainable finance goals and made measurable progress in mobilizing and

deploying capital to help drive environmental and social change. By working with the private sector and partnering with the public sector, we are

C O M PA N Y B R I E F B a n k o f A m e r i c a (ba nk ofamerica.com) is one of the world’s leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management 40 LEADERS

addressing financing gaps where governmental or philanthropic funding falls short.”

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“In 2021, Bank of America announced our goal of mobilizing and deploying $1.5 trillion in Sustainable Finance capital by 2030 in support of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Of the $1.5 trillion, $1 trillion is dedicated to the Environmental Transition to support a low-carbon economy.”

Will you highlight Bank of America’s sustainability activities and how these initiatives ar e engrained in Bank of America’s values and purpose?

As a global financial services organization, we have set tangible sustainable finance goals and made measurable progress in mobilizing and deploying capital to help drive environmental and social change. By working with the private sector and partnering with the public sector, we are addressing financing gaps where governmental or philanthropic funding falls short. Our sustainable finance strategy permeates what we do, in order to promote an inclusive, lower-carbon, enduring society for all.

Sustainability guides how we conduct our business and operations as well as how we pursue responsible growth across core lending and investments, equity and debt capital markets activities, advisory services, supply chain financing and management, daily operations, and engagement with internal teammates.

As we consider our role in supporting a smooth transition, we continue to partner with global clients on clean energy, power generation and transmission, sustainable transportation with an emphasis on electric vehicles and sustainable fuels, sustainable food and agriculture, clean water and sanitation, and carbon capture and offsetting solutions, as well as more capital deployment in affordable housing, healthcare, education, minority- and women-led businesses, and underserved communities.

Today, Bank of America is not only the leader in ESG capital markets issuance and underwriting, but the definitive leading financial services firm in climate and social finance.

Sustainability is embedded in our actions, our communities, our partnerships, our governance and our disclosures. For example, in December 2021, Bank of America announced an ESG-themed Issuance Framework to further enhance our issuances of green, social, and sustainability bonds and other ESG securities.

The Framework aligns to Bank of America’s VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

ESG leadership and the company’s sustainable finance strategy, which aims to mobilize and deploy capital in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It builds upon Bank of America’s 2020 $2 billion Equality Progress Sustainability Bond issuance, which was designed to advance racial equality, economic opportunity, and environmental sustainability.

Will you discuss Bank of America’s $1.5 trillion by 2030 Sustainable Finance goal and how important are metrics to track the impact of this effort?

In 2021, Bank of America announced our goal of mobilizing and deploying $1.5 trillion in Sustainable Finance capital by 2030 in support of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Of the $1.5 trillion, $1 trillion is dedicated to the Environmental Transition to support a lowcarbon economy. The $1 trillion dedicated to Environmental Transition is a significant expansion of our initial commitment of $300 billion made in 2019. Since 2007, we have mobilized and deployed approximately $350 billion to environmental finance. Beyond the $1 trillion climate-related finance, the balance of the sustainable finance goal is focused on inclusive social development, scaling capital to advance community development, affordable housing, healthcare, and education, in addition to racial and gender equality.

As part of our $1.5 trillion by 2030 Sustainable Finance goal, we mobilized and deployed approximately $250 billion in sustainable finance capital in 2021, with approximately $155 billion financing the environmental transition and the remaining $95 billion for inclusive social development.

ESG is not just about spotting opportunities, but also about tracking impact and managing risk. Bank of America’s sustainability policies and standards are outlined in our Environmental and Social Risk Policy Framework, which is updated at least every two years or more frequently as issues develop. We also disclose ESG strategy, policies, and practices in our Annual Report and

in other areas. These disclosures highlight our ESG impacts and actions, including the development of products and services to address the needs and concerns of low- and moderateincome communities, our financing in support of environmental and social goals, our progress toward public goals, as well as specific transactions that are escalated due to heightened environmental and social risks.

You serve as a co-chair for Bank of America’s ESG Committee. How is Bank of America addressing ESG and will you highlight this work?

Our ESG principles help define how Bank of America delivers Responsible Growth and contributes to the global economy, and helps us build trust and credibility as a company people want to work for, invest in and do business with.

This enables us to serve clients, deliver returns for our shareholders and address some of society’s greatest challenges. We believe in business’ role in helping to create the scale needed to drive capital toward some of the world’s most important priorities.

Integrated across all lines of business, our ESG focus reflects our values, ensures we are holding ourselves accountable, presents tremendous business opportunity, and allows us to create shared success with our clients and communities. That includes financing to help small businesses adopt more sustainable business practices, and financing to help major corporations in all industries transform and decarbonize their business models.

The transition to a low-carbon economy means that a significant flow of capital will have to be put to work in an efficient and effective manner. Our clients will need advice and expertise, and we continue to invest to build this capability. To this end, within Global Corporate and Investment Banking, we have established a new team, ESG Advisory and Financing Solutions, to help our clients across industry sectors determine how ESG impacts their cost of capital and strategic initiatives and to assist them in navigating through climate transition. This new team is well-positioned to advise our clients, as Bank of America continues to be at the forefront of ESG financing – in 2021, GCIB was the number one underwriter of U.S. ESG corporate bonds.

Beyond sustainable finance, we continue to focus on stakeholder capitalism, economic mobility, advancing racial equality and economic opportunity, employee giving and volunteering and our support of arts and culture. As a core tenet of Responsible Growth, our commitment to being a great place to work means investing in the people who serve our clients across the world. To provide clients with the best service and to support the communities in which we operate, we must attract and retain the best talent, create opportunities for our teammates to grow and develop, and remain anchored to our long-standing D&I commitment. We believe with our teammates’ depth of expertise, resources and geographic reach, we, as a company, are uniquely positioned to help advance strong economies and social progress globally.

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Bank of America made a $1.25 billion commitment to racial equality and economic opportunity. What was the vision for this commitment and how will you measure success for this effort?

Through Responsible Growth, we deliver for our teammates, clients and shareholders and help address society’s biggest challenges. One example is our work to advance racial equality and economic opportunity. That said, we have worked broadly in these areas for many years.

Internally, this is core to being a great place to work, hiring and recruiting diverse talent to ensure strong representation in our workforce, and aligned policies and accountabilities.

And externally, this is core to our client-driven approach, delivering products and services that meet the needs of our diverse clients and communities.

Building on that longstanding work, and in order to ensure everyone has access to the tools and resources needed to build wealth, we are focused on several key areas: connecting diverse people and communities to good jobs; ensuring adequate access to healthcare; providing access to capital to grow small businesses; and building a solid base of affordable housing.

This work is fundamental to how we run our company, support our teammates and deliver for clients. It spans the company – from our $15 billion commitment to affordable homeownership to our ongoing work to advance small businesses through $2 billion invested with Community Development Financial Institutions, to our $1.25 billion five-year commitment of which we have already directed more than $450 million of through financing and philanthropy.

We do this because it’s the right thing to do and we know we have a role to play to be part of the solution to drive progress.

We also recognize that we share collectively in the responsibility to do more, so we continue to focus on working collaboratively across sectors to advance opportunities that will create real impact in the lives of individuals and for the communities we serve, using the past to inform our perspective and understanding as we tackle systemic issues embedded within our communities to be a company of opportunity for all. We continue to measure and share our progress around all that we are doing to advance racial equality and economic opportunity with our clients, communities and stakeholders through various channels, including our most recent annual report.

How critical is it for Bank of America to build a diverse and inclusive workforce to mirror the diversity of its clients and the communities it serves?

We understand the role we play in influencing and driving progress around diversity, inclusion, racial equality and economic opportunity in financial services, the private sector and the communities where we live and work.

That’s why we continue taking meaningful steps to drive diverse representation at all levels of the company and are building a culture where our employees feel comfortable being who they are and bringing their whole selves to work 42 LEADERS

“More importantly, our focus on the representation of our people is mirrored in the clients and communities we serve. Our management team is now 55 percent diverse, including seven women, two Black/African American, two Asian and one Hispanic-Latino leaders. At the end of 2021, our company remained one of only nine S&P 100 companies with six or more women on the Board.” with equal access to opportunities regardless of their differences. It’s the right thing to do, and we think it’s good for business. Companies that focus on creating a strong culture of diversity and inclusion reap several benefits including greater innovation, stronger employee engagement and productivity, and a positive impact on their bottom line.

Our Board of Directors, its committees and our CEO play a key role in the oversight of our culture, expecting management to be accountable for ethical and professional conduct and our commitment to being a great place to work.

Each management team member has actionoriented diversity goals which are subject to our quarterly business review process, talent planning and scorecards reviewed by the Board.

Management team members cascade goals to support commitment and accountability across the company, and drive an inclusive work environment. In addition, our Global Diversity & Inclusion Council (GDIC) also promotes diversity goal setting, which is embedded in our performance management process and occurs at all levels of the organization.

More importantly, our focus on the representation of our people is mirrored in the clients and communities we serve. Our management team is now 55 percent diverse, including seven women, two Black/African American, two Asian and one Hispanic-Latino leaders. At the end of 2021, our company remained one of only nine S&P 100 companies with six or more women on the Board. All told, our management team going forward is more diverse of gender, race and ethnicity than ever before in our history.

We also continue to exceed industry benchmarks for our diverse workforce and inclusive culture. Our workforce is 50 percent women and 49 percent people of color, and we have worked hard to narrow the gaps at our leadership levels across the company. We hold ourselves accountable for increasing diverse representation by disclosing our employment

metrics, measuring progress across top management levels, helping ensure managers are responsible for driving advancement on their teams, and building a robust pipeline of emerging talent through recruitment and partnerships at campuses across the world.

You joined Bank of America more than 20 years. What has made the experience and the company so special for you?

It has been exceptionally gratifying to work for a company that has consistently delivered for our shareholders, our employees and our communities alike. Importantly, we’ve been able to do that in good times as well as in times of hardship and crisis – when our clients and communities needed us most. Building a company out of the financial crisis that has leveraged its 200,000-employee base to connect and deliver for its constituencies, all while delivering an adequate return for its shareholders, is something I consider very special. We have demonstrated that a purpose-led, value-driven company can grow not only consistently, but also responsibly – and that’s tremendously rewarding.

What advice do you offer to young people entering the workforce and beginning their careers?

Firstly, I encourage young people entering the workforce to continuously ask “why” in everything they do to really understand the goal of the exercise and to become goal-oriented versus task-oriented. Secondly, particularly in companies as large as ours, you need to develop empathy.

At Bank of America, for example, we have a diverse group of employees and clients with varying degrees of beliefs and understandings.

Having empathy improves communication and strengthens relationships to allow you to connect more successfully. And thirdly, before making any important decision, always try to prove yourself wrong. By questioning and re-questioning your assumptions, your data, your processes, and ultimately your judgments, you can significantly increase the likelihood you are making the right decision and get the best outcomes.

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VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

They said it couldn’t be done.

We didn’t listen.

We’ve done hard things before; we do them all the time.

For most cancer patients, the usual options are surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation.

So we’re working on ways to get the immune system to deploy billions of cancer-killing cells and help more patients survive.

When some people experienced mysterious COVID symptoms and had nowhere to go, our team created the first Center for Post-COVID Care.

It wasn’t that long ago we had to open up your whole chest for heart surgery. Now we’re pioneering a bypass that goes through a few tiny incisions. With this surgery, we can get you back on your feet in weeks instead of months.

So if anyone ever tells you there’s no other way—don’t listen.

PURPOSE

Empowering High School Students An Interview with Shannon Mabrey Rotenberg, Executive Director, and Erica Helwick Doyle, Managing Director, just keep livin Foundation EDITORS’ NOTE Shannon Rotenberg started her career with nonprofit organizations and the entertainment industry while at Creative Artists Agency, a talent and sports agency based in Los Angeles.

She was a program director in their philanthropic division for six years before helping to launch the just keep livin (JKL) Foundation. Rotenberg serves on the boards of Angels for Baby2Baby and Dak Prescott’s Faith Fight Finish Foundation, whose mission is to invest in a better future by empowering individuals, families and communities to find strength through adversity. She works with the Harold Robinson Foundation which is committed to providing impoverished children with camp retreats which are designed to strengthen confidence, independence, build character and develop leadership skills. Rotenberg was also the foundingchair of “Kidstock,” an event that benefitted One Voice’s Scholarship Program in Los Angeles. She serves on a committee of LA women for Giffords, the organization led by congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords that seeks to save lives from gun violence and make communities safer. Rotenberg is a member of the LA Women’s Collective, a political action committee that empowers women in Los Angeles to influence political and legislative progress. In addition, she consults with several other nonprofits, and has recently been working with Represent Justice to change the narrative around incarceration, specifically concentrating on the Julius Jones case in Oklahoma. Rotenberg is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma.

As the Managing Director for the just keep livin Foundation, Erica Doyle is tasked with managing fundraising events, business development, donor relations, marketing, and corporate partnerships for the organization. Prior to joining JKL, she worked in Celebrity Relations for City of Hope, a cancer hospital and research center based in Los Angeles. In addition to nonprofit work, Doyle has an extensive background in the entertainment industry, beginning her career as an assistant to a film agent at Creative Artists Agency. After CAA, she spent time working in film development at Universal Pictures prior to joining the West Coast Bureau of InStyle Magazine, where she helped manage talent bookings while also contributing to the magazine as a writer and reporter. Doyle is a graduate of Northwestern University.

FOUNDATION BRIEF The just keep livin Foundation (jklivinfoundation.org) was founded

by Camila and Matthew McConaughey with the mission to empower high school students by 44 LEADERS

Shannon Mabrey Rotenberg

Erica Helwick Doyle

providing them with the tools to lead active lives and make healthy choices for a better future. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that implements after-school fitness programs in 40 inner city high schools/sites. Through its programs, the Foundation encourages students to make positive life choices that improve their physical and mental health through exercise, teamwork, gratitude, nutrition, and community service.

Will you discuss Matthew and Camila’s passion and commitment for the work of the just keep livin Foundation and how deeply engaged they are in its efforts?

Rotenber g: Matthew and Camila are genuinely passionate about just keep livin, and when they commit to something, they give their all.. The very first time I met with Matthew to talk about launching the Foundation, I remember he already had pages and pages of ideas written down in a notebook.

He and Camila did their research and were directly involved in everything right from the start, from the creation of the curriculum to our monthly inspirational quotes and how we end every session with a gratitude circle. From day one, their desire was to “do the work” and all these years later, they’re still doing the work; always willing to pick up the phone and call whomever necessary to help the Foundation or our kids in the program. They aren’t the type to seek recognition for all the amazing work they do behind the scenes, but, for example, they

JKL Foundation team (from left to right: Kelly Mickel, Shannon Rotenberg, Matthew McConaughey, Camila McConaughey, Leon Clayborne, Erica Doyle, Jenny Rizzo) at the JKL Foundation annual fundraiser, “Mack, Jack & McConaughey” in April 2016

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“As parents, teachers, mentors and leaders, I believe that building better people is the path to true progress. With an aim to prevent before we need to cure, that starts with our youth. With the just keep livin Foundation, we wanted to create an all-inclusive, incentivebased curriculum to help students find the right path and give them the tools to live healthier lives – mind, body and soul.”

Matthew McConaughey went out of their way during the pandemic to make sure that we were able to augment our program and offer even more support to our JKL kids. Matthew was paid to do a number of corporate speaking engagements over Zoom during COVID, and he chose to donate his speaking fees directly to the Foundation to ensure that we did not let our kids down in their time of need. When Mother’s Day rolled around, Camila made sure to offer up words of inspiration and even send gifts to several of our JKL moms. Their hearts and devotion never cease to amaze me.

Did you always know that you had a passion for this type of work and what makes the work so special for you?

Rotenberg: Looking back, I believe I started down the path to finding my calling at a very young age. When I was growing up, I went to school in a very low-income area. I witnessed the daily struggles that many families endure, and saw firsthand that there are some kids who maybe don’t make the sports team or play in the band and really struggled to find a place to fit in during a critical time of development. I knew even then that I wanted to work with kids, helping to provide them a sense of support. I actually got my credentials to teach before I was blessed to find a job that merged all the worlds for me. It’s always been my passion to help kids who don’t have resources, and it’s endlessly rewarding to see what a difference this program makes in so many young lives.

Doyle: Giving back, in one for m or another, has always been a big priority in my life. I’ve been volunteering in some capacity since I was a kid, and it’s always fed my soul in a way that nothing else has. It took me some time to figure out how to make a career out of it, though. I started off in the entertainment industry, nurturing my passion for helping others through Saturday mornings spent as a VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

Child Life volunteer at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital. When I was eventually able to find work that combined my professional background with my philanthropic ambitions, I felt like I’d hit the jackpot. I’m such a believer in our work at the just keep livin Foundation, having personally witnessed our program transform these kids and enrich their lives.

Whether it’s seeing our students’ faces light up after they’ve completed the high ropes course at our sleepaway camp, or watching them comfort one another after opening up at one

of our “Gratitude Circles,” each day in this job gives me something to be grateful for. It’s an honor to help realize Matthew and Camila’s vision and to play a role in helping shape these incredible young people’s futures.

Will you highlight the history of the just keep livin Foundation and how you define its mission?

Matthew and Camila McConaughey established the just keep livin Foundation in 2006, with the goal of empowering high school students by providing them with the tools to lead active

Matthew and Camila McConaughey with JKL students in Austin before a private Star Wars screening in Jan 2020

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“Besides simply providing youth from underserved communities a safe place to go after school, our program also teaches them life skills, including the value of not only setting goals, but of achieving them. Our students learn resilience, social responsibility, courage, and self-reliance, as well as the joy and dignity that serving others can give, not only to the served, but to them as servants. At the just keep livin Foundation, we also believe in the reciprocity of gratitude: the more thankful we are, the more we create in life to be thankful for. So, in the meantime and all times, just keep livin.”

Matthew McConaughey

lives and make healthy choices for a better future.

Matthew had reached a point in his career where he was being asked to support lots of different charities and causes, and, while they were all worthy endeavors, he and Camila felt like they could have a greater impact if they decided to go deep, rather than wide, in terms of giving back.

Using their access and resources, they wanted to create an incentive-based program to help kids at underserved schools, starting at that pivotal time of 9th grade when students are old enough to be coming into independence and making choices for themselves, but also young enough to adjust their path if they’re headed down the wrong one. The just keep living program utilizes a whole-student approach that empowers youth to live better and healthier lives beginning with exercise and nutrition and carried forward with gratitude and community service. At a critical age, the program gives them life skills critical to building a happy and healthy future that are not often offered as part of the traditional high school curriculum. Studies have shown, for example, that Social Emotional Learning (SEL), which helps students learn how to regulate their emotions and become more socially aware and responsible, is an even greater predictor of lifelong success than 46 LEADERS

academic grades. The JKL program is powerful medicine that holds the capacity to change the course of a life.

Will you provide an overview of the just keep livin Foundation’s work and initiatives?

The just keep livin Foundation implements after school fitness programs in 40 inner-city high schools throughout 14 cities nationwide. In our programs, we encourage students to make positive life choices that improve their physical and mental health through exercise, teamwork, gratitude, nutrition, and community service. We offer an all-inclusive approach through a curriculum that we created with Scholastic, and we hire teachers from the schools we are in to run the programs on the ground. Our goal is really to prevent before we have to cure by helping students to establish good habits that will serve them well throughout their lives. Every time we have a guest speaker, for example, we have our students write thank you notes. It’s often the first time they’ve ever done it, and it’s a practice that could potentially help them land a job later in life. The program gives participating students a safe place to enhance their lives with fitness coaches and health experts. Participants get in shape and gain confidence while also improving their grades, attendance and behavior. Friendships are built and fears

are overcome. At our j.k. livin after school programs, kids learn self-reliance and get a healthy start today, so they can make a better tomorrow.

How did the just keep livin Foundation adapt the way it works to address the challenges caused by the global pandemic?

When COVID-19 hit and schools started to close, we immediately jumped into action by raising funds to provide the communities we serve with over 35,000 meals and 700 computers in order to help meet some of our students’ most immediate needs. We then began holding online JKL programming – mostly through Zoom and Instagram Live – to help our students stay active and healthy, and to maintain a sense of community while they were isolated in their homes. We hosted yoga sessions, calisthenics workouts and virtual 5K runs, and came together online to learn how to cook healthy food at home on a low budget. We provided resources such as access to free online workouts, meditation playlists, and breathing videos. For our community service piece, we had students write thank you cards to first responders, send well wishes to nursing home residents, and even go door-to-door (safely) delivering Thanksgiving turkeys to their neighbors in need.

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Probably our favorite program addition to come out of the pandemic, though, is our “Mental Health Mondays” series. We implemented this program – in which we host mental health professionals as virtual guest speakers – at the start of the 2020-2021 school year, and it has been so impactful that we’ve continued it even though all of our programs are back to meeting in-person.

The idea behind “Mental Health Mondays” came about as a way for us to continue to provide a safe space to nurture our students’ emotional and overall well-being during a time when they were isolated from school, friends, and their normal routines. During these sessions, which are open to all JKL programs throughout the country, our featured experts provide our students with practical tools for managing stress and anxiety, and help for those battling depression. We’ve seen an amazing response from our community since we started providing this service, and “Mental Health Mondays” have become a key pillar in our curriculum.

How critical are metrics to measure the impact of the just keep livin Foundation’s work?

Some of our greatest accomplishments are in the data we’ve collected from our programs that proves the effectiveness of our work. We also consistently receive great testimonials from our students about how JKL really has changed their lives, and how grateful they are for the “firsts” they experience through our program – from camping to volunteering, from completing a marathon to writing their first thank you note, and many more. While those are important indicators of success, Matthew is a numbers guy, and he also likes to see the numbers and the science behind the work. We like to say that we have numbers to back up the “feel good” feedback and we believe that it’s so important to have both. In terms of hard data, we conduct student surveys at the beginning and end of each

Matthew McConaughey with JKL students at a Texas Rangers event in Dallas in March 2019

school year, we do pre- and post-Fitnessgram testing, we require weekly and monthly reports from our instructors, and we work with the schools we’re in to track things like GPA, attendance, behavioral issues, and graduation rates.

Additionally, in 2019, we made an investment in the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) aspect of our curriculum, partnering with Scholastic to create supplemental curriculum to make sure we are addressing that need. We work with a data collection platform called Hello Insight to engage our students in surveys that specifically address SEL skills so that we can better hone our programming to honor these needs.

Matthew and Camila McConaughey with JKL students in February 2020 (from left to right: Yordis Barrios, Miriam Manzano, and Luis Sanchez) VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

We’re proud to say our program is working: • Fitness: 95 percent of JKL students get more exercise since joining the program • Nutrition: 94 percent of JKL students make healthier choices since joining the program • Graduation: 99 percent of 12th grade JKL students graduated in 2021 • Attendance: 93 percent improved or maintained their attendance • Behavior: 99 percent improved their behavior • Academics: 91 percent improved or maintained their grades What are your priorities for the just keep livin Foundation as you look to the future?

We want to continue to grow and expand our programming, adding three to five programs each year while making sure to remain very hands-on in terms of the implementation of our curriculum and the relationships we have with our program instructors.

We h a v e b e e n f o r t u n a t e t o h a v e m a n y wonderful like-minded partners come on as sponsors, but we are always looking for new sponsors to fund individual programs.

We are growing the mental health component of our program through our “Mental Health Mondays,” and we will continue to tweak our curriculum as our students’ needs evolve. We would also love to expand our JKL Alumni program and possibly bring more of our graduates back to help mentor kids currently in our program. As always, we want to continue to provide the students we serve with critical life skills and encourage them to take what they learn into their own homes and share it with their families and their communities.

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PURPOSE

Powering Identity for the Internet An Interview with Frederic Kerrest, Executive Vice Chairman, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder, Okta EDITORS’ NOTE In his current What was the vision for creating role, Frederic Kerrest is responsible Okta and how do you define its for Okta’s day-to-day operations, mission? working with employees, partOkta’s vision today is to provide ners, and customers to deliver on identity and access softwar e so the company’s vision of enabling everyone can safely use any techany o r g a n i z a t i o n t o u s e a n y nology. When I transitioned from t e c h nology. As a key member of the on-premises software world to management, he helps set corpoSalesforce in 2002, I wasn’t sure what rate priorities to drive success for was going to happen in the industry. the company and its customers. He As more companies adopted online oversees corporate strategy, corpoCRM and started trusting the cloud Frederic Kerrest rate development, strategic partenough to move sales information nerships, and Okta’s social impact and data over, I became an evangelist. arm, Okta for Good. Prior to Okta, Kerrest AWS started taking off in 2007 as I started at worked in sales and business development at MIT Sloan, and when I went to work in venture Salesforce.com, and in ventur e capital at capital in 2008, it was very clear there was going Hummer Winblad Venture Partners. He is to be a need for software services in the future. the author of Zero to IPO, a guide to building I started talking about business ideas with my startups based on his own experiences and cofounder, Todd McKinnon, the second semester those of some of the world’s most successful of my second year in business school and we and recognizable entrepreneurs. The book decided to go into business a month before I was an outgr owth of his award-winning graduated. I wasn’t sure about the original idea podcast of the same name, which features Todd had, which was about systems monitoring, Silicon Valley founders, investors, and entre- was right and we ended up pivoting over to preneurs sharing insights from their experi- identity and access management. We could ences building businesses. He serves on the have never guessed how much and how quickly Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship things were going to change in terms of transforE x e c u t i v e A d v i s o r y B o a r d a n d a d v i s e s mation from on-premise software in proprietary early-s t a g e s o f t w a r e c o m p a n i e s . H e i s data centers over to cloud technologies. also the Chairman and Co-Founder of System1 Will you provide an overview of Okta’s Biosciences, a neurotherapeutics company. business and what have been the keys to Okta’s Kerrest earned a BS in computer science from strength and leadership in the industry?

Stanford University, and an MBA in entrepreWe bring simple and secure access to people neurship and innovation from the MIT Sloan and organizations everywhere. It is a customizSchool of Management, where he was the 2008 able, secure, and drop-in solution to add authenMIT Patrick J. McGovern, Jr. Entrepreneurship tication and authorization services to our clients’ Award recipient. applications. Customers get scalable authentication built right into their application without the COMPANY BRIEF Okta (okta.com) is a development overhead, security risks, and mainleading independent identity provider. The tenance that come from building it themselves.

Okta Identity Cloud enables organizations to The key to our success is an unrelenting securely connect the right people to the right focus on customer experience; our number one technologies at the right time. With mor e value is “Love our Customers” and we think it’s than 7,000 pre-built integrations to appli- essential for achieving and maintaining leadercations and infrastructure providers, Okta ship. The most important aspect of my job is provides simple and secure access to people meeting with our customers to discuss their and organizations everywhere, giving them opportunities and successes so that we can implethe confidence to reach their full potential. ment their feedback. Just recently, for example, More than 15,000 organizations, including Okta was the only vendor given a Customers’ JetBlue, Nordstrom, Siemens, Slack, Takeda, Choice distinction across every category evaluTeach for America, and Twilio, trust Okta to ated in the Gartner Peer Insights Voice of the help protect the identities of their workforces Customer for Access Management report which and customers. is based on customer reviews.

48 LEADERS

How did Okta adapt its business to address the challenges caused by the pandemic and how proud are you to see the resilience of your team during this unprecedented time?

Organizations worldwide have turned to technology to stay afloat during the challenges caused by the pandemic. Companies rushed to support remote working, enabling new online experiences to stay connected to employees and to transact with customers. Cutting-edge tech solutions, once considered only by “early adopters,” became survival tools for firms of every size and industry and Okta was there to support customers with this shift.

Internally at Okta, the biggest changes have been in the way we show up for our employees and how we think about building our culture as a rapidly growing organization.

Okta was piloting and transitioning to our flexible work framework, what we call Dynamic Work, prior to the pandemic. With Dynamic Work, employees have the choice to work from where and when they are most productive and successful. Employees are not required to spend a specific number of days in the office or with colleagues. Work schedules are flexible and based on employees’ work preferences, who they need to collaborate with, and how they balance those commitments with their personal life. With Dynamic Work, employees have the tools and resources they need to get their work done and are provided with comparable benefits and experiences, regardless of where they are logging in from.

I’m incredibly proud of our team’s foresight because when the pandemic hit, we were able to quickly accelerate this transition and move our operations fully remote without missing a beat, enabling us to be there for our customers every step of the way. We know that we’ve only scratched the surface of what it means to work dynamically and have so much opportunity to expand our footprint, reach incredible talent outside of the markets we have offices in and create a more diverse workforce – all things that make us a stronger company.

How critical is it for Okta to build a diverse and inclusive workforce to bring diverse perspectives and experiences to the table when making business decisions?

Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging is incredibly critical at Okta – it’s just good business. We target three main areas: workforce,

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“We bring simple and secure access to people and organizations everywhere. It is a customizable, secure, and drop-in solution to add authentication and authorization services to our clients’ applications.”

workplace and marketplace. Our workforce bucket is focused on recruiting under-represented and diverse talent to create balanced teams at Okta. Our commitment to nurturing an inclusive workplace ensures that we are driving change within our organization. These efforts allow us to bring richer skills and experiences in designing and selling our products to a wider/ larger marketplace.

What do you see as Okta’s responsibility to the communities it serves and to being a force for good in society?

We all have a responsibility to give back.

At Okta, we know our success is linked to our communities – businesses can’t thrive unless our communities are thriving as well. That’s why, since the early days of Okta, we’ve been intentional about building social impact into the DNA of the company. We took the 1% Pledge prior to going public and launched our social impact arm, Okta for Good. We empowered Okta’s employees to give back to their communities as we’ve expanded around the world. We made Okta’s technology accessible to nonprofits by donating our core products. And we deployed millions of dollars in grants over the last several years.

We also launched our ESG (environmental, social, governance) and sustainability program in 2020 to address growing expectations for corporate action. In a rapidly evolving world with complex and interconnected challenges – from COVID, to climate change, to rising inequality – we see expectations for action accelerating from all of our stakeholders.

Employees choose to work at companies based on an alignment with their values and purpose. Customers are asking us to help them meet their own ESG goals and investors want to understand our broader risks and opportunities beyond financials. To win in today’s world, companies have to take a broader view and participate in driving positive change. This is something Todd and I believe very strongly.

What interested you in writing the book, Zero to IPO, and what are the key messages you wanted to convey in the book?

Zero to IPO is the entrepreneurship playbook I wish I would have had when I was starting out.

By gathering advice and specific, tactical suggestions from other founders, I hope to share some of the wisdom that we’ve all learned the hard way.

Too often in business, this kind of knowledge is only shared among a select few. It’s the kind of thing that gets passed from person-to-person.

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Yet, for a founder, it often makes the difference between success and failure. Entrepreneurship should be accessible to all and I hope the advice in my book’s pages inspires and helps the next generation of founders.

The book, which has become an instant Wall Str eet Jour nal best seller, is full of great tactical advice from the world’s most successful entrepreneurs, but there are three main principles I’d like to leave readers with: 1. Keep the main thing the main thing.

That means there are a lot of things that will come at you and that will try to distract you; email is a very good example. Email is what other people want you to do, it is not what you should be doing. You need to make sure that you are focused on the most important things.

2. Nothing happens until somebody sells something. It’s very easy as an entrepreneur to get distracted by product details or designing something perfect. Salesmanship is not something we’re usually comfortable doing, but if no one buys your product, nothing’s going to happen.

3. Time is your most precious resource so prioritize it ruthlessly and learn how to say no.

Did you always know that you had an entrepreneurial spirit and desire to start your own company?

I’d say so – I’ve always been interested in business and consider myself to be an entrepreneur since I was a kid. I started a can-recycling

business when I was seven or eight years old and then in high school, a tennis racket restringing business. After graduating from college, I joined and helped build a technology system integrator software company in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico.

I joined Salesforce when it was a company of just 100 people. I was there for five years and helped build five different businesses until the company had 3,500 people and it became too big. I then went back to business school with the specific intent of owning my financial education so I would be in a great position to start a new company when I graduated.

What do you see as the keys to effective leadership and how do you describe your management style?

Being a leader means constantly being thrown into the fire. You have to continually make decisions with only a fraction of the information you need. The fate of your company rests on how you choose to lead.

A great leader must give away power and responsibilities so the company can grow. They must deprioritize their own needs in favor of those of their employees. Most importantly, a good leader is one who is willing to learn how to listen – to colleagues, customers, investors, and mentors – so they can collect as much insight as possible to make those calls.

Personally, I use the Eisenhower Decision Matrix to help with my prioritization and decision-making and it has served me very well. I focus on what is important and urgent, delegate what is urgent but not important, schedule what is important but not urgent, and delete everything else.

As a manager, I believe my job is to hire great people, push as much information down in the organization as possible, give folks a lot of room to run and then help them with strategy or specific blockers to keep moving forward. I am not a micromanager because it’s not healthy or helpful – or fun frankly – and you’ll never scale if you can’t build an amazing team around you.

Okta has achieved much success since its founding. Do you take moments to reflect and celebrate the wins or are you always looking to what is next?

We’re proud of our team’s accomplishments, and we take the time to celebrate when it’s warranted. However, the next day, it’s back to work and figuring out what we could have done better and how we can improve.

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PURPOSE

We Are Family An Interview with Michele Campbell, Executive Director, LeBron James Family Foundation EDITORS’ NOTE As the executive has helped grow this thoughtful and director of the LeBron James Family powerful program to more than 1,600 Foundation, Michele Campbell is students that has culminated in the able to implement her decades of opening of the I PROMISE School, a experience in higher education into groundbreaking public school that takes thoughtful, family-focused initiaan innovative approach to educating tives that connect with the innerthe whole child and their entire family; city students and families that need the I PROMISE Village that serves as it most. Through the Foundation, transitional housing; the upcoming I which aims to positively affect the PROMISE Housing that will be 50 units lives of children and young adults of affordable housing; and House Three through educational initiatives, Thirty, an innovative center focused Michele Campbell Campbell brings LeBron’s vision to on providing job training, financial create positive and lasting change in health, and family programming for the his hometown to life through daily and long-term entire community. Campbell earned a Bachelor’s interventions rooted in research and driven by degree in business management from Ashland passion. Under Campbell’s direction, in 2011 the University, a Master’s degree from Kent State LeBron James Family Foundation began working University’s Higher Education Administration, on the high school dropout crisis facing the Akron and a Doctorate from the University of Akron as community and launched its core I PROMISE a Doctor of Education. program in partnership with Akron Public Schools. This deep-rooted initiative targets the Will you highlight the history of the LeBron district’s lowest performing students and provides James Family Foundation and how you them with the programs, support and mentors they define its mission? need for success in school, following them all the With a commitment to redefining commuway through graduation. Campbell’s guidance nity and building stronger families, the LeBron

LeBron James celebrates the opening of the I PROMISE School in Akron, Ohio 50 LEADERS

James Family Foundation invests its time, resources and passion into creating generational change for kids and families through a focus on education and co-curricular educational initiatives. Since LeBron started his Foundation when he entered the NBA in 2004, our focus and mission has evolved in a way we never dreamed of. We are now serving more than 1,600 students and their entire families through our I PROMISE program that provides opportunities and life-changing resources for those who need it most. Our work rooted in a “We Are Family” philosophy has not only changed the trajectory of our community in Akron, but also created a model that the country is now looking to as a viable way to engage your community of stakeholders, partners and peers to create something bigger together.

Will you provide an overview of the work of LJFF and discuss the I PROMISE program?

What started as a Foundation to do good in LeBron’s hometown has grown into a movement to redefine what a community and family looks like. Through our I PROMISE program, we serve students and their entire families by providing them with the fundamental resources, wraparound supports and family programming they need for success in school and beyond. In 2018, we built all of our family-first programming and academic interventions into the groundbreaking I PROMISE School that has created a new model for urban, public education. Since that time, and in direct response to our families’ needs, we’ve layered in additional resources including higher education and family support at the I PROMISE Institute, transitional housing at the I PROMISE Village, long-term affordable housing at the upcoming I PROMISE Housing, job training and financial health programming at House Three Thirty, and several hands-on supports in between.

From scholarships and employment opportunities to once-in-a-lifetime experiences, we work hard every day to create and provide what our families need to be successful.

How did LJFF adapt the way it works to address the challenges caused by the pandemic?

The pandemic was a challenging time for everyone, and especially our students and families. With schools closed, we had to find a way to stay connected with them while also fulfilling basic needs that school typically provides – things like breakfast and lunch,

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VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

“I believe in order for us to ultimately be as great as we can be as a nation that all of us have to go back into our communities and lend our hand. It starts brick by brick. It starts person by person. Family by family. Kid by kid.”

LeBron James structure to the day, emotional support, and a sense of community. We knew we needed to respond immediately, so we established a 24/7 hotline that our families could call any time with any need – things they would typically have access to in our Family Resource Center at the I PROMISE School – and our team began doing deliveries. Academically, our educators took learning online and did an amazing job of finding ways to keep students engaged and learning as best they can. We also started delivering weekly hot meals to every single family in the I PROMISE program,

making sure they had dinner on the table while also checking in on them and having that in-person touchpoint. The weekly deliveries across the city quickly became a tradition that sparked hope and joy during a really tough time. Now that we are getting back to our more typical routines, we’ve kept that accessibility open for our families that grew stronger together through it all.

How critical are metrics to measure the impact of LJFF’s work?

For us, metrics and data are secondary to the daily impact we know our work needs to

have, because our families depend on it. We of course are incredibly proud of our students’ academic successes and seeing so many of them, who were once counted out as third graders, now thriving in college. We’re proud of the number of parents who have earned their GEDs through our I PROMISE Too program. We’re inspired by the high volume of families tapping into and engaging with our resources offered at the I PROMISE School’s Family Resource Center. We of course track how many meals served, scholarships awarded, families served in our transitional housing,

LeBron James brings his “330 Ambassadors” from Akron to give back in each All-Star city VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

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“ The work of the LeBron James Family Foundation is the direct result of LeBron’s experiences growing up in his community and his passion for giving back to the place that gave so much to him. Our work with students and families is a product of his vision to make a difference and use his platform to uplift others along the way.”

LJFF’s “We Are Family” philosophy guides every layer of LeBron James’ work

academic progress, and many other important factors so we can see where the gaps or areas of improvement are. But how do you quantify a life changed, a day made or a dream sparked?

Those are the intangible things we believe make a difference.

Will you discuss LeBron’s passion and commitment for the work of the Foundation and how deeply engaged he is in its efforts?

The work of the LeBron James Family Foundation is the direct result of LeBron’s experiences growing up in his community and his passion for giving back to the place that gave so much to him. Our work with students and families is a product of his vision to make a difference and use his platform to uplift others along the way. With his day job now on the other side of the country, he’s empowered his team in Akron to navigate the day-to-day work that makes it all possible.

He’s of course always excited to hear how his students and families are doing, and he’s the first to celebrate their successes or encourage them during a challenge. This work truly is his legacy and we are all humbled and inspired to be a part of it.

Did you always know you had a passion for this type of work and what makes the work so special for you?

There are so many things that make this work special to me. It’s honestly almost impossible to put it all in words. This is my life’s passion. Helping families believe in a better future for themselves, seeing students strive to be more than they ever thought possible, or even just being there for someone and helping them make it through another day is the work I am honored and privileged to do every single day. The fact that other communities and other cities are coming to Akron, Ohio to learn and see how we do what we do is the cherry on top.

It shows that how we’re serving our families in a whole new way is catching on, and that others believe it will make a difference in their community as well. To change the world is a 52 LEADERS

lofty goal to have, but to see it in action – one person, one family at a time – makes me believe it is possible.

What are your priorities for the LeBron James Family Foundation as you look to the future?

Over the years, our work has taken us in so many directions we never dreamed of.

Opening a public school, running transitional housing, building permanent housing, creating our own Institute on a college campus – these are all things we’ve leaned into because they are what our families need. As we continue to dig even deeper, we’ve learned that what our families need in order to be more successful is job training and work experience. To answer that need, we are currently in the process of

renovating a multi-use community center we’re calling House Three Thirty to provide unique experiences and resources for the community where our I PROMISE students and families can get that hands-on job training in whatever area they are interested in. House Three Thirty will be a hub for employment in retail, hospitality, engineering, event planning, and many other sectors, as well as a space for financial health programming and community gathering.

Getting this massive community center up and running is our immediate focus, and while we never really know what the future may hold for our work, we can promise it will be whatever our families and our community needs because that listening and responding is what drives all of this.

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LeBron James works with I Promise students at The University of Akron

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VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

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PURPOSE

Maternal Health An Interview with Zenobia Brown, MD, Vice President and Medical Director, Population Health, Northwell Health EDITORS’ NOTE Dr. Zenobia Brown is a mechanism by which providers of oversees Northwell Health Solutions’ healthcare get paid based on the clinical clinical programs, where she designs, outcomes and quality of patient care as implements and manages valueopposed to the traditional model around based care management programs. quantity of care. To succeed in this space, She also collaborates with site, clinthere is a need to leverage new healthcare ical and managed care leaders to technologies and be very innovative on develop Northwell’s value-based clinhow the care is delivered. Oftentimes, ical strategy. As Medical Director for this means delivering care in alternative Northwell Health Solutions, a role she ways (for example, through digital plathas worked in since 2014, Dr. Brown forms) and locations (for example, in established episodic care models for the patients home). The key factor in Dr. Zenobia Brown orthopedics, stroke, COPD and cardiothese innovations is that the approach thoracic surgery patients. She oversaw is customized to the patient, always Northwell’s Health Home Program and collaborated considering what technology or clinical care is most on its system-wide effort to reduce Medicare read- convenient to them, and what type of care is most missions. Board-certified in family medicine, and likely to achieve an optimal outcome. hospice and palliative care, Dr. Brown also mainNorthwell Health launched the Center for tains a clinical practice within Northwell’s House Maternal Health. Will you provide an overview Calls program. She received her medical degree of the Center and its effort to reduce the counfrom Columbia University College of Physicians try’s maternal mortality rate? and Surgeons and completed a family medicine As a nation we are struggling with the fact that residency and chief residency at New York- on a per-capita basis we spend more on healthPresbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. care than any other nation with similar economies.

Dr. Brown spent more than a decade in Florida, Despite this level of healthcare investment, we lag where she helped implement state Department of in terms of our clinical outcomes, including maternal Health community-based services, received a mortality where women in the U.S. are three to four master’s degree in public health from the University times more likely to have a poor outcome. What is of South Florida and served as Associate Medical equally alarming is that Black women in the U.S. Director at Tidewell Hospice and Palliative Care. are three to four times more likely than their white counterparts to have these disparate outcomes. Of I N S T I T U T I O N B R I E F N o r t h w e l l H e a l t h every infant in the nation, 1 percent is born at a (northwell.edu) is New York State’s largest healthcare Northwell facility and while we have been successful provider and private employer, with 21 hospitals, 850 in assuring that our outcomes are superior to the outpatient facilities and more than 12,000 affiliated national averages, we recognize that there is more physicians. Northwell Health cares for more than two work to do. It is precisely because of our depth of million people annually in the New York metro area expertise and programming that Northwell looks to and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from its be a national leader in promoting and deploying communities. Its 79,000 employees – 18,900 nurses best practices which improve outcomes for all and 4,900 employed doctors, including members of women and eliminate the disparities in outcomes Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to that we see by race and ethnicity. The Center for change healthcare for the better. They are making Maternal Health convenes stakeholders and content breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for matter experts throughout our organization and in Medical Research. Northwell Health is training the next the community, such that we promote scientific generation of medical professionals at the visionary and evidentiary discovery, while simultaneously Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at deploying and effectuating care models in real-time Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of which impact patient outcomes. In other words, Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. coming together to establish and innovate on best practice and deploying and disseminating that Will you highlight Northwell Health Solutions design, keeping our mothers and infants healthy. and how you define its purpose?

How will the Center work to address health Health Solutions is a division which was risks facing Black women in America who you established to assure that Northwell is successful mentioned are three times more likely to die from in value-based models of care. Value-based care pregnancy-related causes than white women?

54 LEADERS

Based on the terrible disparities in outcomes, we will be focusing in particular on care of Black women. One of the first risks to Black women that is in our power to control is the risk that they will not be listened to when they identify an issue. We can save many lives in the U.S. simply by listening to women when they tell us something is wrong. For this reason, we will have a focus on workforce training around biases specific to pregnancy. Throughout the pregnancy and post-partum, we will be active partners with women in assessing and ameliorating their risks. This means using low tech solutions like asking women to measure their blood pressures, or if they are at risk, taking an Aspirin, to high-tech solutions like automatic chat bots that assess symptoms and connect mothers in real time virtually with healthcare providers. It means deploying patient-centered care navigation to wrap additional services around our highest risks mothers. Across all of the work is the recognition that there are social vulnerabilities that have to be addressed in addition to the medical risks. All of our pregnant women will also be assessed for these vulnerabilities and connected with services, assuring that we are taking a 360-degree approach to wellness.

Will you discuss the value and benefit for the Center to be part of the Katz Institute for Women’s Health?

Katz is a critical component in this work. We understand that many pregnancy risks predate the pregnancy and exist well after delivery. Having an organization like Katz, which is establishing and convening expertise on healthcare specific to women, provides real opportunity to connect women with life-saving treatment at all phases of their reproductive cycle. This approach is about optimizing health through prevention, expert management, and treatment of disease and risk which is critical to have a lasting impact on the total health of women.

What is your hope for the impact that the Center for Maternal Health will make in reducing the country’s maternal mortality rate?

My hope is that Northwell will set a new standard in terms of the kind of care that we can deliver for women by providing the care that women need and deserve regardless of background. My hope is that this model will be reproducible and replicated nationwide. I believe we can do it and we owe women and families the care they need and deserve.

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VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

PURPOSE

Global Health An Interview with Eric Cioè-Peña, MD, MPH, FACEP, Founding Director, Center for Global Health, Northwell Health EDITORS’ NOTE Dr. Eric Cioè-Peña health program. We were able to adapt is the founding director of Northwell to the challenges caused by COVID and Health’s Center for Global Health were able to quickly switch to telemedi(CGH). He is an Assistant Professor cine to continue to support our programs of Emergency Medicine as well as around the world. I am so impressed by the American College of Emergency how our faculty and staff were able to Physicians’ lead ambassador to El adapt and perform during this time Salvador. He has worked in Botswana, which is a testament to the strength and Dominican Republic and El Salvador resilience of our team. on health system development projIs the focus for the Center ects, trauma care and humanitarian about increasing its number of assistance following the 2010 Haiti programs or is it about continuing Dr. Eric Cioè-Peña earthquake. He is currently leading to build on the programs it is an initiative to unify and consolidate already working on? global health programming to be integrated and We definitely have to be selective, and it is horizontally focused through CGH. Dr. Cioè-Peña about doing things well where we engage our earned his MD from the University of Pennsylvania partners fully and are able to create a model that School of Medicine and MPH in humanitarian we can share with other health systems that may assistance through Columbia University. want to get engaged in global health. We need to recognize at Northwell that we cannot take on Will you provide an overview of your role and every need and it is about doing everything we areas of focus? can in the best way possible and trying to bring I am an emergency physician, first and fore- other industry leaders on board in these global most, and am also Northwell Health Systems’ health efforts. An example is in Ukraine with teleDirector for Global Health. I founded the Center medicine. Northwell was the first health system in for Global Health in 2019 and the Center began the United States to start telemedicine in Ukraine operating in 2020. working with military hospitals and civilian hospiWhat was the vision for creating the tals. There is going to continue to be an upswell in Center for Global Health and how do you need and Northwell on its own will not be able to define its purpose? meet the needs of every hospital and health center When I came into the global health environ- in Ukraine. Our idea is to write the playbook ment in 2018 at Northwell and did a stakeholder which we can share with our colleague health analysis and needs assessment, we found that Northwell had about 34 different programs going on concurrently in approximately 28 different countries. We had mixed levels of involvement and commitment on behalf of the health system with some programs having little presence of our people on site with our partners even though Northwell had a major emphasis and focus on global health activities. It became obvious that there was a need for centralized coordination, a narrowing of the focus, and a redirection of the people who had great interest and energy for the work in order to allow them to participate in something that would have impact and had a clear expectation for results. This became the impetus for creating the Center for Global Health.

Will you highlight the impact of the Center since its founding?

I am very proud of where we are with the Center for Global Health, especially since as I mentioned our first year of operation was in 2020 which was a very difficult time to start a global

“Northwell was the

first health system in the United States to

start telemedicine in

Ukraine working with

military hospitals and civilian hospitals.”

VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

systems since it will take our combined efforts in working together to have a chance to meet these growing needs.

Will you discuss Northwell Health’s commitment to take on challenging global issues and to being a force for good in society?

It is one of the reasons why I love working for Northwell Health. It is a place that is committed to doing the right thing which is what I believe sets Northwell’s culture apart from other health systems. If you just look at the example of what we are doing in Ukraine, this was not on our radar before February 2022, but when the situation in the country changed, our CEO called to ask what we could do to help and what options were available to give our support since it was the right thing to do. This is what a global citizen does in times of crisis.

How valuable is it in leading the Center for Global Health to have such deep engagement and commitment from Northwell’s CEO, Michael Dowling, and its leadership team for the Center’s work?

This is literally the difference between success and failure. Having leadership that is supportive and understands the big picture and that innovating in this space takes time is critical to success.

If you look at our Raising Health campaign, I believe that there is nothing that captures the meaning of Raising Health more than Global Health. We do this work because it is central to our culture, values and mission and is of importance to our physicians and team members.

What advice do you offer to young people interested in a career in medicine?

The right reason to go into medicine is that you are fascinated by an aspect of the job and you could not imagine doing anything else. People are drawn to this profession because of the connection it allows them to have with another person and the ability to impact another person’s life in a major way. I am working an ER shift later this week and I will be in the critical care ER for a 12-hour shift. On multiple times during that shift, I will meet someone on either the greatest day of their life or on the worst day of their life. For me, it is another day at work, but for my patients, it is a life-changing day in their world. It is an incredible privilege that you are given as a healthcare worker to be in a person’s life at this critical time.

These have been strenuous times for healthcare workers, but they are also strenuous times for patients and families, and we need to be mindful of that as we do our work.

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PURPOSE

Human Traff icking An Interview with Santhosh K. Paulus, MD, Senior Program Director, Human Trafficking, Education, Advocacy, Response and Training Program, Northwell Health EDITORS’ NOTE Santhosh Paulus both behavioral services and medical also serves as Site Dir ector for care. Education is provided both within Graduate Medical Education for the healthcare and in the community.

Family Medicine Residency Program My areas of focus include and Hospitalist at Huntington expanding patient access to behavioral Hospital, Assistant Professor at health services, both in the inpatient the Zucker School of Medicine at and outpatient setting, increasing the Hofstra/Northwell, and is the availability for dermatologic services Founder and President of Cycling for patients in need of tattoo removal For Change (c4c), a not-for-profit services, and also developing our that raises funds and awareness to survivor job placement and mentorfight human trafficking. During his ship opportunities.

Dr. Santhosh K. Paulus 20 years at Northwell Health, Dr. The long-term plans include Paulus has held various leadership continuation and expansion of our positions in the Department of Family Medicine regional and international symposiums being at Glen Cove Hospital, at Huntington Hospital, held, growing our school education programs, and for Northwell Health including serving as helping to create county-wide task force Chief Resident and Associate Program Director members and helping to develop these, in the Glen Cove Family Medicine Residency increasing education to law enforcement and Program, serving a term on the Glen Cove high-victim industries, and partnering with Hospital Medical Board, and creating and leading local community-based organizations to create the Human Trafficking Response Program funding opportunities and provide safe housing Task Force which evolved into a System initia- and work towards becoming a medical safe tive as the Northwell Health Human Trafficking haven for victims of human trafficking and Program. During the five years in his current those at risk. role, Dr. Paulus has partnered and collaborated What has made the issue of human with local, national and international leaders trafficking such a priority for you? in the anti-trafficking community to help shape There are so many disparities that we and position the Human Trafficking Education, see in society where this leads to inequity and Advocacy, Response and Training Program as a injustice and being the father of four girls has resource and source of influence to an interdis- put all this in perspective for me. I wanted to ciplinary audience. Dr. Paulus also serves on the address these barriers in the hopes that we can Board of Directors for ECPAT-USA, a nonprofit get to a place where we value others and have that works on the issue of commercial sexual inclusive policies. In healthcare, I feel we have exploitation of children, and is a member of a unique opportunity to help bridge many of the Suffolk County Anti-Trafficking Initiative these gaps in coordinating our efforts with law (SCATI). Dr. Paulus received his undergrad- enforcement, the criminal justice system, and in uate degree from the University of Miami and working with the public to truly address this as medical degree from Ross University School of a public health issue.

Medicine in the Commonwealth of Dominica, Human trafficking is a social justice and West Indies. He completed his Family Medicine human rights issue of our generation. We need Residency Training at Glen Cove Hospital. a coordinated response to this issue across all disciplines to give voice to those who are Will you provide an overview of your role exploited physically and financially. When trafand areas of focus? ficking victims come through the healthcare I am the Senior Program Director for the system, but we don’t identify them, it’s a big Human Trafficking, Education, Advocacy, missed opportunity.

Response and Training Program at Northwell What was your vision for creating the Health. Our areas of focus are in providing care Huntington Hospital Human Trafficking and in education. We provide care to those Response Program taskforce and how do who have been trafficked or are at risk of being you define its mission? trafficked and we offer this both inpatient and The human trafficking taskforce started outpatient, in the emergency department and in as a group of a dozen Huntington Hospital urgent care, as well as longitudinally through employees from several departments who have 56 LEADERS

been trained to identify and assist human trafficking victims, provide healthcare to survivors, and connect them to community organizations.

The group trained the Huntington Hospital Emergency Department and Dolan Family Health Center staff in the initial training. We started this training initially provided by Restore NYC, an anti-trafficking group based in Manhattan, and later we expanded on this foundation and are in the process of rolling this out across Northwell.

When I first started putting together this group, there were staff members who are now part of the taskforce who thought that human trafficking is not an issue in the Huntington area, but after they received this training, we were able to identify five human trafficking victims who came to the hospital. Being able to identify people who are in these situations and having the tools and resources to help them will have a big impact on Suffolk County where the labor trafficking rates are more than twice the national average.

The goal for Northwell Health is to lead the way in healthcare by training its residents to identify victims and those at risk of human trafficking and provide longitudinal care for survivors that is trauma-informed, victim centered, and survivor led. Residents upon graduation will take this training and in turn educate patients and other physicians across the country and around the world, thus making an impact on society as a whole.

How do you measure success for the program?

We tend to measure success by looking at numbers. We have had 21 assessments completed with 12 individuals screening positive and 9 accepting resources. These numbers are the tip of the iceberg and our real success comes in delivering care that is trauma informed, meaning that it is non-judgmental and instead of asking patients what is wrong with them when caring for them, we ask, “What happened to you?”

An example is a patient encounter where nurses on Labor & Delivery suspected a patient was being trafficked, but did not disclose and declined resources. It was difficult for them to allow her to be discharged without getting connected, but they allowed her the freedom to have that choice. Several weeks later, the patient returned seeking assistance and stating she was in a trafficking situation. The fact that she came back and felt safe enough to voice her concerns and seek assistance is a measure of success.

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VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

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Digital Health An Interview with Sophy Lu, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Northwell Health EDITORS’ NOTE Sophy Lu is the complement the human touch, research, Senior Vice President and CIO for and operations. We are focused on Northwell Health. She served as an exceeding our consumer/patient/careexecutive in healthcare and global giver experiences on how, when, and infor mation technology induswhere they want to engage. We want to tries for 20+ years prior to joining know them and provide all these capaNorthwell in 2010. In 2017, she was bilities and omni-channel experiences. named Vice President and Chief We are also focused on what techApplications Officer. Lu has spearnology can do for our clinicians and headed application strategies at for our team members. We are working Northwell, including software develto provide additional solutions, data opment and enterprise solutions insight, and automation at the right Sophy Lu delivery with integration and healthmoments to help make decisions faster care analytics across the organizaand easier, and to enhance efficiencies. tion. Throughout her time with Northwell, she has How are you engaging and training been instrumental in supporting many successful Northwell Health’s workforce in its digital rollouts, including ICD-10, the initiation of transformation efforts? digital transformation of Patient Engagement Digital transformation is not a technology and Access (dPx), digitized imaging, electronic transformation – it is a business transformahealth record (EHR) optimizations for growth tion. It is also a journey we travel together with and expansion, and most recently, technology defined vision, goals, and objectives as a System solutions for COVID-19 pandemic response, supported by collaboration of clinical, consumer, recovery and vaccine efforts. Lu earned a BS in analytics/business intelligence, digital information chemical engineering from Bucknell University. technology and services, and innovation agendas.

Regular communication, change management, Will you discuss your role at Northwell iterative agile delivery, as well as celebrating Health and areas of focus? successes or failing fast and pivoting are critical The responsibilities of Northwell’s CIO with all constituents. include leading the strategic direction, talent, It is imperative that whatever we are information, security, technology, and services creating and deploying, we constantly ask delivery for the health systems’ digital transfor- ourselves, “What are we trying to solve here?” mation and integrated product innovation. I “What is the value?” “Are we able to surprise or value strong internal and external partners, and delight?” “Can it be measured?” “Who are the being an international healthcare digital leader users and is it able to be adopted throughout committed to reimagining experiences and raising the organization?” health and outcomes for consumers, clinicians, Our focus on digital transformation was and team members. To drive our digital agenda, accelerated during the pandemic as we needed we must leverage our strengths and culture of to make quick decisions and adapt to this innovation to differentiate our service offerings unprecedented time. We were committed to and cultivate a competitive advantage while responding to and learning from the pandemic, remaining steadfast to upholding Northwell’s and the critically important role of technology mission, vision, and values. was a strong lesson learned from the crisis.

How do you make sure that technology How important is it to have metrics to does not take away from the human touch measure the impact and progress of Northwell and personal relationship that Northwell Health’s digital transformation initiatives?

Health is known for?

Metrics are absolutely important, but we Whenever I speak to our team members also have to realize that we need to be agile about digital health, I close by saying that at the and continuously evolve the metrics. We are end of the day, our business and our product is constantly working to evolve these metrics based caring for people. Our CEO, Michael Dowling, on Northwell Health’s vision and objectives. always reminds us that we are not a technology Every team member in our organization needs company – we are in the business of caring for to be aligned with our digital goals and guiding patients, keeping people healthier and serving principles, and how this will impact their work. our communities. The role of technology is to This is a work in progress, and we are learning VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

and adapting as we continue on our digital transformation journey.

As someone who has spent more than 30 years of your career in healthcare, will you discuss Northwell Health’s commitment to taking a lead in addressing public health issues and do you see this as a differentiator for the organization?

I spent much of my career at for-profit companies which do a great deal of volunteering and donating to worthy causes. At this stage of my career journey, seeing the passion and commitment that Michael Dowling instills in his leadership team and the health system as a whole is truly special. It is not just checking a box or about monetary donations – the things we do are relevant to society’s well-being and health, so we walk our talk, lobby for reform, spend time in our communities, and lend our resources and expertise to those in need. This is truly at the heart of what we mean when we refer to our mission of “Raising Health” which goes beyond providing care. It is about raising communities and standing up to societal ills. At Northwell Health, we believe that when we raise the health of our communities, we raise everyone.

Do you feel that there are strong opportunities for women to grow and lead in the industry?

Absolutely. It takes a can-do attitude, hard work, servant leadership, continuous learning, communications, remaining outcome-driven, connecting with people, and staying true to their personal brand. There are many opportunities for women to grow and lead in healthcare and that is visible at Northwell Health where there are exceptional, diverse, strong leaders in all areas of the organization.

When you are leading digital transformation which is an ongoing, long-term effort, are you able to enjoy the process and take moments to celebrate the wins?

It is important to take moments for celebrations throughout the journey, which can be different than traditional methods in these times with a hybrid workforce. We need to be creative and take the time to reimagine ways to get together and celebrate, and to acknowledge the work we are doing every day. We need to find ways to make sure our people know how much we value and appreciate their hard work and efforts. As I always say, our success is based on our team members and leaders together. We need to take care of our work family and support each other.

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Technological Transformation An Interview with Martin Fiore, US-East Regional Tax Leader, EY EDITORS’ NOTE Martin Fiore has Will you provide an overview of held a number of key leadership your role and areas of focus? roles at EY. As Regional Tax Leader, I’ve served in various client service he focuses on enabling Tax profesand leadership roles in my 25 years with sionals to deliver exceptional client EY, currently as Regional Tax Leader service, operational excellence and of EY’s East Region Tax practice, a drive market growth. He is a member member of the Americas Tax Leadership of the Americas Tax Leadership team team, and a member of the Americas and the Americas Inclusiveness Inclusiveness Advisory Council.

Advisory Council. Previously, he Understanding technology has served as EY Americas Tax Talent been a lifelong passion, and it has Leader, overseeing the strategic always factored into some aspect of my Martin Fiore direction of developing exceptional roles. About eight years ago, as transcareers for Tax professionals in 30 formative technologies began to play countries. Fiore regularly contributes thought a larger role in business strategy, process, and leadership on business, technology and talent operations, I served as Executive Sponsor of the topics. He is a frequent business-media inter- Technology Committee that introduced intelliview subject on disruption and transformation gent automation in the firm. That also coincided driven by new technologies and recently became with heading up Talent for our Americas Tax an award-winning author with publication of his area, so those two roles gave me a foothold in first book, Humanity Reimagined. Fiore is active in ensuring that our technology strategy would organizations related to youth education and job also be a people-first strategy. Since then, I have programs, including Chairperson, Champions shared my thoughts on technological transforof Quality Education; Member, School of Business mation in interviews and articles in business and Advisory Board, Norfolk State University; and talent publications.

Graduate Alumni Board of Directors, Notre Dame How do you define the EY differUniversity’s Mendoza Graduate School of Business. ence and what have been the keys to EY’s industry leadership?

FIRM BRIEF The global EY organization Two things differentiate our firm in a competi( e y . c o m ) i s o n e o f t h e l a r g e s t p r o f e s - tive industry – our value system, which puts people sional services organizations in the world. first, and our entrepreneurial spirit. Together, these EY’s global member firms employ 300,000 qualities position our firm to attract and keep the people across 150 countries and generate $40 best people and encourage them to think like billion in revenues. innovators and owners.

“Our culture paid big dividends when we first introduced intelligent automation into our operations. Our goal was to embrace new, supportive technologies and use them as a catalyst for positive change – for our clients and our people.”

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Our culture paid big dividends when we first introduced intelligent automation into our operations. Our goal was to embrace new, supportive technologies and use them as a catalyst for positive change – for our clients and our people.

We didn’t view our software bots as a means of replacing people, we saw them as a means of taking the robot out of the human, meaning that we used the bots to perform boring, repetitive tasks that machines do well and people don’t like to do. Our professionals’ time was freed up for more qualitative, interesting work, such as the critical thinking required for problem-solving and using their relationship building skills. This led to more opportunities for motivated employees, not fewer.

How is technology impacting the way professional services firms operate and do you worry that the focus on technology will take away from the human connection with clients?

Technology is so ever-present today that I can’t imagine anyone in a service business not being concerned about the potential for it to impact the human connection in almost any type of relationship. Trust, for example, is a big part of the client/advisor relationship. New technologies are transforming who and how we trust and challenging us to think differently about the very nature of trust. We are constantly focused on what we can and must do to earn trust, build on it, and foster it every single day. That applies to our employees as well as our clients. I once heard trust described as “economic gravity,” and I think that definition is a perfect one. It truly holds all of us and our relationships together.

Our economy runs on trust. The significance of communicating and behaving in a humanistic and trustworthy fashion has never been greater.

We have to demonstrate that in our work product and in our support of broader issues, such as human rights, sustainability, diversity and inclusiveness.

How should rising generations be thinking about the future of work?

Millennial and Gen Z employees will need to master numerous jobs throughout their careers, requiring a continuous commitment to learning. No more once-and-done educational degrees. In addition, the traditional way of climbing the “promotion ladder” is giving way in many organizations to a less-predictable career path – one that involves sideways hops and maybe even the occasional backward step in order to prepare for the later forward leap.

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It’s impossible to predict precisely what skills and qualities will be needed to maintain and grow the career one chooses, but I do think there are a few steps one can take to enhance your chances: 1) commit to lifelong learning; 2) build mentoring relationships with more experienced people – their wisdom and experience can help avoid pitfalls, build relationships, and shorten getting up to speed on organizational culture; 3) join professional networks to build relationships and personal brand; and 4) if you’re uncertain about your path, explore opportunities for apprenticeships – a great exercise in moving out of one’s comfort zone.

How critical is it to embed guardrails around technological advancement, especially in areas like trust, ethics and privacy?

I do believe it is critical to establish guardrails, especially with ongoing developments in AI and with autonomous systems. Now is the time to take a clear-eyed view of where we are today with human-machine convergence and think about what the optimal path for humanity will be going forward, ensuring humans will not be stripped of their most critical and valued characteristics. What are those characteristics? Philosophers and scientists have struggled with that question for thousands of years, so I certainly don’t have the exact answer.

But, personally, the characteristics I would most hate to lose include powerful emotions such as love, empathy, and wonder; reverence for living beings, the creative process, and our planet; and intangible qualities that guide our behavior, such as critical thinking and the courage to do what we believe is right. We can act now to help ensure that we lead in the direction of what most of us would consider our best future scenario, hewing to values and principles that have served for generations as the foundation for enhancing humanity, including trust, ethics, sustainability, privacy, and learning.

What is coming next with the fusion of humans and technology?

We need to think about where we want to go, which starts with asking good questions. How will “x” new technology add value, quality, or efficiency to our existing decisionmaking processes? What are the tradeoffs to consider in achieving more efficiency or lower costs? What safeguards have been incorporated into the design of a new technology to strip it of unintended bias or abuse of privacy? How will the activities of the new technology be monitored? Does the organization developing the technology have the right leadership? What are the goals of senior management and the board?

How do we ensure that business processes controlled by the new technology remain faithful to the regulatory, ethical, and quality frameworks within which we currently operate?

Can the technology be remediated?

At this inflection point, it would be very helpful to the process to bring leaders from business, academia, government, nonprofit organizations, and local communities together to wrestle with some of these issues. Navigating a path forward that draws on diverse points of view will be challenging, but also constructive.

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“Technology is so ever-present today that I can’t imagine anyone in a service business not being concerned about the potential for it to impact the human connection in almost any type of relationship.”

What interested you in writing your new award-winning book, Humanity Reimagined, and what are the key messages you wanted to convey in the book?

I’m a transformational optimist, so I like to view the world as it should be, not merely as it can be. Writing the book was a way to share thoughts and concerns about the increasing convergence of people and technology. We have progressed from using technology to having it literally inside us – monitoring and medicating us, replacing organs and limbs, and soon reshaping our DNA. At some point in the future – and I don’t think it will be too distant – we will have to make decisions about whether to put technological progress above human progress. The book was my way of providing a forum to stimulate discussion about how we can establish guardrails that make humans even better, more evolved than they are today – smarter, more creative, healthier, kinder, more enlightened. My objective is to get the conversation started.

How are technological trends disrupting industries and changing the world of work?

The entire book easily could have been devoted to this one topic. The easier question might be, what about the world of business and work is not being changed by technological disruption? Other forces, of course, also are contributing to the reshaping of business and work, including globalization, geopolitical shifts, and generational change, but technological transformation plays a major role – as both a disruptor and a potential solution.

In just the past two decades, technology has changed just about everything related to how, when, and where we work. It’s driven more collaboration and teaming, reshaped skillsets and talent models, and led to more flexibility. Overall, I would say one of the areas of greatest impact is the demand for continuous learning. Another is requiring new management styles and capabilities. Leaders must understand people and markets at a deeper level than ever before, demonstrating an ability to engage with people, motivate them, and build their trust.

Next up, the metaverse – a whole new environment, new marketplace that already is driving change and questions in our financial and regulatory systems and processes.

What advice do you offer to young people beginning their careers during this challenging and unprecedented time?

I think of the expression, “May you live in interesting times.” Young people today are living in the most interesting times in human history. Change is widespread and constant, and that can seem very daunting as you enter the workforce. Everyone wants to know what skills and personal attributes will have the most value in the years to come. If there is one overriding lesson of the past few years, however, it is that the future is unknowable.

Agility and resilience are at a premium. With the right attitude – accepting the inevitability and opportunity of change, making a commitment to curiosity and continuous learning, and by asking the right questions, we can make the potential of interesting times into a springboard for amazing achievement and the betterment of humanity.

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Stay Strong, Dream Big An Interview with Anthony Rizzo, Founder, Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation EDITORS’ NOTE Anthony Rizzo was a sixth-round draft pick out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, by the Boston Red Sox. He has spent 10 years playing Major League Baseball for the San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, and now New York Yankees. Rizzo is a threetime All-Star, four-time Gold Glove Recipient and a Platinum Glove Recipient, Silver Slugger and World Series Champion. In 2017, Rizzo was named as the Roberto Clemente Award recipient, an award given to the player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to the team.

In 2012, he founded the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation. The Foundation has donated more than 11 million dollars since its inception.

FOUNDATION BRIEF The Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation (rizzo44.com) is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by New York Yankees first baseman, Anthony Rizzo, who realized during his own battle with cancer that no matter how difficult fighting cancer was for him, it was even more difficult for his family. Rizzo believes that an individual does not battle cancer alone, but that the whole family battles it together. The mission of the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation is to raise money for cancer research and to provide support to children and their families battling the disease. The Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation believes that every family deserves a fighting chance.

What was your vision for creating the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation and how do you define its mission?

I remember sitting with my mom in the hospital room when I was undergoing treatment telling her that when I was better, we were going to give back and help families. I am really proud to say that we are doing that. We have a $3.5 million endowment at Lurie Children’s Hospital, which is the local Children’s Hospital in Chicago, which became my home away from home. The endowment provides Child Life Specialists to help families through the emotional side of a cancer diagnosis. We also have the Hope 44 Fund which provides financial support directly to families.

My family and I were lucky that when I was going through cancer, the Boston Red Sox took care of all of our medical bills; the families we help aren’t so lucky. When a child is diagnosed, a parent has to stop working and the loss of income along with increased medical bills create this financial toxicity for families. Our hope is to help remove some of 60 LEADERS

Anthony Rizzo meets with Liam, a two-year-old battling cancer, during Yankees batting practice

the financial stress for families by paying everyday household expenses like mortgages, rent, car payments, gas, groceries, and childcare costs so families can just concentrate on being together.

To be able to give back and do this type of work is so much bigger than winning the World Series or doing anything on the baseball field, because my family has been through it and there are so many families that are also going through it.

This is as real as it gets in life.

How did your own battle with cancer impact the way you approach the work of the Foundation?

Every day, I am thankful and I want to give back. I was lucky when I was diagnosed to be able to meet Jon Lester who beat cancer and was living his dream of pitching for the Red Sox. That gave me hope. He also gave me some great advice that I still live by. He talked to me about staying positive, and when I was feeling well to get out and live my life and not let fear overtake it. I now try to pass that message along to kids I meet, whether during hospital visits, at the field or with letters we send to kids. It’s important to stay positive for yourself and for those around you, and to never give up.

All of my letters end with “Stay Strong, Dream Big!” and that’s the message I want these kids to hear.

Anthony and Matthew looking at one of the signs in the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation waiting room at Lurie Children’s Hospital. “Stay Strong, Dream Big” is the motto Anthony lives by and tells every child he meets.

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Will you provide an overview of the work of the Foundation in the fight against pediatric cancer?

The Foundation provides direct grants to families to pay everyday household expenses.

We provide grants for summer camps so kids with cancer and their siblings have the opportunity to attend camp in a safe and comfortable environment. We have our Rizzo Series events where we rent out one-of-a-kind places for kids to come out and just have fun – amusement parks, Wrigley field, FAO Schwarz. We support research for Hodgkin’s at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and have endowed Child Life Specialists at both Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital and Lurie Children’s.

We also provide more than 1,000 autographed items to other cancer nonprofits to help them raise funds and I work with Abby Suarez, our Executive Director, to write personalized letters to anyone who writes in about a child battling cancer. We also host meet and greets at the field where families can come in and watch batting practice – we get them tickets and I get to meet with them for a bit. Before COVID, my wife, Emily, and I were doing hospital visits every month which is what I am most excited to get back to. I miss meeting with the kids and that’s what I am most passionate about.

At the end of treatment, I want the families we support to look back on treatment and not just remember all the needles and days in the hospital, but have some positive memories that make them smile. That is why we do what we do.

How did the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation adapt the way it works to address the challenges caused by the pandemic?

We got off the ground helping right away. I was sitting at home and was struggling with how to help our families that were afraid, as well as the staff with whom we work so closely at the hospital and who have become my friends and were so exhausted.

Anthony Rizzo signs autographs for the kids, then asks each child he visits with to sign his jersey as well

We immediately started teaming up with local restaurants – who had helped us in the past with different fundraisers – and would order meals from them. We would deliver these meals to hospital staff who so badly needed a break. It was a win-win to help the hospital workers and help these restaurants during such a difficult time. The program blew up and, all of a sudden, we were delivering meals to 30 hospitals in six different states. We also purchased more than 25,000 masks that were donated to hospitals and created personal care packages for our families with PPE supplies they so desperately needed. These families were most at risk and didn’t have the time, or want to risk the exposure, to wait in line for hand sanitizer and masks – we had to get it to them.

How critical are metrics to measure the impact of the Foundation’s work?

The Rizzo Family (left to right): Laurie, John, Anthony, Emily, Vincent (child), Sarah, Aria (child), John kicking off the 10th Annual Walk-Off for Cancer VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

We don’t worry about metrics so much – we worry about talking to our families and making sure we are helping where they need it most.

This is a Family Foundation and we want to know those whom we are helping. My mom and wife talk to our families regularly.

Last year, a lot of our families were feeling isolated as others got back to normal life after the pandemic, so we created the Rizzo Series where we would completely rent out family friendly places – an Amusement Park, Wrigley Field, FAO Schwarz – and invite families to come out and just have a good time. They didn’t have to worry about any cost, they didn’t have to worry about their child with a weakened immune system waiting in line (there were no lines), or extra precautions like wiping down equipment, etc. They could just come out and have a normal family night. Seeing them smile and these families together again meant more to me than anything.

How can people support the Rizzo Foundation and the work you are doing?

We are teaming up with the YES Network for an auction during the game on July 14. We are going to showcase some great items throughout the broadcast and have interviews with some of the families we support. People can then go online and bid on the one-of-a-kind auction items, memorabilia, and experiences. You can check out the items at www.rizzo44.com. You can also donate through our website.

What ar e your priorities for the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation as you look to the future?

My family and I are excited to be here in New York. The Yankees have been incredibly welcoming to both me and the Foundation. They have gone above and beyond in helping us host families at the ballpark along with teaming up with us for our Broadcast Auction. I hope we can continue to grow the Foundation here in New York and that Yankee fans embrace the work we are doing. I am lucky enough to have this incredible platform and it’s my responsibility and pleasure to use it to give back.

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Sustainable Luxury A Conversation with Frédéric de Narp, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Luximpact EDITORS’ NOTE Frédéric de Narp with a very human purpose: to honor has extensive growth and turnsome of life’s most significant and meanaround experience in fine jewelry ingful experiences. A stunning piece of and high luxury. He spent 19 jewelry celebrates love, the birth of a years at Cartier, where he served as child, an anniversary, a first career CEO, North America and launched triumph – jewelry is personal, evocative the globally r enowned “LOVE” and timeless. campaign, engaging 24 celebrities How did you get your start in as Brand Ambassadors to promote the industry?

Love, Commitment and Passion for I began my career at Cartier a cause. As President and CEO of in Japan at age 21. I learned and Harry Winston, de Narp created the grew with the brand, helped expand Frédéric de Narp Harry Winston Hope Foundation®, to new markets across Europe, and inspired by the iconic Hope eventually was appointed CEO of diamond, to support organizations that give Cartier North America. I had the good fortune young people a quality education, support and of leading Cartier when the brand celebrated hope for a brighter future. In parallel, he led its 100-year anniversary in North America. It the turnaround of the Harry Winston brand, was this celebration that launched the LOVE doubling sales in three years and attracting collection, which raised millions of dollars for major attention in the industry. As a result, numerous charitable initiatives. I then became de Narp drove the highly profitable acquisi- President and CEO of Harry Winston, and tion of Harry Winston by Swatch Group. As CEO after the Harry Winston acquisition to Swatch of Bally, de Narp was credited for reviving the Group, I had the opportunity to shift into the Swiss brand and reaching younger audiences by legacy fashion world at Bally. During this creating capsule collections in collaboration time, I was particularly struck by the industry’s with Hip Hop and emerging artists. discussions about sustainability and realized these conversations were not being translated COMPANY BRIEF Luximpact (luximpact.com) into actionable change. curates and relaunches historic and legacy French jewelry houses with sustainable, disruptive, and profitable business models.

When did you realize the incredible potential of lab-grown diamonds?

We met the founders of Latitude Diamonds, the first and finest 100 percent climate-neutral stones to be SCS-certified for sustainability and assessed according to the core standards of ethical stewardship. We learned the tremendous environmental benefits of lab-grown diamonds and their ability to drastically reduce both legacy and current emissions. We also saw that the diamonds themselves are physically and chemically identical to their mined counterparts.

How did you arrive at the vision for Luximpact?

I have always been fascinated by fine jewelry because it creates art, beauty and design integrity

Rings from Oscar Massin

The Filigree collection from Oscar Massin

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I r e a c h e d o u t t o m y extraordinary former c o l l e a g u e s : C o r a l i e d e Fontenay, who spent over two decades at Cartier, and Creative Director, Sandrine de Laage, who led design for Cartier, Harry Winston and de Beers. Together, we set out to create Luximpact, with the shared vision to evolve the artistry of legacy French luxury houses with 100 percent climate-neutral, fully traceable, sustainably created materials.

Latitude lab-grown diamonds are grown and produced in Washington, DC, by WD Diamonds, a pioneering technology company and global leader in the industry. The diamonds are grown using CVD (chemical vapor disposition) which results in the highest Type IIA purity level, representing just 1-2 percent of diamonds across the globe. WD is built on innovation, disruption and a deep commitment to sustainability. We knew immediately that we wanted to collaborate within the luxury space.

What was the first brand Luximpact rebranded?

We started with Vever which we relaunched in a joint venture with the Vever family; we collaborated closely with Camille Vever, who

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represents Vever’s seventh generation. Vever is the first misson-driven jewelry brand in the luxury space. Its creative ethos – grounded in the Art Nouveau heritage of the brand – is built on a combination of innovative materials – including lab-grown diamonds – and the preservation of rare French artisanal know-how.

“Luximpact is not only about sustainability and the planet, but also about supporting the people who live on it.”

Why did you select Oscar Massin as your next brand to relaunch?

Massin was an innovator, an artist, and a master craftsman; he was even known as the “diamond reformer.” Massin was commissioned to create custom pieces for European royalty, and won the prestigious gold medal at the 1867 Universal Exhibition for his breakthrough designs. He was also deeply inclusive, sharing his patented techniques with others in order to help forge a brighter future for the next generation. Oscar Massin is now the first heritage luxury brand – with an exclusive U.S. presence – to integrate lab-grown diamonds in its jewelry. The new Oscar Massin jewelry collections are created from 100 percent climate-neutral, lab-grown Latitude diamonds in fully recycled 18k gold; they are fully traceable, untreated and certified by SCS global services to meet the highest standards of environmental and ethical responsibility. All the diamonds in the collections are grown and produced by WD Diamonds in Washington, DC, then set in private family ateliers in New York City.

What are the biggest challenges in building a new category within the fine jewelry space?

Developing a new category requires tremendous education, because we are truly creating something that has never existed. The creation of man-made diamonds of the quality that we are using has only evolved in the last seven or eight years. It is important to note that for the new generation in the U.S., sustainability and transparency of lab-grown diamonds are critical benefits; this is a generation that appreciates the commitment to the environment, in addition to impeccable design and craftsmanship.

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Model wearing Oscar Massin jewelry

How does Luximpact give back to the community?

Giving back is a crucial aspect of the business. Luximpact is not only about sustainability and the planet, but also about supporting the people who live on it. All through May, we donated 20 percent of sales from oscarmassin.com to Baby2Baby, a wonderful organization which provides children living in poverty with all the essentials every child deserves. The Baby2Baby initiative is dear to my heart, and also to those of our remarkable investors Rachel Zoe and Kate Hudson, both of whom work closely with Baby2Baby.

Did you always have an entrepreneurial spirit?

The fact is, the world is evolving, new opportunities are arising every day, and the industry has the power to create positive impact. There is a moment in your life when you ask yourself what you are passing on to the next generation. I feel it is my responsibility and duty as a leader to be creative and help change the world. Each of us is invited every day to do something, big or small. We have to use the talents we have received in a purposeful and meaningful way.

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Mindfulness An Interview with Mirabai Bush, Co-Founder, Center for Contemplative Mind in Society EDITORS’ NOTE Mirabai Bush Center; Buddhist Study Center at Barre, teaches contemplative practices and Massachusetts; Insight Meditation develops programs through the appliSociety; and the Lama Foundation. cation of contemplative principles She has a special interest in the uncovand values to organizational life. ering and recovery of women’s spiriHer work with individuals and orgatual wisdom to inform work for social nizations includes entrepreneurial change. She has taught women’s groups project management, compassionate with Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Sharon staff-board relations, organizational Salzberg, Joan Halifax, Margo Adler, leadership, public relations, commuStarhawk, Jean Shinoda Bolen, Vicky nication, networking, and strategic Noble, and other leaders. Earlier in relationship building all through her career, Bush was the first profesMirabai Bush the lens of contemplative practice in sional woman to work on the Saturnaction. She currently hosts a podcast Apollo moonflight at Cape Canaveral on the Be Here Now Network entitled Walking and later co-founded and directed Illuminations, Each Other Home. Her spiritual studies include Inc. Her innovative business approaches, based two years in India with Hindu teacher Neemkaroli on mindfulness practice, were reported in Baba; meditation in monasteries with Buddhist Newsweek, Inc., Fortune, and the Boston Business teachers Shri S.N. Goenka, Anagarika Munindra, Journal. She has also worked on educational and IMS guiding teachers; studies with Pir programs with inner-city youth of color. Bush has Vilayat Khan and Tibetan Buddhist lamas Kalu trekked, traveled, and lived in many countries Rinpoche, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Gelek including Guatemala, Mexico, Costa Rica, India, Rinpoche, Tsoknyi Rinpoche, and others; and five Nepal, Morocco, Ireland, England, Scotland, years of intensive practice in Iyengar yoga and five Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Germany, Austria, years of Aikido under Kanai Sensei. Bush was a Italy, Pakistan, and the Caribbean. Her earlier co-founder of the Center for Contemplative Mind religious study included 20 years of Catholic in Society and served as its Executive Director schooling, ending with Georgetown University until 2008. Under her direction, the Center devel- graduate study in medieval literature. She holds oped its programs in education, law, business, an ABD in American literature from the State and activism and its network of thousands of University of New York at Buffalo. people integrating contemplative practice and perspective into their lives and work. INSTITUTION BRIEF The Center for Contemplative Bush co-cr eated Search Inside Yourself, a Mind in Society (contemplativemind.org) is a Google program attended by thousands of global community of contemplative practitioners employees. She has a background in organi- whose goal is the ongoing development of racial, zational management, teaching, and spir- social, economic, and environmental justice and itual practice. A founding board member of the the advancement of human flourishing. Its mission Seva Foundation, an international public health is to positively and progressively transform society organization, she directed the Seva Guatemala through diverse contemplative practices.

Project which supports sustainable agriculture and integrated community development. Also at How did your interest and passion for the Seva, she co-developed Sustaining Compassion, study of mindfulness develop?

Sustaining the Earth, a series of retreats and I was in a PhD program at SUNY Buffalo events for grassroots environmental activists on in the late 1960s and teaching. It was a time of the interconnection of spirit and action. She is significant change and unrest in the country, and co-author, with Ram Dass, of Walking Each Other I was involved on campus in civil rights works Home: Conversations on Loving and Dying, and and anti-war activism. It became very difficult Compassion in Action: Setting Out on the Path to teach during this time, so I decided to take of Service. Bush has organized, facilitated, and some time off and travel to try to find a way of taught workshops, weekends, and courses on living and being in the world that made more spirit and action for more than 20 years at insti- sense to me during this chaotic time. I traveled tutions including Omega Institute; Naropa through Europe and the Middle East and then Institute; Findhorne; Zen Mountain Monastery; into Asia. When I got to India, I met someone University of Massachusetts; San Francisco Zen who told me about a meditation course being 64 LEADERS

taught for Westerners for the first time by a Burmese Buddhist teacher, and I thought that it would be interesting. I had sampled wine and cheese in Paris and now it was time to sample meditation in India.

I went to the course which was being taught by a teacher who would have a big impact on this country. S.N. Goenka had been a businessman in Burma and wanted to teach these practices, which today we call mindfulness, in a way that people could integrate into their full lives. The course was taught for 10 days at a time – we started at five o’clock in the morning and meditated in silence with instruction until nine o’clock at night. I had never done anything like this in my life. As you can imagine, it had a major impact on me and others there as we realized the transformative power of these practices, which helped us see more clearly into our own lives. We asked S.N. Goenka if he would teach another course for us, and we stayed for four or five more courses. I had been, like most Americans, leading a superbusy, externally oriented life, and I had never before looked inside to see how my thoughts would rise and fall away. This work allowed me to focus more clearly on what was in front of me in each moment in a way that I never could before. It helped me pay better attention, need less stimulation, recover from negative experiences more quickly, see new opportunities, not take myself so seriously, be kinder, and appreciate other people. When I returned to this country, I wanted to integrate this into my own life and also share it with others.

How do you define the meaning of the word mindfulness and what led you to develop The Tree of Contemplative Practices?

Mindfulness is both a process (mindfulness practice) and an outcome (mindful awareness). It is the awareness that arises by paying attention on purpose in the present moment non-judgmentally.

Mindfulness as it has been taught recently is mainly from the Buddhist tradition, but there are similar mindfulness practices in all traditions around the world, because it means being in the moment and paying attention with care and respect – it is a human practice. We designed The Tree of Contemplative Practices because these mindful practices are rooted in cultivating awareness, and on the tree of contemplative practices we show that there are many ways to cultivate it – there are stillness practices, like

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“Mindfulness is both a process (mindfulness practice) and an outcome (mindful awareness). It is the awareness that arises by paying attention on purpose in the present moment non-judgmentally.”

meditation and mindfulness; movement practices, such as yoga and tai chi; contemplative arts; contemplative reading; practices of pilgrimage where you are holding a thought, idea or prayer at the same time that you are moving to a sacred space; and many others.

On the Tree of Contemplative Practices, the roots symbolize the intentions that are the foundation of all contemplative practices. The roots encompass and transcend differences in the religious traditions from which many of the practices originated and allow room for the inclusion of new practices that are being created in secular contexts. The branches represent different groupings of practices. For example, Stillness Practices focus on quieting the mind and body in order to develop calmness and focus. Generative Practices may come in many different forms but share the common intent of generating thoughts and feelings, such as thoughts of devotion and compassion, rather than calming and quieting the mind.

The Tree of Contemplative Practices originally developed from a research project that we conducted to discover what practices were out there. The tree with branches came about as a way to show each of these practices being both independent and interrelated. There are so many because there are so many different kinds of people, and practices work for people at different times of their life depending on what they are dealing with at the time.

What do you tell people who say that they are too busy and do not have the time to devote to mindfulness practices?

You really have to experience it to fully appreciate what I am about to say, but contemplative practices, especially mindfulness, make time more elastic. It happens that the more you are present fully in the moment, the more effective you are likely to be. Things will take less time than they did before. You may be able to see things more clearly, so it takes less time to solve problems or to design a creative initiative. Even while mindfulness does take time to cultivate, often you will find that it helps in time management. When you are running an organization or leading a project, there are so many things to think about; these practices help you to set priorities more effectively and to be more aware and present. This work has the potential to transform the way you are in the world with yourself and others.

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What was the vision for creating the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society and how do you define its purpose?

When I first came back from India, I knew I wanted to bring what I learned in Asia into what I was doing here. I spent about 10 years running a business and then spent another 10 years co-creating an international public health organization. I spent a number of years in Guatemala with this effort. In the mid-’90s, Bill Moyers hosted a show on public television called Healing and the Mind, and many people who were featured on that show were using what we called contemplative practices.

I was part of a group at the time which was

looking at how we could introduce these practices into mainstream sectors of American life because we had seen on a small scale the positive difference they could make. Inspired by the Moyers series, we founded the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society with a great group of advisors and board members with the purpose of planting a few seeds and seeing what came up. They all did! The timing was right and the need in this culture to be more focused and see better connections was so great that people in many different fields and sectors were open to working with us. Now there are thriving contemplative programs offered in all of these sectors.

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The mission of the Center is to positively and progressively transform society through diverse contemplative practices, and the Center is comprised of a global community of contemplative practitioners whose goal is the ongoing development of racial, social, economic, and environmental justice and the advancement of human flourishing. We have introduced contemplative practices and programs in law, technology, business, environmental leadership, higher education, social justice activism, journalism, philanthropy, the government (the FTC), and the Army.

Will you provide an example of the work you do with leading companies?

When I started working with Google, which was in 2007, no one in Silicon Valley was doing this type of work. Google was a company that was really open to trying new things and at that time they encouraged employees to spend 20 percent of their time on projects and activities that were important to them, as long as they had the potential to improve life at Google and were aligned with Google’s mission.

I was invited to Google by Chade Meng Tan, an engineer from Singapore, who had an experience with meditation that helped him during a stressful time in his life and wanted to introduce it to Google. He offered Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, but there was little interest shown by other employees. After that, he asked me to help him figure out how to interest them in mindfulness. When I arrived, I noticed that the workforce was comprised of young, smart, competitive people who had spent most of their lives in front of their computer screens; they were the first generation of digital natives.

While asking why they were not interested in mindfulness when it was first offered, I realized that they thought that they had the best jobs in the world. Google was a company recognized then as one of the best places to work, so how could they be stressed and need mindfulness practices? In addition, stress is what got them to be at the top of their college class and achieve at a high level, so their stress was good.

We decided that to be successful in offering these practices, we needed to focus not only on what we thought they could benefit from, but also on what they perceived they would benefit from. At that time, a lot of the research on emotional intelligence in corporations was being released, and it was pretty clear that, all things being equal, if you had emotional intelligence, you were more successful. So we focused on mindfulness-based emotional intelligence. Dan Goleman had been an advisor to the Center, and he was enthusiastic about this initiative. At Google at that time, they were good at working on their screens and writing algorithms, but they were just starting to work as teams, and they needed to get better at it. We brought in neuroscientists who were doing research that showed that your mind changes based on what you are practicing; it actually changes the structure of the brain. When we developed the course, which we called Search Inside Yourself: MindfulnessBased Emotional Intelligence, since Google was teaching us all to search, many employees signed 66 LEADERS

“Mindfulness uses the breath as a point of focus since it is always there, and it reminds us that everything is changing all the time.”

up because they could connect it to success. We included mindful listening, mindful e-mailing, and compassion practices that helped them focus on what others are saying and meaning when they work as teams. The compassion exercises helped in understanding people’s differences while recognizing what makes us similar; they helped to build trust among members which proved to be critical to team success.

How is breathing work used in mindfulness?

Mindfulness uses the breath as a point of focus since it is always there, and it reminds us that everything is changing all the time. The practice is designed to cultivate attention, the ability in the mind to be present with whatever exists in any moment. When you notice thoughts, the mind wandering away from the breath, you simply bring it back to the breath and begin again. There are also mindfulness practices that don’t use the breath, where you take your attention to a word or to other parts of the body, noticing whether your toes are warm or cold or the numbing pain in your back.

In mindfulness, you are not trying to change anything – it is about noticing what is there. The breath can play a valuable role in helping us be wholly present in each moment which opens up many possibilities.

What interested you in writing the book, Walking Each Other Home: Conversations on Loving and Dying, and what are key messages you wanted to convey in the book?

I wrote the book with one of my close friends, whom I originally met in India and have known for 50 years, Ram Dass. After many years of teaching and writing, Ram Dass had a massive stroke about 20 years ago and even though he had an amazing recovery from it, greater than his doctors had ever seen, he was left with aphasia which impairs the ability to speak and communicate. We had written a book together before, and he told me that he wanted us to write one more book before he died. When I asked what he wanted to write about, he said “dying,” which seemed totally appropriate since we had both been doing this kind of work for many years and had studied with many great teachers. Dying was always a

part of spiritual teaching, so we both knew a lot about it, but Ram wanted to write a fresh book with the wisdom he had gained through his life.

We made an agreement that when we spent time together talking about dying that we would “say what we know and not say what we don’t know.” Over two years, we wrote a book that is as honest and true as we could make it. I feel it’s important because in a culture where dying is largely invisible, we often repress our fear of death and there are helpful ways to face that fear. We need to remember that we are all going to die and make it real for ourselves since so many of our other fears come back to that.

Acceptance of death makes each day precious and helps us make better choices about how to spend our limited time here on this earth. As I talk to people about dying, I find that many are afraid of the pain and suffering leading up to dying, but that is not the important thing about dying since much pain now is managed through advances in medicine. In order to die peacefully, feeling like we have led a meaningful life, we need to pay attention now to how we are living so we have few or no regrets. We might need to forgive ourselves and others, tell others how much we care about them and love them, or make changes in our lives so they are more aligned with what we hold important. The first step is remembering that you will die – bring it up in conversation, make it more familiar.

Since I had spent my life doing these practices and thought that I knew about dying, I was surprised when it turned out that I learned a great deal doing this book. It made me pay more attention to dying in my daily life. I feel more at ease now, and it has led me to live closer to my values.

Are you able to take moments to reflect and appreciate what you have accomplished?

Yes. Mindfulness allows me moments of reflection in the midst of what I am doing. It has helped me change course when I needed to.

It reminds me to listen to and love the people close to me. I am currently writing a memoir, reflecting on my life and legacy. That is a great humbling and awakening practice that I recommend to everyone. It is giving me joy.

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Impacting the Representation in the Insurance Industry An Interview with Lilian Vanvieldt, Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, Alliant Insurance Services EDITORS’ NOTE Lilian Vanvieldt broad range of partnerships, resources, is a 30-year insurance industry and support systems at Alliant and in veteran who serves as Alliant’s our communities. Our key programs Executive Vice President and Chief and initiatives will focus on sponDiversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer. soring scholarships or grants, funding As the head of Alliant’s Diversity, or operating outreach and educational Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) initiative, programs, community investment, and Vanvieldt leads a company-wide coordinating efforts with nonprofit effort focused on promoting DE&I organizations with similar or related within Alliant and throughout the goals or missions, among other efforts. broader insurance industry through How do you plan to engage awareness, training, mentoring, Alliant’s workforce in the work of Lilian Vanvieldt and career development. In addithe Alliant Insurance Foundation? tion to her role, Vanvieldt is one Our employees will play an of the nation’s leading brokers in the educa- essential role in the success of the Foundation tion space. She currently leads the Alliant through direct participation in our many initiaKindergarten to Community College (K-14) tives, including internship programs, commuPublic Entity program and plays an influen- nity initiatives, and fundraising efforts. The tial role in setting the program’s national busi- Foundation is a partnership between Alliant ness strategy. A proud survivor of stage III breast and our employees and there will be significancer, Vanvieldt currently serves as Director of cant collaboration as we seek to increase the Susan G. Komen Leadership Foundation in our impact. We believe that the strength and San Diego and was the organization’s Honorary success of our organization is defined by the Breast Cancer Survivor of the Year in 2018. She underrepresented people who work here. Our holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and employees have a broad array of backgrounds history from the University of California, Los and life experiences and bring unique perspecAngeles. tives on both our business strategy and our overall corporate culture.

COMPANY BRIEF Alliant Insurance Services (alliant.com) is one of the nation’s leading distributors of diversified insurance products and services. Operating through a national network of offices, Alliant offers a comprehensive portfolio of services to clients.

Will you highlight the vision for creating the Alliant Insurance Foundation and how you define its mission?

The Alliant Insurance Foundation was founded on the belief that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) is critical to our success in our business, our industry, and the world around us. Our mission is twofold: To broaden access to career opportunities in the risk management and insurance industries, and to provide equitable support and resources to underrepresented students interested in pursuing careers in these industries.

What areas does the Alliant Insurance Foundation focus on supporting with its work?

The Alliant Insurance Foundation focuses on making a meaningful impact on the representation in the insurance industry by leveraging a VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

“Our mission is twofold: To broaden access to career opportunities in the risk management and insurance industries, and to provide equitable support and resources to underrepresented students interested in pursuing careers in these industries.”

How critical are metrics to track the impact of Alliant Insurance Foundation’s efforts?

Our DE&I team is using a trove of data and findings compiled in 2021 to further develop and operationalize its people-centric and metricsdriven six pillar DE&I strategy. This strategy focuses on promoting DE&I at every level of our organization by focusing on the core areas of accountability, culture, representation, clients, brand development, and community investment.

We believe that what gets measured, gets done.

By setting realistic internal and external goals to advance our mission and establishing systems and processes to track our progress, we hold ourselves accountable to creating meaningful change.

How valuable is it to have such deep engagement and commitment from Alliant’s leadership team for the work of the Alliant Insurance Foundation?

The commitment from senior management is essential to the success of the Foundation. Alliant’s executive leadership has taken an active role in establishing and growing the Foundation and will partner with us moving forward, both as an advisor and participant in our efforts. Additionally, our Chairman and CEO, Tom Corbett, has pledged both his support and that of Alliant to CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ (CEOAction.com). This pledge is the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance DE&I within the workplace across several industries.

The Foundation was founded on a longterm commitment to increasing the representation of women, racial/ethnic minority, LGBTQ+, veteran and other underrepresented professionals at Alliant and in the greater insurance industry and this commitment begins with Alliant’s executive leaders.

What are your priorities for the Alliant Insurance Foundation as you look to the future?

Our top priority is increasing the number of underrepresented professionals within the insurance industry. The Foundation is already engaged in multiple initiatives focused on developing a strong pipeline of students that will pave the way for more underrepresented professionals to join the insurance industry. Among them is a strategic partnership with Southern University and A&M College and the Louisiana Department of Insurance. The initiative, which launched in late 2021, includes a diversity-focused scholarship fund, a first-of-its-kind degree program, and a robust, paid fellowship program.

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Believe in Their Dreams An Interview with Jelena Djokovic, Co-Founder and Global CEO, Novak Djokovic Foundation EDITORS’ NOTE Jelena Djokovic was born and raised in Belgrade, Serbia, She studied in Italy and then moved to Monaco where she has lived for the past 12 years.

She runs the Novak Djokovic Foundation that is focused on empowering families and future leaders of society by investing in quality early childhood education and development, which covers the period between the birth of a child all the way to 8 years of age. In order to support the development

Jelena Djokovic

of kids during this stage of life, Djokovic and her team are opening and renovating kindergartens and outdoor spaces, training teachers, buying materials for working with children, organizing support groups for parents, and investing in research and studies of this particular stage of development. The majority of the Foundation’s work is focused in Serbia, but it has supported many different organizations worldwide including in Australia, Miami, Croatia, and Bosnia.

Will you highlight the history of the Novak Djokovic Foundation and how you define its mission?

Novak and I grew up in a war-torn country in difficult circumstances. However, we were fortunate to grow up in families that nurtured education and understood the value of early childhood development. For us, it was only natural that we do the same through the work of our Foundation. To do that, we gathered a team of truly passionate people who believe that every child should have a chance to grow up in a nurturing and loving environment where he or she will thrive and flourish.

Novak Djokovic painting with children at Friendship Games on Kopaonik mountain in 2019 68 LEADERS

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“Belief is the most universal word to me, even more than hope. For one to achieve his dreams, he needs to truly believe in them.”

Novak Djokovic

Our organization was founded in 2007 with a simple goal: to help. Nevertheless, it wasn’t until 2012 that we switched our mission to early childhood development (ECD) and education. Today, our mission remains the same: change the world by investing in the early years. While supporting and working closely with children, parents, caregivers, and educators through investments, advocacy, empowerment, and promotion of our values, we are reshaping today’s system – and consequently – the future of the entire society.

Will you discuss the decision for the Foundation to focus its efforts on early childhood education?

A significant milestone that led us to define ECD as the focus of our mission took place in 2012 after our country faced a rather worrying statistic provided by UNICEF which showed that half of the children in Serbia did not attend preschool programs. Low preschool participation rates such as these represent alarming data for the future of any society because studies show that children who do not attend preschool face higher chances of dropping out of school, living lives of poverty and crime, and would have to be rehabilitated into the society.

Novak and I find this topic very personal because, above everything else, we believe in prevention through investing in early years programs rather than later rehabilitation of these children.

Will you provide an overview of the work of the Foundation and its initiatives?

We believe in making long-term investments and working side-by-side with the communities we invest in, so that our schools and programs are sustainable and will help generations to come. We systematically divide our work into independent, yet interconnected, programmatic pillars: School Builds, Teacher Training, Parent Support, Child Development, The Original, and Emergency Response.

Through School Builds, we build preschools or adapt places to become preschools with the goal to ensure more children have access to quality preschool education. We provide new toys, books, didactic equipment, and all the necessary

“We believe in making long-term investments and working sideby-side with the communities we invest in, so that our schools and programs are sustainable and will help generations to come.”

Building a solid foundation for the future: Jelena Djokovic at the opening of School of Life in Kukujevci in 2016 VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

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Novak Djokovic at the opening of School of Life in Macvanski Prnjavor in 2019

materials for everyday learning and playing.

Components of School Builds are Adaptations, New Builds, Schools of Life, Playgrounds, and Study Rooms within the Inclusive Early Childhood Education and Care project (ECEC).

When we invest in the refurbishment or construction of a preschool, we know it is equally important to invest in the teachers who will run them. Therefore, we continue to work with teachers, holding seminars that aim to educate and empower them. We connect staff to prominent leaders in the field of education and give them high-quality academic literature geared towards enhancing their teaching methods as well as advancing their own careers as educators.

Empowering parents is a crucial component of our mission. With them in mind, we have created two programs to support them on their journey: Support, Not Perfection and The Path of a Champion. These programs are supported by like-minded international organizations and recognized by renowned scientific journals. Since the start of the pandemic, we have moved into the digital realm where we host webinars on topics relevant for parenting.

Through focused field research, we pinpoint aspects of development where children struggle and aim to develop. We implement programs supporting their growth such as social-emotional development, nutrition, and physical development. Our Child Development programs are ABC of Better Me, Friendship Games, Feel to Heal, MindUp, and New Year Support. Every year, we also celebrate the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace.

The Original is a platform I am particularly proud of. I created it with the intention to empower brave, creative, and strong individuals, future leaders, and decision-makers, to support young entrepreneurs and promote positive examples of accomplished businesspeople, 70 LEADERS

and, by doing so, to enrich the community with new knowledge. The Original consists of five components: Original talks; Dare to be original; Original voice; The school of entrepreneurship; and Masterclasses.

During unprecedented events, we feel it is our duty to help and act beyond the scope of our regular projects. For instance, thanks to our efforts after the great floods that devastated our country in 2014, many preschools that were severely damaged were reconstructed and our youngest were able to return and continue with their education.

Moreover, having recognized the severity of the health situation after the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020, the Foundation was ready to help once again by providing support to Serbia’s health system.

How did the Foundation adapt the way it works to address the challenges caused by the global pandemic?

The whole world seemed to stop in the wake of this pandemic. We too had to push pause on most of our in-person and infrastructure work due to mandatory social distancing. But, in order to continue to provide support and help to our stakeholders, we knew we needed to adapt.

Our focus turned to digitizing our programs and transforming our usual in-person workshops, lessons, and training, into online education. In doing so, we were able to reach many children and parents, and in turn, this inspired the idea of “opening” our own Online Academy, a project that we hope to roll out very soon.

In addition to this, Novak and I felt the need to help our country in battling COVID-19. We did so by donating one million Euros through our Foundation in support of Serbia’s healthcare system. We were humbled when so many of our corporate partners and donors joined in, with over $200,000 worth of donations. Thanks to this joint action, we were able to help 25 healthcare institutions in Serbia. Our entire team worked hard to ensure that the equipment needed by hospitals arrived as soon as possible, that it was of premium quality, and that it fulfilled the needs of the healthcare system.

How critical are metrics to measure the impact of the Foundation’s work?

When we started our work in 2007, we were overeager to help as many people and children as we could. Unfortunately, not having a clear mission and goal didn’t help in our efforts and we realized we couldn’t measure our impact

The winning team: Jelena Djokovic with children

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precisely. This, of course, changed in 2012. Due to Novak’s role as a UNICEF Ambassador, we found out that every second child in Serbia doesn’t get to attend preschool; that over 2500 locations were without any infrastructure to help the matter; and that the situation in rural Serbia had even more dire statistics than the national average. This shook us to our core and inspired us to adapt our approach, focus our mission, and set tentative goals that we believed were possible to achieve – something we strive for to this day.

Metrics are critical to the work of any nonprofit and ours does not differ in this regard. We all carry the responsibility towards our donors and stakeholders to be as transparent as possible so that they understand where their money is going, how it is being used, and what impact it has.

We have been nurturing this kind of relationship, based on mutual trust and transparent communication, from the very beginning. Our results are best seen in the number of children helped; playgrounds opened; study rooms furnished; preschools built, adapted, and reconstructed; programs and projects initiated and completed; charity dinners organized; funds collected; partnerships secured; individual and corporate donors acquired; and the number of countries they come from.

Will you discuss Novak’s passion and commitment for the work of the Foundation and how deeply engaged he is in its efforts?

Novak has always been very passionate and committed to the idea of giving back and helping younger generations. This is something he is dedicated to on and off the court. He always stresses how lucky he was to have the care, love, and support from an early age from his family, and how much their belief in him and his dreams meant to his success. This is why now, through our Foundation, he is able to do just that: provide this support system so that other children like him can dare to dream.

Jelena Djokovic and a little girl reading a book at a kindergarten opening

Of course, when his tennis schedule allows for some time off, he is the first one to come and support our work, the team, to greet our partners and donors, listen to the problems we wish to solve, and offer his ideas and suggestions – but his favorite activity is playtime with the children we help.

Novak Djokovic Foundation is celebrating its 15th Anniversary. Will you take moments to reflect and celebrate the accomplishments of the Foundation over the past 15 years?

Novak and Jelena Djokovic remain steadfast in their mission to help more than 90 percent of children in Serbia to preschool education by 2030 VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

We have come a long way. When our work started, every second child in Serbia attended preschool. In rural areas, these numbers were even more striking – one in every four children.

This meant they had to stay home with their parents or grandparents, without options to play and learn with their peers, and this, in turn, debilitated their start in life.

Ten years since we changed our mission and 15 since we founded the Foundation, we have helped more than 50,000 children through our comprehensive programs and projects. We have also trained more than 2,200 teachers, empowered 8,000 parents, built 11 playgrounds, and opened 52 preschools across Serbia. In just over a year, we have also opened 106 study rooms within the ECEC project, thus helping more than 2,700 children go to preschool. All these results were made possible thanks to the generosity of more than 200 organizations and 5,000 individual donors from 75 countries which share our values and beliefs.

Together, we have invested over $15 million, thus contributing to the improvement of the lives of entire communities, encouraging them to stay in their hometowns and plan their future there, instead of moving to larger cities or abroad.

What are your priorities for the Novak Djokovic Foundation as you look to the future?

Our main goal remains the same: to enable more than 90 percent of children in Serbia to attend preschool by 2030. So far, we have made significant progress in that regard and, with the increased institutional support and recognition we are getting as our Foundation is growing, we are on the right track to keep giving children a chance to prosper, to know the joy of success, and to believe that they are worthy of their dreams.

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A New Reality An Interview with Ben Lytle EDITORS’ NOTE Ben Lytle is a I’ve always had an entrepreself-made serial entrepreneur/CEO neurial bent from working on our known for being ahead of the curve – small, struggling ranch while working creating something out of nothing, multiple other jobs and going to adjusting and thriving during school. My dad provided “seed change. Lytle is a thought leader capital” for my first venture with two on the future. He launched five steers to raise and sell at age ten. My successful companies, two listing on second venture was as an awardthe New York Stock Exchange, with winning paperboy, followed by his best-known success being several other high school side gigs. I Anthem, with a current market launched my first business as an adult value of more than $100 billion. when I was 24 and have continued Ben Lytle He is a healthcare policy expert to create successful enterprises. My who served on state and presidenbrother and sons also are successful tial healthcare commissions, and a gover- entrepreneurs. nance leader with extensive public company What do you see as the traits of a experience. Lytle is the author of a new book, The successful entrepreneur and do you feel Potentialist: Your Future in the New Reality of that entrepreneurship can be taught? the Next Thirty Years, with two companion A chapter in my book is “Thinking Like books to follow in 2023 and 2024. The series is an Entrepreneur,” always a valuable trait and intended as a guidebook for success during essential in times ahead because companies, the fast-changing, turbulent, and opportunity- jobs, and careers will come and go more rich times ahead – named The Fourth Industrial quickly. Many people are convinced they Revolution by the World Economic Forum. are not creative or entrepreneurial because someone told them they weren’t. Everyone Did you always know that you had an has a creative core. When it is aligned with entrepreneurial spirit and desire to build something that matters to the same person, the your own companies? entrepreneur is sparked. Creative inspiration I’m pretty much the same person I was is something trying to come into the world. at six years old, but more worldly, more We should pay attention when that creative mature, a bit wiser, and a little tattered. A moment knocks. People who are considered mentor taught me that a “constant us” exists creative or intuitive are open to inspiration inside each of us. It is composed of hard- and attentive when it shows up. Anyone can wired, defining traits that are observable from learn. early childhood, and it never changes much, Next, we should act upon inspiration so even as other personality traits grow and it is not lost. At a minimum, write it down or evolve. Those who have known us from birth dictate it, even if the meaning presently is recognize the “constant us” and can help us unclear. An idea is a puzzle or mosaic piece to see ourselves through a different lens. The “constant us” is our reservoir of innate natural talent. Honing those talents to a fine edge is a path to our potential. Equally valuable, we can learn that these same gifts in excess cause us difficulty or pain and lead to repetitive life mistakes.

My “constant Ben” traits continue to define me today: a freaky energy level, bottomless curiosity and desire to learn, pragmatic optimism, heavy creative output with a need to build what I imagine, a love of adventure, and the ability to convince others to support my crazy ideas. It’s easy to see how these traits in excess can turn on you, and each one has done so during my life.

waiting for others to appear. It is not unusual for a seemingly useless idea today to fill an essential part of a vision years later. When enough pieces fall into place, an entrepreneur sees the picture and seizes the opportunity.

Entrepreneurs have a burning need to implement what they envision.

It is rewarding to assemble inspiration into a business vision or thesis, but then critical thinking must be applied to determine if there is meaningful value creation and whether the idea can be operationalized.

Advice and counsel of other seasoned entrepreneurs are invaluable at the early steps.

Most of this can be taught, but the entire process must resonate, or click, inside for each person.

Will you highlight your career path and areas of focus?

My first career was in information technology, beginning just out of high school. I became an IT manager at 21 and rose by age 34 to become a Chief Information Officer responsible for 400 IT professionals at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Indiana, a mid-sized health plan.

That well-paying career enabled me to finance both a bachelor’s degree and a law degree – without debt – while working full-time. At age 36, I became the company’s COO and, at 42, its CEO. Over the next ten years, my incredible team and associates implemented a strategy to diversify and, in parallel, grow through mergers with other Blue Cross Plans. The diversification plan led to the creation of Acordia, Inc., which became the nation’s sixth-largest insurance brokerage. The Blue Cross expansion strategy became Anthem, the nation’s second-largest health plan.

“Many people are convinced they are not creative or entrepreneurial because someone told them they weren’t. Everyone has a creative core.

When it is aligned with something that matters to the same person, the entrepreneur is sparked.”

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I left my career as CEO of large, public companies at age 52 to invest in my adult children’s lives and careers, and the lives of my born and unborn grandchildren. I also pursued other dreams, such as optimizing my health, pursuing my potential, and traveling extensively for long periods. I never retired and helped create three companies after Anthem and recently launched a fourth. I have had an unimaginably rewarding career and life.

How critical were culture and being purpose-driven as you built your businesses?

A compelling purpose provides the reservoir of energy and determination needed when you might otherwise give up. A strong, positive culture creates a sense of belonging and commitment to others – helpful when we need an extra push.

However, a committed purpose and a healthy culture do not just happen; it is built by developing trust and shared values, as well as relationships that survive the job or career. Most of us need a tribe in our careers to which we belong.

The Anthem/Acordia associates built a highperformance culture, and many say those ten years were some of the best years in their careers.

What interested you in writing the book, The Potentialist, and what are the key messages you wanted to convey in the book?

I wrote the book originally for my family; people I trusted encouraged me to publish it to a broader audience. Life will change more in the next 30 years than in millennia, and perhaps since the beginning of time. People no longer can live as their parents and grandparents did. Everyone will need to prepare better, adapt more quickly, accelerate their maturity, achieve their potential, and become wiser to prosper in a new reality. We will live longer and need to plan for it, stay healthy and be able to finance longer lives. Human limitations that have existed since the beginning of time will be broken. The birth lottery which defined our minds and bodies routinely will be exceeded.

Distance will cease to matter. Lifestyles previously limited by where our jobs are located, and where our children go to school, no longer will be constrained. And that’s just the beginning.

The first book, The Potentialist, Your Future Future in the New Reality of the Next Thirty Years, will be published on September 27, 2022. It describes an emerging “New Reality” and identifies seven essential life skills for success. The second book, The Potentialist, The Pursuit of

“An idea is a puzzle or mosaic piece waiting for others to appear. It is not unusual for a seemingly useless idea today to fill an essential part of a vision years later.

When enough pieces fall into place, an entrepreneur sees the picture and seizes the opportunity. Entrepreneurs have a burning need to implement what they envision.”

Wisdom, will explain how wisdom, maturity, and achievement of our potential can be accelerated.

The Potentialist, Predator and Prey, will be the third book which will identify why high-potential people are frequently derailed and how to avoid it.

Do you feel it is a responsibility for leading companies to be engaged in the communities they serve and to be a force for good in society?

“Certain qualities set apart the great leaders I have known, and none more than wisdom, incorporating the best of humanity: perspective, empathy, comfort in one’s own skin, commitment, judgment, a near-perfect balance of humility and honoring one’s gifts, and wise actions as well as words.”

Of course; to do otherwise would be like living in a home but having no interest in the neighborhood. However, long-term commitment and focus are required to have a meaningful effect on the community. If a company spreads its energy and financial support too thinly, it is diluted. Today, most companies and high-wealth individuals concentrate on three to five areas of community involvement with specific goals or objectives.

What do you feel are the keys to effective leadership and how do you describe your management style?

Certain qualities set apart the great leaders I have known, and none more than wisdom, incorporating the best of humanity: perspective, empathy, comfort in one’s own skin, commitment, judgment, a near-perfect balance of humility and honoring one’s gifts, and wise actions as well as words. My leadership style is founded on aspiring to live wisely and well, combined with what might be described as “All in, all the time.” I do not expect anyone to work harder than I do. I care deeply for the people I lead. I hope those who worked with me believe I gave my best and my all, and that our time together left us both a little better.

You accomplished so much during your career. Do you enjoy the process and take moments to celebrate the wins or are you always looking at what is next?

I’ve had a wonderful life. Thankfully, I managed a healthy balance between my personal life and career. I took at least a month’s vacation most years. I never missed a family event, witnessed my grandkids’ births, and had the indescribable joy of nurturing them through young adulthood. I went to their games and school events as diligently as I attended those of my children before them. We vacation biannually as a family, even as our numbers have grown to that of a small corporation. It’s been a gift to the family, and even more remarkable for me. I’ve hiked, biked, climbed, swam, parasailed, and scuba-dived worldwide, spent extended time in the greatest cities, and seen nature at its most majestic. Somehow, someway, I helped build successful companies with inspired, committed teams. At age 75, my best day is today, and the best years of my life are in front of me. I’m ecstatically in love with my life and the people in it. When my life is over, I will be complete, come full circle, and nature can begin again.

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PURPOSE

Physician Leadership An Interview with David L. Reich, MD, President, The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai Queens EDITORS’ NOTE David L. Reich, MD, ranked number 17 in the nation by U.S. the Horace W. Goldsmith Professor News & World Report. The New York Eye of Anesthesiology, Pr ofessor of and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is also Artificial Intelligence and Professor ranked nationally in ophthalmology. of Pathology, has been President of The Mount Sinai Hospital and What have been the keys to the Mount Sinai Queens, both part of strength and leadership of Mount the Mount Sinai Health System, since Sinai Health System?

2013. Dr. Reich was chairperson of I think the key issue is physician the Department of Anesthesiology leadership. Mount Sinai has a tradition from 2004-2014 and also served going back to its beginnings of having as President of the Medical Board in strong physician leadership at the Dr. David L. Reich 2011-2012. Prior to his anesthesiology medical board and the hospital leadtraining, Dr. Reich completed two ership levels. Physicians think about years of residency in general surgery at Harbor/ things a little differently, with prioritization at UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, California. He a more patient-focused level. Physician leaderreceived his BS degree with highest distinc- ship has been extended as we became a health tion f r om Penns ylvania State University system. This has been an important part of the and his medical degree from Jefferson Medical strength of Mount Sinai.

College in Philadelphia. After arriving at Mount How important is it for you in your Sinai in 1984, Dr. Reich completed a residency in role to still find time to be with patients? anesthesiology and a fellowship in cardiothoI am lucky in this regard as a cardiac anesracic anesthesia. His honors include the 2011 thesiologist with a few decades of experience.

Physician of the Year from Mount Sinai Nursing, I go into the operating room several days per the 2014 Mount Sinai Alumni Association Jacobi month to educate a resident physician and Medallion, the 2021 Heart of Gold Award from the provide anesthesia care for patients undergoing NY Heart Association, the 2021 August Heckscher cardiac surgery. This is very helpful in centering Founder Award for Community Service from CIVITAS, the 2021 Empire Whole Health Heroes Award from Empire BlueCross Blueshield and Crain’s New York Business, and Pace University’s 2022 Changemakers in Healthcare Award. Dr. Reich’s r esear ch inter ests include neur ocognitive outcome following cardiac surgery, medical informatics, and hemodynamic monitoring. An academic cardiac anesthesiologist, he has published more than 200 articles, editorials and book chapters. As a hospital executive, he has enhanced safety and quality by forming an institute for critical care medicine, rapidly deploying AI-enhanced clinical decision support, and leading in COVID-19 care and diagnostics.

INSTITUTION BRIEF Mount Sinai Health System (mountsinai.org) encompasses the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and eight hospitals, as well as a large and expanding ambulatory care network. The eight hospitals – Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai Brooklyn, The Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Queens, Mount Sinai Morningside, Mount Sinai South Nassau, Mount Sinai West, and New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai – have a vast geographic footprint throughout the New York metropolitan region. The Mount Sinai Hospital is 76 LEADERS

me and reminding me about what is important. Directly experiencing the challenges that people are facing on the front lines of healthcare provides perspective.

Mount Sinai has been on the front lines in addressing the global pandemic. Will you discuss how Mount Sinai adapted the way it works to meet this challenging time?

As a health system, we came of age during the pandemic. We are eight hospitals. Learning to function as a health system rather than a confederation of individual campuses was a moment of maturation for us. We honed our capabilities to take the sickest patients from Queens or Brooklyn and bring them into Manhattan for care; we figured out how to coordinate supplies to move ventilators that were assembled by medical students at The Mount Sinai Hospital to all of the hospitals in the health system; and we synchronized our thinking around protocols of patient care. I am very proud that Mount Sinai was the first health system to recognize and treat clotting problems that were occurring with COVID. We were the first in the world to my knowledge to develop the use of blood thinners to improve the care of patients that were in the hospital due to severe COVID and this treatment has persisted to this day.

The Mount Sinai campus in New York City’s Upper West Side

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“Physician leadership has been extended as we became a health system.

This has been an important part of the strength of Mount Sinai.”

We are also focused on the health and wellbeing of our staff at all levels of the organization who have shown such strength and resilience during this unprecedented time. Our CEO and our Dean are both academic psychiatrists. At the very beginning of the crisis, they realized that our staff were experiencing psychological trauma by seeing people dying at high rates and in isolation. Since family members were not able to visit the hospital, our staff were there to hold patients’ hands and try to comfort them in their final moments. We created the Mount Sinai Center for Stress, Resilience and Personal Growth, a first-of-its-kind initiative in North America, that is designed to address the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 on the mental health and lives of frontline healthcare providers at Mount Sinai. We believe this will serve as a model for institutions and communities around the globe.

Will you highlight Mount Sinai’s focus on providing seamless service and a consistent level of care throughout the health system?

During the worst of the pandemic at one of our hospitals in Brooklyn, several members of its leadership team and many frontline staff became ill and patient care conditions were deteriorating. We were able to bring staff from all over the health system to fill the need and create the support system until the leadership and staff were able to return to work and resume their regular functions. This is one example of how we are able to work together and leverage the talent throughout the system to address unforeseen challenges. This can only happen when the culture and talent throughout the health system is aligned and able to provide the high-level, quality care that Mount Sinai is known for.

What will the hospital of the future look like and what role will it serve?

The hospital of the future will have fewer beds, and the proportion of those beds will be very heavily weighted towards critical care and the next level down, intermediate care beds. Many people have medical needs and treatments that can be managed in the home.

We have already run a pilot hospital-at-home program where we administer IV fluids and medications and staff come to the home two or three times a day to check on the patient.

Another area is telemedicine, which has come of age during the pandemic as well as videoconferencing and video consultations.

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The advances in technology have provided great opportunities to provide high-level care outside the four walls of a hospital, improving value by delivering world-class care at a reduced cost.

It will be necessary for the hospital of the future to have the capabilities in case of a crisis to adapt nimbly to the needs of the time, which is a lesson learned from the pandemic.

The Mount Sinai Hospital

Do you worry that the emphasis on technology will take away from the human touch and the doctor/patient relationship?

A personal touch does not have to involve a doctor or nurse being physically present.

A personal touch can occur in many ways.

The most important way is that a person feels cared for and that there is continuity of care.

If a person is in a hospital-at-home setting and the nurse comes two to three times a day at a specific time to check on them, they have that assurance, and if they are attached to a video monitor they know they can reach out at any time for assistance. Chronically ill patients can receive more effective preventive care and

avoid hospital admissions with a combination of ambulatory care, care in the home, and video visits. It is the ways we use the technology that makes it personal or impersonal.

What do you see as the advantages of having a medical school and a hospital on the same campus?

The Mount Sinai Hospital is blessed to have a medical school and a hospital on a single campus. The physical unification of science and medicine translates into unified purpose, as we saw with the huge strengths in diagnostic, therapeutic and scientific advances that Mount Sinai made during the pandemic. The vision of the founders of the school in the 1960s continues to be a strength and a differentiator for us.

How important is it for the workforce at Mount Sinai to mirror the diversity of the patients it serves?

It is a long pathway to have the diversity of our patient population match the diversity of our staff, especially at the senior faculty and leadership levels. We have a roadmap and excellent pipeline and mentoring programs to address this. Our talent acquisition is focused intently on promoting equity in gender, race and ethnicity to bring diversity to the leadership level as people move up the ladder. A great effort at Mount Sinai is the Black Executive Acceleration Program, which uses a structured program of individual and group mentoring by senior leaders to help our staff in advancing their careers.

With all of the challenges facing healthcare, are you optimistic that the industry will be able to meet the challenges of the future?

The United States has advantages and disadvantages when it comes to the future of healthcare. We don’t have universal health insurance and it is very unlikely that this will happen anytime soon, based on the political climate.

However, looking at Europe and other parts of the world where they have universal healthcare, it is far from perfect in many respects.

Philosophically, we need to radically change our systems by focusing on the triple aim of providing access to care, a good experience of care, and value-based care. Part of this has to do with improving social services and getting out into the community to do screenings. If we adapt as a society to see the inherent value of preventive care, we can achieve a future with improved health at a lower cost.

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PURPOSE

Present-Moment Awareness An Interview with Susan Kaiser Greenland EDITORS’ NOTE Susan Kaiser centers in the United States and Greenland is an internationally abr oad. Greenland serves on the r ecognized leader in teaching Advisory Board of the Tergar Schools mindfulness and meditation to chilProject, which is under the direction dren, teens, parents, and profesof Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. sionals. She developed the Inner Kids model while volunteering in Where did your interest and passion public schools teaching secular for mindfulness develop? mindfulness. Inner Kids is a At the time I was a practicing hybrid of classical mindfulness lawyer representing owned and operand meditation practices adapted ated radio and television stations for for children and one of the first Capital Cities/ABC and it was a highSusan Kaiser Greenland mindfulness programs in educapressured job. I had one young child tion. Greenland and her husband, and another one on the way and, at the author Seth Greenland, founded The Inner this same time, my husband had been diagKids Foundation, a not-for-profit organization nosed with Stage 4 cancer. He’s the one who got that taught secular mindfulness in schools and me into meditation when he told me we were community-based programs in the greater Los going to a local Zen center. I had assumed he Angeles area from 2001 through 2009. Research wanted to go for himself, but he told me that on the Inner Kids elementary school program we were going for me since I was so wound up was published in the Journal of Applied School and was driving him crazy. I had a terrible expePsychology. Greenland played a foundational rience the first time I tried to meditate. I was role in making mindfulness practices develop- supposed to spend a half an hour sitting on mentally appropriate for young people. She a cushion looking at a white wall and could helped pioneer activity-based mindfulness with not do it. I went running from the room after her first book, The Mindful Child. Her second just a few minutes. Later, I realized it was the book, Mindful Games, offers simple explanations first time I had been still since my husband’s of complex concepts, methods, and themes while cancer diagnosis, and I could not sit with my expanding upon her work developing activity- thoughts and emotions without reacting to based mindfulness practices. In addition to her them. However, I also realized that I needed to work sharing mindfulness with kids, Greenland do something to manage my anxiety and this has recorded a series of brief guided meditations began my journey with mindfulness and formal for grownups entitled, Mindful Parent, Mindful meditation practice.

Child. She also collaborated with the creators of How do you define the meaning of the award-winning app, Stop, Breathe, Think, mindfulness? to develop an app for children, Stop, Breathe, I think the word mindfulness as it is used Think Kids. Her work is featured in numerous today in popular culture has become basically magazines and newspapers, and she speaks meaningless because so many meanings are widely at prestigious institutions and meditation linked together. As with many things, there’s a

plus side to the blurring of the meaning of the term in that the growing use of the word has made the concept of mindfulness more acceptable. I think that the important thing to focus on is the aspect of mindfulness that describes kind or friendly awareness and a stance of attention where we know what is happening without adding a layer of story or analysis around it.

In other words, mindful awareness is a stance of attention where you know what is happening while it is happening.

What do you say to busy people who feel that they do not have the time for mindfulness practices?

This is a real issue and I think it’s the responsibility of those of us who are out there working in the field to make these types of practices accessible to busy people. The key is not to present mindfulness as an add-on, as something else for busy people to do, but rather to give busy people awareness-based activities that they are able to integrate into what they are already doing. For example, in working with teachers and healthcare professionals, we do our best to understand their workday routines and then make suggestions about how they can integrate simple, awareness-based practices into what they are already doing to help them recognize the joy, compassion and wisdom in every moment.

What are your views on the emphasis on breathing practices today?

I think that the overemphasis on breathing is unfortunate. Clearly breathing is an excellent practice and a helpful tool, but breath awareness and purposeful breathing (or yogic breathing) are just some of the mindful awareness practices that offer insight into the world around us. Breath awareness or mindful breathing practices are not necessarily the most appropriate activities for

“The key is not to present mindfulness as an add-on, as something else for busy people to do, but rather to give busy people awareness-based activities that they are able to integrate into what they are already doing.”

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“I think that the important thing to focus on is the aspect of mindfulness that describes kind or friendly awareness and a stance of attention where we know what is happening without adding a layer of story or analysis around it.”

some people at certain points of their lives – an inner-directed practice like tuning into the breath can at times be less helpful than a more outerdirected practice that brings you in touch with sensory experiences, like walking in nature. It is important to understand the many transformative practices that are available, breathing being one of them, in order to understand what is best to address each person’s specific situation.

How important is it to begin to educate and inform children and young people about these practices?

I think this is key. When we work with children, we work with the entire system since we are also reaching parents, grandparents, teachers and school administrators. When one person in a system shifts, the entire system shifts. Working with children who are naturals at present-moment awareness is one way to make a seismic shift in an entire system and I am delighted to see how many people are embracing this as an idea to incorporate in schools.

How has the pandemic impacted the need for this type of work?

The last few years have brought with them an incredible need and my colleagues and I have never worked harder in making these practices available through Zoom calls and other channels, especially for kids, parents, and in schools. This time has highlighted the need for self-regulation and the importance of learning to be with big emotions in a calm and regulated way. When we are all worked up, our critical thinking can go offline as we shift into a fight, flight or freeze mode. Then, we can’t listen and learn and see the whole picture. The ability to self-regulate and see clearly, especially when we’re stressed or in a conflict, is key, not only for kids, but for parents and teachers as well.

Then, there is also the benefit of being openminded as everything is changing and uncertain. There are joyful moments even in the most challenging times. When we appreciate the good and soak it up, it’s easier to be kind, resilient, and strong during the tough times.

What do you say to business leaders who may feel that anxiety and stress are part of what has made them successful in their careers?

We hear this often among successful people who are concerned about losing their edge. I explain that there are tried-and-true awareness practices that have been proven over many years to build your capacity to be with difficult emotions and experiences. These practices develop your capacity to stay steady and not be reactive when faced with conflict and/or an overwhelming amount of input. Further, when you are reactive – even mindful people are reactive sometimes – mindfulness helps you recover quickly. Many successful people in business are often already doing what we call mindfulness, even though they may not realize it, but what they may not be doing is taking the moments for joy and appreciation in what they are doing. They may not be seeing that sometimes the harder we push against an obstacle, the less we achieve – the more we resist, the more it persists. If I walk into any boardroom to observe a successful executive, I will come out with five things that they are doing that in my world we would call an awareness practice or a mindfulness practice. It is about helping them to see the things they are already doing that are consistent with this philosophy and way of being and then building upon it.

Are you able to take moments to reflect and appreciate how you have impacted so many people through your work?

I am now. I take tremendous pleasure in seeing the people I trained going out and doing amazing work and making a difference. It is like everything in life – there is always more to do, but when I see the next generation taking the lead and doing things in new and creative ways, it gives me great joy.

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“I explain that there are tried-and-true awareness practices that have been proven over many years to build your capacity to be with difficult emotions and experiences. These practices develop your capacity to stay steady and not be reactive when faced with conflict and/or an overwhelming amount of input.”

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HAWAII’S ENERGY FUTURE

Creating a Sustainable Hawaii Island An Interview with The Honorable Mitch Roth, Mayor, Hawaii Island EDITORS’ NOTE Mitch Roth has the Governor to declare an energy dedicated the past 27 years of his emergency to bypass the Public Utilities career to the safety and health of Commission (PUC) and fast-track alterHawaii Island residents. Prior to native energy projects. We have also being elected Mayor, Roth served stepped up to meet the needs of our as the Pr osecuting Attor ney of residents by exponentially growing our Hawaii County – a role that he pipeline of affordable housing projheld since 2012. Under his leaderects while simultaneously working to ship, the Hawaii County Office of address the many issues surrounding the Prosecuting Attorney prosecuted our building permitting process so that several cold cases, implemented the homes can be built in a timely and effifirst restorative justice program in a cient fashion.

The Hon. Mitch Roth pr osecutor’s office nationally, You mentioned the request for created a sexual assault unit with the Governor to declare an energy attorneys experienced in such cases, and set emergency based on rising fuel costs and up community outreach and training. During to fast-track renewable energy projects his tenure, he hired counselors to bolster victim that are currently under review. How services and assist victims of property crimes, concerned are you about Hawaii’s current and helped launch the Big Island Juvenile energy situation?

Intake and Assessment Center, whose work has We believe we could be at 100 percent contributed to a reduction in juvenile crime in renewable energy by sometime mid-2023 if the county by more than 50 percent. Roth has a every production hub were able to operate in bachelor’s degree from the University of Hawaii our grid at total capacity. Between the myriad at Manoa and a JD from Whittier Law School. of solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass plants on the island, we can produce more than What interested you in public service and enough energy to power our island at cheap becoming Hawaii Island Mayor? and affordable rates – once the prices are no As the Prosecuting Attorney for the County longer tied to oil. However, our main concern of Hawaii and father of three, I found myself lies in the semantics, and our valid worry is that stuck in between two very sobering reali- we will continue to trip over our own feet in ties for our local families: watching my keiki attempting to meet our state’s 2045 renew(child) leave the state for more stable and lucra- able energy goal or Hawaiian Electric’s 2035 tive opportunities elsewhere and watching the renewable energy goal. There seems to be a adverse effects of an economy and a housing disconnect between what is “right” and what market that has left behind those it was intended is “technically” the right thing to do. The price to care for most. That didn’t sit right. I knew of fuel will only continue to grow, and global that if we wanted to shift the paradigm and end tensions, such as we see in Ukraine, will only the exodus of our local keiki and ultimately our exacerbate the issue. Without cheaper, better local families, we would need to create an island alternatives to fossil fuels, we will always community that allows our keiki to thrive and have a high cost of living. We must be more succeed. Through that vision, I sought election creative if we ever wish to meet our renewto the Office of the Mayor to put that philos- able energy goals and attain a more sustainable ophy and passion at the helm of our county. quality of life for our local families.

What ar e your key priorities for How critical is it to make Hawaii more Hawaii Island as it faces multiple chal- energy self-sufficient and what needs to be lenges, including rising energy costs, a done to begin the journey to build a sustainglobal pandemic, and inflation? able energy future for Hawaii?

Our priority is to create an island where our Energy resilience and independence is a keiki can thrive and succeed for generations to significant first step toward creating a sustaincome. To do that, we have emphasized lowering able Hawaii Island where our keiki can our dependence on outside resources by ramping thrive and succeed for generations to come. up local food production, converting our entire However, we must also look at the issue as county fleet to electric or alternative energy vehi- encompassing affordable housing, cost of cles, including public transportation, and urging living, and economic development. Without VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

focusing on those aspects as a part of energy self-sufficiency, we will be left with a fully powered community of strangers. In other words, if we don’t grow all of the main facets of our community in tandem, we won’t be left with a thriving community in the end. That is why we must lump those factors into energy because it can create quality jobs and eventually lower the cost of living for all of our residents.

What do you feel are the keys to addressing the energy crisis in Hawaii and what additional steps should be taken to drive lasting, sustainable change?

Government needs to learn to get out of the way. Although we value oversight and must ensure that whatever energy sources we bring online are reliable, good for the planet and its people, and most importantly, resilient, we must also recognize the pitfalls of over-regulation and its effect on smaller local companies wishing to assist in statewide energy independence. Government bodies, particularly the PUC, need to favor assistance rather than deterrence. I believe that if we want to see this systematic change, we need to walk-the-walk and do everything we can as mayors to remove roadblocks on our end so that the state has no excuse not to remove barriers on theirs. We must work together and view these matters holistically if we want to move the needle. It’s not enough to talk; we must act – together.

How important is a strong publicprivate partnership in addressing Hawaii’s energy future?

Public/private partnerships are the only way we will move Hawaii forward, particularly in terms of our energy future. As a government entity, we have many restrictions on how we’re able to spend and operate – the private sector does not. Where we have leeway is in the ability to create thoughtful incentives that are beneficial to private partners. What we lack in capital can be made up by a shared agreement and a willingness to work with our partners to find areas where all parties benefit. If we share a common vision for Hawaii, there is no reason that we shouldn’t do everything we can to work together and accomplish that vision. Hawaii County continues to welcome bold ideas and unconventional partnerships as part of our efforts to build a sustainable Hawaii Island for us all, and we are very proud of that.

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Renewable Energy Development in Hawaii An Interview with Sandra Larsen, Hawaii Market Business Leader, The AES Corporation EDITORS’ NOTE Sandra Larsen is On a statewide basis, AES’ clean the Hawaii Market Business Leader energy projects in operation and under for The AES Corporation, a Fortune development will power approxi500 global energy company accelmately 234,000 homes, save the equiverating the future of energy, and a alent of 100,000 metric tons of carbon long-time provider of low-cost elecdioxide from being emitted into the tricity in the Hawaiian Islands. atmosphere annually, and will offset She is responsible for driving AES’ more than seven million barrels of strategy, planning and operations fossil fuel over the projects’ lifecycle. to help Hawaii fulfill its commitAES is proud to be on the leading ment to a 100 percent renewable edge of renewable energy developenergy future by 2045. Larsen has ment in Hawaii. When our Lawai Sandra Larsen 18 years of extensive experience solar + storage project was commisdirecting strategic initiatives and sioned three years ago on the island of managing regulatory filings relating to energy Kauai, it was the largest solar photovoltaic and and shipping. She serves on the board of direc- battery energy storage facility in the world. The tors for the Boys and Girls Club of Maui, National industry took notice of this achievement, with Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and the Lawai project earning the Edison Electric American Red Cross of Hawaii, along with Institute’s prestigious Edison Award. The Lawai serving as an Executive with Heart leader for the project is delivering impressive results for Kauai American Heart Association. Larsen graduated with 28 MW and a 100 MWh battery energy with a JD degree from the University of Hawaii storage system, which is providing 11 percent at Manoa William S. Richardson School of Law. of the island’s energy and enabling Kauai Island Utility Cooperative to reach its goal of 50 Will you provide an overview of AES’ business and how you define the company mission?

The AES Corporation is a Fortune 500 global energy company accelerating the future of energy. Together with its many stakeholders, AES serves nearly 25 million people and is improving lives by delivering the greener, smarter energy solutions the world needs. The company’s diverse workforce is committed to continuous innovation and operational excellence, while partnering with customers on strategic energy transitions and continuing to meet their energy needs today.

AES shares the State of Hawaii’s vision for achieving a 100 percent renewable energy future by 2045. The company currently has several significant projects in operation or under development in Hawaii’s four island counties that will deliver 300 MW of renewable energy for use by residents and businesses. We believe the projects and vision we are implementing are essential to the state’s transition to a more sustainable energy future.

Will you highlight AES’ power facilities on the Hawaiian Islands, including solar, wind, and energy storage systems, and discuss some of the renewable energy projects that AES is working on throughout Hawaii?

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percent renewable energy generation four years ahead of schedule.

Our West Oahu solar + storage project began site preparation in May 2022 and will serve as another example of AES meeting community needs. Created in partnership with the University of Hawaii, the West Oahu project will ensure an equitable balance between the production of renewable energy and the use of open land for agricultural purposes. The installation of a 12.5 MW Solar PV and a 50 MWh battery energy storage system will produce and store renewable energy providing power to Oahu customers, while the facility’s design will allow for cattle grazing and beekeeping.

AES is developing a visionary energy plan for Hawaii based on the success of similar projects that have been implemented in other locations around the world. Will you discuss this plan and the impact that AES believes it will make for Hawaii’s future?

For the past 30 years, AES’ coal-fired power plant on Oahu has been providing up to

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HAWAII’S ENERGY FUTURE 20 percent of the island’s energy needs at the lowest-available cost to consumers. The power plant is being shut down on September 1 of this year in accordance with state law.

Earlier this year, we announced our intent to exit coal by 2025, largely decarbonizing our operations worldwide over the next three years.

Our transition to greener, smarter energy projects, both in Hawaii and around the world, exemplifies AES’ commitment to a cleaner energy future.

AES currently has six renewable energy projects moving forward with development across the state – more than any other developer. Our clean energy transition is welcomed by local leaders, business partners, and stakeholders. Our message is clear: We are part of Hawaii’s clean energy solution moving forward.

Will you discuss the challenges that Hawaii is facing around its energy needs and what are the keys to driving lasting, sustainable change in addressing Hawaii’s energy future?

Hawaii’s transition to clean energy is moving forward, but with a few curves in the road to negotiate. The short-term challenge is that much of Oahu, like the other islands, will be wholly dependent on the volatile oil market when AES’ coal plant closes in September and until there are sufficient renewable projects brought online. With the current economic and geopolitical conditions, the unfortunate reality is that consumers should expect higher costs for gasoline and electricity.

The long-term challenge we face is building out the renewable energy infrastructure quickly enough to meet Hawaii’s 2045 carbon-free goal.

The need for renewable energy is real and we need to work together to understand how it can be incorporated into our communities. Solar

“Earlier this year, we announced our intent to exit coal by 2025, largely decarbonizing our operations worldwide over the next three years.

Our transition to greener, smarter energy projects, both in Hawaii and around the world, exemplifies AES’ commitment to a cleaner energy future.”

facilities require land, and Hawaii is constrained when it comes to available land. We need to find a balance between the needs for land use.

Making the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy has been talked about for years, but the time is now, as evidenced by the further rise in global temperatures and the associated impacts of climate change, including rising ocean levels. Hawaii, like the rest of the world, has been impacted by climate change

“The long-term challenge we face is building out the renewable energy infrastructure quickly enough to meet Hawaii’s 2045 carbon-free goal. The need for renewable energy is real and we need to work together to understand how it can be incorporated into our communities.”

and other forces beyond our control, including the supply chain delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and escalating energy prices because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

AES stands ready to help Hawaii meet these challenges and continue on the path toward a cleaner energy future.

Do you see it as a responsibility for leading companies like AES to support the communities they serve and to be a force for good in society?

Absolutely, and AES has always been committed to providing more than energy. We aim to improve lives by working alongside the communities in which we operate. It’s our practice to collaborate with government, business, education, and community leaders to identify how AES can support programs that deliver long-lasting benefits to our communities and residents.

In Hawaii, our recent philanthropic efforts and charitable donations have largely focused on programs supporting the environment, education, culture and the arts, and providing relief from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are also responsive to emergency situations affecting the welfare of families. For example, when heavy flooding slammed Oahu’s north shore, Maui, and Kauai, we made a significant donation to the American Red Cross, and our team also gathered and distributed a variety of essential goods such as cleaning supplies and non-perishable food to families who were hit hardest by the damage.

To ensure we will continue to meet important needs statewide, we have established the AES Hawaii Foundation, which is designed to give back and provide essential funding support for programs and initiatives that have long-term benefits for families and communities.

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Prospering on the Right Path An Interview with Murray Clay, President, Ulupono Initiative EDITORS’ NOTE Murray Clay overfood, we can’t eat. Without power, we sees and manages all aspects of can’t do many things we rely on each Ulupono Initiative. He guides the day. As an island community, we have team on overall strategy and process, limited landmass to manage our waste. focusing on the best way to achieve They hypothesized that we could catathe firm’s mission-driven goals using lyze more sustainability in these areas due diligence and analysis. He is by providing access to financing and also one of Hawaii’s leading drawing in other funding partners proponents in the area of perforwhile creating replicable, scalable mance-based r egulation (PBR) models that could deploy statewide. as a means to accelerate progThe same team worked on both ress toward the State’s ambitious investments and grants to ensure Murray Clay renewable energy goals. Prior to even nonprofit work was thoroughly his current role, Clay served as the thought through and vetted and used Initiative’s Managing Director and Managing many of the same metrics for measuring results.

Partner. Before joining Ulupono Initiative, Clay Over the years, we found that truly cataserved as Deputy Chief Investment Officer of SDS lyzing change in these systems required more Management LLC in Connecticut. He has more than just a checkbook. We learned that enacting than 15 years of experience in managing hedge real systems change requires engaging in the fund and private equity portfolios, and he has policy and regulatory arenas to change the rules led due diligence, negotiated, and structured to create the conditions for private markets direct investments in many industries including and businesses to succeed more broadly and energy, natural resources, and biotechnology. modernize systems for a more sustainable Prior to his finance career, he served as an intel- future. By working directly with policymakers ligence officer for U.S. Air Force special opera- and civil servants, we are helping redefine and tions forces for five years. He serves on the board shape how the government looks at Hawaii’s of directors for the U.S.S. Missouri Memorial self-sufficiency and resilience in our sector Association, Inc. and the Oahu Economic areas. This work began at the state level and has Development Board. A graduate of the U.S. since expanded to include county governments Air Force Academy, Clay holds a BS degree in and now nascent talks at the federal level. It is international affairs with a minor in Japanese. also critical to use strategic communications to He earned his MBA with high honors from the enhance our overall effectiveness. By syntheUniversity of Chicago Booth School of Business. sizing the various aspects and technicalities of our work and our partners’ efforts into digestWill you highlight the history of Ulupono ible and effective messaging, we shine a bright Initiative and how you define its mission? light on relevant sector issues and gain greater Ulupono Initiative is a mission-driven awareness, understanding, and support. venture of The Omidyar Group, founded in This evolution focuses our work on the 2009 by Pierre and Pam Omidyar, to help interventions that can achieve the most signifirealize a more sustainable, resilient Hawaii. Our cant impact in the most efficient way possible; focus areas are local food production, renew- for example, the greatest impact with the fewest able energy, clean transportation, and better resources and funding utilized. While investmanagement of freshwater and waste. Loosely ments and grants are still vital tools, they are translated, Ulupono means to prosper on the no longer the primary tools we seek to employ. right path. We believe our role is to help cataWill you discuss Ulupono Initiative’s lyze projects to find large-scale solutions that approach to improving the quality of life benefit Hawaii in a meaningful way. for the people of Hawaii by working Ulupono’s business model began focused toward sustainable solutions that support solely on investments and grants to increase and promote locally produced food, renewlocal food and renewable energy production able energy, clean transportation, and while also reducing waste. Given the state’s better management of water and waste? heavy reliance on imports – estimated at 90 To our team, “sustainable” means not only percent of food and energy – our founders iden- environmentally sustainable, but also socially tified these as critical issues for Hawaii. Without sustainable, requiring support from community 84 LEADERS

and key stakeholders – and financially sustainable, meaning it can continue even after the period of Ulupono funding comes to an end. To this end, we value community and stakeholder engagement combined with independent data and analysis.

In addition, Ulupono views our focus areas with a systems approach. We continually work to identify the key partners, leverage points and linkages to determine where the most impact can occur. Our goal is to infuse investment capital, or grants, along with the human capital of our team and commissioned research to help our partner organizations find success. We seek knowledgeable partners with relevant experience, a proven management team and record, and the ability to challenge the status quo. We look for those who are finding innovative, catalytic approaches that can help to transform our community by creating more independence in food, energy and waste systems.

Is Ulupono Initiative investing in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors in its effort to reach its goal of creating greater self-sufficiency for Hawaii and will you highlight some of these investments and projects?

Having the same team work on investments and grants helps ensure both are thoroughly vetted and are measured by outcomes – not efforts.

On the for-profit side, the expectation that investments should generate a profit is not based on a desire to accumulate wealth, but rather to prove that profits are achievable in sustainable businesses so that others follow our lead and magnify the impact. In doing so, we de-risk so that others can follow at less cost or risk. Profits also ensure the venture can continue having impact after our period of funding comes to an end. In addition, we generally roll over or reinvest profits into more impact work.

On the grant side, there are a number of interventions that cannot make a profit but are essential components or precursors to success, such as informing and educating the public, capacity building, improving transparency and accountability of our government partners, and so forth.

For example, DA BUX Double Up Food Bucks (nonprofit) – An excellent, highimpact example is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) “DA BUX” Double

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HAWAII’S ENERGY FUTURE “By working directly with policymakers and civil servants, we are helping redefine and shape how the government looks at Hawaii’s self-sufficiency and resilience in our sector areas.”

Up Food Bucks program in partnership with nonprofit The Food Basket on Hawaii Island.

Through both our financial contributions and bringing philanthropic partners to the table, combined with effective advocacy, Ulupono has helped this program secure more than $2.5 million in philanthropic funds, $500,000 in state funding, and $9.5 million in federal funds.

The combined $12.5 million goes directly to fund the purchase of fresh, healthy, locally grown produce by SNAP participants statewide. Overall, this effort will drive more than $20 million toward purchasing local food and ideally secure a long-term funding commitment for continued impact.

Grant/Loan Writer Programs (nonprofit) – We know that we can’t fund every farmer in the state, so we also leverage our capital by supporting those who help farmers as a class.

Our grantmaking to a few grant and loan writer programs, such as The Kohala Center and the Oahu Agriculture & Conservation Association, have provided significant leverage and access to capital that might not have otherwise been obtained. Over the past five years, we’ve funded $685,000 to support these programs, which have secured more than $23 million in funding (34 times leverage) that directly supports large and small local producers and value-added processors. We also continue to identify and support other pathways to financing for local producers, whether through government funding, foundation partners, or other financial markets. Additionally, we fund farmer training programs such as GoFarm Hawaii, the Ag Leadership Foundation, and others working to create a pipeline of future and current farmers who will become leading producers and bring vitality to the aging workforce of this essential industry.

Bikeshare Hawaii (nonprofit) – An example of our impact in transportation relates to our support of Bikeshare Hawaii (Biki), which began as an effort to seed the market with lowcost, accessible, active transportation. Ulupono provided initial capacity building, bridging capital, and seed funding to launch the system.

Biki is currently the sixth-most utilized program in the country (only behind five much larger metropolitan areas), completing more than 1.3 million trips annually for both locals and visitors.

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to ensure its long-term viability as an essential public transportation service.

Volta Industries (investment) – Former Hawaii startup and current industry leader in commerce-centric electric vehicle (EV) charging networks, Volta Industries achieved an exciting and significant milestone in August 2021, beginning trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol VLTA. Ulupono Initiative was an early investor in Volta Industries in 2013 with follow-on investments in 2014 and 2017 toward the expansion of the startup’s Hawaii network of EV charging stations. The Ulupono team is excited to have witnessed the now San Francisco-based Volta’s advancements in the industry. With its public share offering, Volta will now be able to fully realize its focus on and mission of creating a massive charging infrastructure network underpinning the country’s transition to electrification of transportation.

Electric vehicle (EV) charging networks like Volta are crucial for the mass adoption of EVs in Hawaii. Increasing the number of stations statewide means more consumers will be able to easily charge their vehicles and avoid “range anxiety.”

Carbon Lighthouse (investment) – Ulupono provided financial capital and local support to enable Carbon Lighthouse, a San Franciscobased company committed to reducing carbon emissions while increasing revenue for commercial property owners, to provide energy savings as a service. Carbon Lighthouse is working nationwide with building-owners on increasing energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions at facilities, which eliminates thousands of barrels of oil throughout the life of the projects through energy-efficiency solutions.

How important are metrics to measure the impact of Ulupono Initiative’s work and will you highlight the impact since its founding in 2009?

We’ve put a lot of time into developing meaningful metrics while still understanding that not all of our work can be captured in a number. That said, we try to hold ourselves accountable to the reality of the denominator – the share of the pie or problem we’re impacting – and not be distracted by the illusion of the numerator – just counting number of interventions, dollars spent, or other top-line numbers. We want to know that we’re moving the needle and not just doing something that is generally positive.

For example, Ulupono’s involvement in local food can contribute 1.3 percentage points toward our 2030 goal of 30 percent locally produced food. We estimate that to be a 10 percent increase versus status quo with no Ulupono involvement.

Ulupono’s actions in both completed and active projects are estimated to result in a reduction of 1.52 MMBOE of fossil fuels by 2030 (21 percent of total incremental renewable projects), an equivalent to a 436 MW solar PV system or 251 MW wind project. However, the largest share of our impact is estimated to be from policy/regulation (34 percent), with our efforts on various regulatory dockets expected to help facilitate renewable energy adoption, including utility incentives in performancebased regulation and community-based solar.

Our involvement in the energy sector could contribute a 3.7 percent decrease of fossil fuel consumption by 2030 versus status quo with no Ulupono involvement.

What interested you in leading Ulupono Initiative and made you feel it was the right fit?

I had been working at a combination hedge fund/private equity fund that invested in both public and private companies for eight years when I came across the opportunity at Ulupono Initiative. Though I had enjoyed my position at that fund, the idea of performing a similar role – private equity investing – but for the purpose of doing good and benefitting the people of Hawaii was intriguing. I must admit at the time I was rather new to the growth of impact investing as a type of investing – for-profit but with a philanthropic objective. The idea of combining the technical rigor of my prior work with the people and place focus of Ulupono was simply fascinating enough that I pursued it wholeheartedly.

For the first day of interviews, I made the mistake of showing up in a suit, but that evening I corrected that by buying a local aloha shirt for the second day of interviews. I found the people here to be very warm and welcoming, and I was delighted to discover that “aloha” was not a marketing motto, but a real way of life here. Due to the diversity of our sectors and toolset, work is always interesting and constantly provides new opportunities to learn and grow. There’s no resting on your laurels here.

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Using Blockchain to Transform Banking An Interview with Kevin Greene, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Tassat Group Inc. EDITORS’ NOTE Kevin Gr eene Will you highlight the history is the Chairman and Chief of Tassat and how the business Executive Officer of Tassat® has evolved?

Group Inc., the leading provider Tassat Group was founded in of blockchain-based r eal-time 2017 to bring the power of blockbusines-to-business payments chain technology to the banking and banking services solutions industry. Our goal has always been to to banks. He joined the firm in empower banks to compete and win 2017 as a senior Member of the in an increasingly digital global Board and was named Chairman economy. Tassat is currently playing in 2019. In addition to his roles a leading role in the technological at Tassat, Gr eene serves as a modernization and transformation Kevin Greene Managing Partner of James Alpha of the banking industry in the United Management, LLC. Pr eviously, States. he served as Chairman and CEO of Capital In sharp contrast to other financial techResource Holdings, LLC, the holding company nology firms, Tassat is modernizing the p a r e n t o f C R A R o g e r C a s e y , o n e o f t h e banking industry in cooperation with banks nations’ leading pension consulting fir ms and entirely within existing U.S. banking regulaadvising more than $500 billion in pension tions. The U.S. banking industry provides a safe, fund, foundation, endowment and high- secure, trustworthy environment for businesses net-worth assets. Earlier, Gr eene founded and consumers to conduct payments, lending, Bryant Park Capital, a privately held invest- and other financial services. It is the bedrock of ment bank specializing in private equity the U.S. economy and the U.S.’ global economic financing and mergers and acquisitions for leadership. However, the existing banking both private and public companies in the U.S. technology infrastructure is also relatively antiand Europe. Prior to founding Bryant Park quated and needs to be upgraded to blockchain in 1991, he was a senior consultant with McKinsey & Company focused on corporate finance, corporate strategy, and mergers and acquisitions. Greene earned a BA degree in economics with distinction from Georgetown University, a master’s degree in public policy (Kennedy Scholar) from Harvard University and an MBA in finance fr om New York University.

technology which is transforming every industry throughout the world. This technology upgrade, in our view, can and should occur within the current regulatory framework, not outside of it.

The U.S. cannot afford to tear down what has worked well for over 150 years, and continues to work well, in the hope that we can somehow rebuild it all later.

Our initial target market has been the $50 trillion B2B payments market. If one includes high volume public exchange activity, the B2B payments market is a multiple of that figure. The B2B payments market is nearly ten times the size of the business-to-consumer (B2C) market. Surprizingly, more than 60 percent of all B2B payments still use paper checks. Tassat is the only independent, blockchain-based platform empowering banks to provide real-time payments and financial services capabilities to their business customers. Tassat enables banks to modernize both how their customers do business and how they serve their customers.

Our flagship product, TassatPay® has become the most trusted blockchain-based platform for the banking industry and its B2B customers. Since its launch in 2019, TassatPay has processed over $500

“We believe that private permissioned blockchain technology is the future of banking, and that

COMPANY BRIEF Tassat Group Inc. (tassat.com) is a New York-based technology company that is the leading provider of blockchainbased business-to-busines (B2B) payments and financial solutions for banks including TassatPay ®, which enables banks to provide their customers with instantaneous, secure, real-time payments 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. TassatPay has become the most trusted blockchain-based platform for the banking industry and its B2B customers with over $500 billion in secure, r eal-time transactions to date. Tassat has added Smart Contracts and Fedwire functionality to make TassatPay a one-stop-shop for B2B Payments. In 2021, Tassat won a Google Cloud Customer Award for Innovation in Financial Services.

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financial products and services can be provided more securely, efficiently, and cost-effectively on private, permissioned blockchain than through existing legacy systems. We created the TassatPay platform to deliver on blockchain’s promise for the banking community.”

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billion in transactions. Based upon our current trajectory, we will easily surpass $500 billion in transaction volume this year alone and well over $1 trillion next year. In 2021, we processed $247 billion in transactions while Venmo executed $230 billion and Zelle $480 billion. Despite our large volumes, our business is still in its infancy.

Tassat began its journey focused on delivering highly secure, real-time payments 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year to business customers of the same bank. In addition to advances in our core payments product, we have since added the ability to execute the same secure, real-time payments across banks 24/7/365 on The Digital Interbank Network™ as well as Smart Contracts which empower banks and their corporate customers to design and implement their own payment solutions as well as other financial services which banks can provide more securely, efficiently, and effectively on the blockchain.

How do you define Tassat’s mission and purpose?

We believe that private permissioned blockchain technology is the future of banking, and that financial products and services can be provided more securely, efficiently, and costeffectively on private permissioned blockchain than through existing legacy systems.

We created the TassatPay platform to deliver on blockchain’s promise for the banking community.

We see ourselves not only as innovators, delivering products and services that improve the competitiveness and efficiency of U.S. banks and their business customers, but also as responsible participants in a financial system that is critical to the nation’s technological and economic leadership. That is why all Tassat products are built on private permissioned blockchain, providing the highest levels of privacy and security as well as employing the power and benefits of blockchain technology, thereby increasing confidence, efficiency, and effectiveness in the U.S. banking system.

Tassat is a company that seeks to serve our clients well, create innovative products that generate real progress, and do so entirely within the existing regulatory framework. There are no shortcuts to success.

Will you provide an overview of Tassat’s services and solutions?

Our first product offering was TassatPay, a one-stop shop for banks to facilitate real-time transactions between its business customers. It allows a bank’s business customers to transfer money to any other business customer of the same bank instantaneously and securely, 24/7/365, with no limits on transaction size or volume.

We have now added Smart Contract Solutions to TassatPay, which enables banks to give their business customers the ability to automate routine payments and interact with their customers more efficiently and effectively. Our Smart Contracts enable a bank to empower their customers to streamline, simplify, and automate their business processes while also giving corporations greater control over their payments, receivables, working capital and financing. With VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

“Because of the flexibility of our platform, banks and their corporate customers are becoming our partners in the innovation process, driving new solutions which Tassat facilitates and supports.

The creativity and excitement we have seen bank leaders express when they are exposed to Tassat’s technology has been truly breathtaking.”

Smart Contracts, a bank’s customers can offer discounts, premiums, pre-scheduled payments, financing terms and a multitude of other financial solutions supported and facilitated by the bank. Both banks and their corporate customers become big winners in the process.

We introduced The Digital Interbank Network, which we call “The Network,” in December 2021. This utility enables secure, realtime payments 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year across banks. Both Tassat and the banks we work with believe that The Network will transform how B2B financial services are delivered in the U.S., benefiting both banks and their corporate customers.

Because of the flexibility of our platform, banks and their corporate customers are becoming our partners in the innovation process, driving new solutions which Tassat facilitates and supports. The creativity and excitement we have seen bank leaders express when they are exposed to Tassat’s technology has been truly breathtaking.

How do you define the Tassat difference and what sets Tassat apart in the industry?

We have three major differentiators. First, the TassatPay platform operates using private permissioned blockchain. Unlike public blockchains that are visible to anyone, anywhere, at any time, private permissioned blockchain provides complete privacy and security for banks and their customers while also allowing banks and regulators to have the transparency, control, and efficiency they need. Tassat’s platform can accommodate public blockchain solutions, if we were to choose to do so, but our clients believe the security, transparency, and efficiency of private permissioned blockchain is best for both the banks and their clients.

Second, Tassat is a technology company that works entirely within U.S. regulated banks,

enabling banks and their corporate customers to transact safely, securely and verifiably. Tassat seeks to empower banks, not disintermediate or replace them.

Third, and most important, we empower banks to become innovators in serving their customers. We give banks the tools to create their own solutions for their customers, not outsource that innovation or any customer relationships to third parties. The banks we serve believe our tools provide an important key to their continued and growing success.

How did Tassat adapt its business to address the challenges caused by the pandemic?

Employee safety is always a top priority for Tassat. Like most other technology companies, Tassat enables its employees to work remotely most of the time. Many of our employees do so at least part of the time, and all did so during the lockdown period of the pandemic. As a result, we were able to continue developing our platform, serving clients well, and growing our business throughout the pandemic. The pandemic brought operational complexities to millions in the U.S. and around the world. We were proud to able to operate and thrive uninterrupted throughout the pandemic, helping to minimize the impact on our clients and their clients who depend on them.

How critical is it for Tassat to build a diverse and inclusive workforce to bring diverse perspectives and experiences to the table when making business decisions?

At Tassat, diversity and inclusiveness in our workforce are priorities as both an employer and as a member of the communities we serve.

Inclusiveness also diversifies and broadens our talent pool and the perspectives and insights available to us. As a result, we are committed to ensuring equality and opportunity within our organization, and eliminating barriers, whether

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“In an age in which many banks are growing through mergers and acquisitions, Tassat enables community banks, including smaller institutions and those with regional footprints, to remain competitive, stay independent, adopt the latest technologies, and thrive.”

they are structural or the result of individual personal biases.

We seek to ensure that our employees are treated with respect and freedom from discrimination, and that they can make the most of the skills, abilities, hard work, and commitment they bring to our team.

What do you see as Tassat’s responsibility to the communities it serves and to being a force for good in society?

Everyone at Tassat understands and embraces our mission to bring the power of private per missioned blockchain technology to the U.S. banking system so that banks and their business customers can benefit from the speed, efficiency, effectiveness, and security of this technology as well as compete effectively in an increasingly digital economy. Blockchain is the future of the global economy and we want to do everything we can to make sure that U.S. banks and U.S. companies are not left behind.

We must never forget that medium-sized and small businesses are the engines of innovation and growth in the U.S. economy. Community banks provide those businesses with the banking services they need. Tassat is dedicated to empowering those banks and their business customers to participate, prosper, grow, and innovate in a modern global economy.

Tassat offers banks the ability to serve their clients better, deepen client relationships, increase deposits, and enhance their ability to attract new customers. In an age in which many banks are growing through mergers and acquisitions, Tassat enables community banks, including smaller institutions and those with regional footprints, to remain competitive, stay independent, adopt the latest technologies, and thrive. This is important because these banks are closest to the communities they serve.

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important for local businesses if they are to have access to the payment, credit and other functions banks provide. If this access disappears, it will diminish the opportunities for these local businesses to succeed, with consequent harm for their customers, employees, and communities. By strengthening the ability of community banks to remain competitive, Tassat helps to ensure that they can continue to serve their customers well.

We also pursue our commitment to community responsibility in other ways such as our commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Another example is our use of private permissioned blockchain which consumes very little energy. Because we use Google Cloud, which has a zero-carbon footprint, the small amount of energy we do consume generates zero carbon emissions. This low energy consumption provides Tassat and its customers with another reason to use private permissioned blockchain as opposed to the public blockchains which have come under scrutiny for their huge energy consumption and significant contributions to climate change.

What do you see as the keys to effective leadership and how do you describe your management style?

Effective leadership has three components. Attract people with outstanding talent, energy, and integrity. Ensure the team’s strategy and goals are as clear as possible. Empower everyone to succeed.

Success is always and everywhere a team effort, so the most important leadership role is to attract people with high talent, energy, and integrity, and make sure they perform well together. My role in this effort is to serve and lead others. This effort includes leading the development of Tassat’s corporate strategy with input from our clients and everyone in the company, from our Board Directors to senior

leadership to both current and new employees.

Our clients always come first, and their views must be the driving force, but everyone at Tassat sees a piece of the puzzle, and everyone can, should, and must contribute to our strategy development.

My role is to listen as carefully as possible to everyone, to articulate our strategy and goals as cohesively as possible, and to help the Tassat team identify the key steps required to execute our strategy effectively and achieve our goals.

This ability for everyone at Tassat to listen carefully to our clients and to each other and to act with focus and purpose is particularly important in a rapidly changing industry like ours. As a team, we embrace this environment. We challenge ourselves to innovate and improve every day in everything that we do.

Having a strong, highly motivated, committed, and accountable leadership team is, of course, key to our success. Our senior leaders demonstrate Tassat’s commitment to working with focus, purpose, and integrity through their actions every moment of every day. They communicate our mission and values very effectively to their team through their actions as well as their words.

Tassat is very fortunate to have a clear, attractive, and important mission: playing a leading role in the modernization and transformation of the U.S. banking industry.

My leadership style is to be the best listener I can be, encourage others to do the same, attract truly great talent, and empower those talented individuals to succeed. The result is a fun and rewarding process for all of us.

What are your priorities for Tassat as you look to the future?

Our primary goals for Tassat are to increase the number of banks using our platform and continue to deliver innovative products that serve our clients well. We made excellent progress in 2021 and believe we will soon reach the point where our business grows exponentially, far exceeding our very high expectations.

Both TassatPay and The Network are important gateways to a fully digital banking system which the U.S. urgently needs to remain economically competitive. Smart Contracts operating on TassatPay and The Network have been extremely well received by banks and will also be transformational for the banking industry and its clients.

Tassat’s products today are based on private permissioned blockchain technology available here and now. However, we will continue to adapt this technology, including future advances, to help our bank clients serve their business customers more efficiently and effectively, bring tremendous benefits to businesses of all sizes, and inspire private sector innovation more broadly. Innovation has been the basis of all U.S. progress and prosperity since inception. Making fuller use of blockchain’s potential will ensure that U.S. banks remain in the forefront of technology and innovation. There really is no alternative if the U.S. banking system and the U.S. economy expects to continue to lead the world in the future.

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PURPOSE

The Soul of Business An Interview with Alan Murray, Chief Executive Officer, Fortune Media EDITORS’ NOTE Alan Murray is had gone on with Buddhist monks in the chief executive of Fortune and Asia thinking about the purpose of life. is known for expanding its digital When he came back, he said that while and conference franchises. Murray he loved leading companies, he only also writes a closely r ead daily wanted to lead companies that had newsletter, the Fortune CEO Daily, a strong purpose and were making a that often addresses issues of corpopositive impact on society. rate governance. Previously, he I kept having more and more of led the rapid expansion of the Pew these types of conversations with busiResearch Center’s digital footprint ness leaders which was very different as President of that organization. from what I had experienced in my He also was a reporter for The Wall conversations with CEOs in the decades Alan Murray Street Journal for more than two before. I always asked what had caused decades and wrote Revolt in the this newfound focus on social impact Boardroom and three other books. Murray holds as opposed to financial impact. While, in some a BA degree in English from University of North cases, it was a personal passion as it was with Carolina at Chapel Hill, attended Stanford John Donahoe, they would most often tell me University’s Graduate School of Business, and that their employees were demanding it. Their earned an MSc in economics from The London employees wanted to work for companies that School of Economics and Political Science. were doing good in the world.

The book came out of my listening to COMPANY BRIEF Fortune (fortune.com) is a these CEOs about this movement which was global media organization dedicated to helping reinforced during the pandemic when CEOs its readers, viewers, and attendees succeed big in were focused on the health and well-being of business through unrivaled access and best-in- their employees, increased their efforts around class storytelling. Fortune drives the conversa- addressing climate change, and supported tion about business. With a global perspective, the the communities they serve. This showed me guiding wisdom of history, and an unflinching that this was not a fad or phenomenon. I was eye to the future, it reports and reveals the fortunate to work on the book with Catherine stories that matter today – and that will matter Whitney who really helped me put it together. even more tomorrow. With the trusted power to Do you feel that leadership in the 21st convene and challenge those who are shaping Century is centered around purpose? industry, commerce and society around the world, A statistic that I feel helps people underFortune lights the path for global leaders – and stand this is that if you look back 50 years and gives them the tools to make business better. look at the balance sheets of Fortune 500 companies, you will find that more than 80 percent What was your vision for writing your new of the value of those companies was physical book, Tomorrow’s Capitalist: My Search stuff – plants, equipment, inventory, etc. – and for the Soul of Business, and what were all of that physical equipment needed to be the key messages you wanted to convey supported by financial capital, so it made sense in the book? to focus on returns to capital. If you do the same I have been a journalist my whole life. I actually exercise today, more than 85 percent of the started when I was nine years old doing a little value on the books of Fortune 500 companies neighborhood newspaper. I always thought of is intangibles – intellectual property, software, my job as explaining society and not trying to brand value and connection to consumers – and change it. In the last 20 years, I have had an these areas do not require as much financial extraordinary opportunity to talk to and interview capital since they are more connected to people the CEOs of big companies which has provided and human ingenuity. I think that we are in the me a unique view. Over recent years, I found very beginning of creating a whole new busithat they were beginning to talk about their jobs ness world around human return. in very different ways. I remember when John This is being driven by employees who Donahoe, who is now the CEO of Nike, came clearly want to be paid well, but also want to to my office about six years ago when he was know that they are working for a company that between jobs. He told me about a trek that he is doing good in the world.

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What do you feel makes a successful CEO today?

I think it is about being able to build a culture, communicating and inspiring your people, and creating a company purpose. It is about empowering people and providing the guidelines, goal posts and North Star for their internal audience. It is interesting to me that in the last four or five years, if you ask a CEO what the most important qualities of a leader are, a word that comes up regularly is empathy.

I think empathy has become a major part of leadership in the 21st century.

You have spent your career as a journalist and in media. What are your feelings about the current climate today with the talk of fake news and the questions around the credibility of the industry?

The problem discussing media broadly today is that in many ways anyone can be in media since all you need is a computer. I mentioned that I became a journalist at nine years old and I would walk down the street and ask people what was going on in their lives and write it down. I would then ask my mother to type it up on a special carbon paper which was capable of running off 30 copies which was the limit of my readership since this is all that we could run. I met Gabe Fleisher a few years ago and he told me that at the same age, nine years old, he started writing a political e-mail about what was going on in the political world.

He at the age of nine had something like 100,000 readers which shows that today there is no limit to what a journalist is or what the media is since anyone with access to a digital platform can reach thousands of people. On one hand, it is great that someone can reach so many people, but on the other hand, there are no standards and there are no rules which makes it very challenging to talk about the credibility of the media.

Do you ever think about slowing down?

I think about it, but if you look at this moment in the history of business, we are in the middle of an incredible technology revolution where AI and data technologies are going to remake the fundamentals of every business. We are in the middle of a purpose revolution where companies are really thinking about why they do what they do and are thinking about people and planet as opposed to just financial metrics, and then we have this rethinking of office work and how we work. I do not think there has been a more interesting time to be watching what is going on in the world of business – it is too much fun to stop.

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Building Brands An Interview with Twila True, Co-Founder, True Family Enterprises EDITORS’ NOTE Twila True that deployed an outside investor’s is also the Co-Founder, Chief capital. This real estate private equity Executive Officer, and President of fund is executing its business plan True Investments, LLC, which she and is investing in single family resico-founded with her husband, Alan dential rentals in Georgia, Illinois, True. She is responsible for the firm’s Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, New York, overall strategy, finances, operaPennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas. tions, and culture, with a focus on In addition to being a disciplined growing assets under management corporate leader, True is a dedicated and scaling processes. Together philanthropist. She and her husband with her husband, True managed co-founded True Children’s Home in True Innovations, a multinational 2006. The charity’s mission is to save Twila True consumer products licensing and orphaned children’s lives, fund correcmanufacturing business based in tive surgery, provide post-surgical care, Asia that employed more than 4,000 people. place children with foster families, and facilPrior to scaling the True Innovations business, itate adoption. True Children’s Home merged she was Chief Executive Officer of Synthane with Love Without Boundaries in 2011. True Taylor, a circuit board manufacturer with also founded the True Sioux Hope Foundation, 300 employees. For the past 15 years, True which provides resources to the members of the has assembled an extensive private portfolio of Oglala Sioux Tribe on the Pine Ridge Indian real estate in multiple asset classes throughout reservation, which is the poorest reservation in Asia and North America. True Investment the United States, and the reservation that she is Partners, LP was the first venture that she led a member of.

“I feel that entrepreneurship can be taught to those who have a passion in starting their own businesses – those who are born with the ability to start on their own if they surround themselves with the right leaders who are honest and work just as hard as they do. Regardless of your circumstances, if you work hard and believe, you will get the opportunities to succeed.”

90 LEADERS

FIRM BRIEF True Family Enterprises (truefamilyenterprises.com) is a privately held investment firm developed to create and manage its own companies. With more than 50 companies in its portfolio, several of the core businesses include: TrueLane Homes, a real estate investment firm, which owns and operates more than 300 single family rental homes across the U.S., providing quality affordable rental housing for working class tenants; Twila True Fine Jewelry, based in Newport Beach, California, which offers fine jewelry, bridal, watches, and accessories and whose new stor e was r ecently opened in Las Vegas at Resorts World; and a full-service brand incubator and global retail and e-commerce marketplace for trendsetting indie brands, Twila True Collaborations, which develops, manufactures, and launches the latest trending beauty and consumer products to meet the needs of today.

You are involved in a number of businesses.

Will you highlight your work and do you look at the different areas that you are involved in as interrelated?

We’re a family office, operating different verticals and investing in companies in niche markets to disrupt the white space. I have experienced that the growth of an asset often arises when different areas are interrelated. Real Estate – single family residential homes – is a consistent asset class that does well in its own silo.

Our Entertainment Brands – licensing consumer goods products through content integration, distributed directly to consumers and in retail locations, keeps me on my toes as the buying trends are ever-evolving.

Entertainment Complexes is our fastest growing global vertical including Volume recording studios, publishing with up-andcoming artists in the top 25; and a music school, founded by Grammy Award winners James Fauntleroy and Larrance Dopson – 1500 Sound Academy – takes a unique and disruptive approach to world-class music education.

Did you always know that you had an entrepreneurial spirit and desire to build your own businesses?

I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to build my own businesses. I really didn’t know what career path I wanted at the beginning – I just wanted to not be poor.

I didn’t want to have to marry for my financial security, and I wanted to be independent. It

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seemed to me that if I could read a financial statement, understand what I was doing and how it affected the profitability of a company, I could build my own empire.

Do you feel that entrepreneurship can be taught or is it a skill and ability that a person is born with?

I feel that entrepreneurship can be taught to those who have a passion in starting their own businesses – those who are born with the ability to start on their own if they surround themselves with the right leaders who are honest and work just as hard as they do.

Regardless of your circumstances, if you work hard and believe, you will get the opportunities to succeed.

What do you see as the keys to effective leadership?

The keys to effective leadership are being transparent and trusting in the team around you. Having an open line of communication with the ability to delegate tasks, and the authority required to successfully deliver the final product, is the secret to success.

Do you feel that there are strong opportunities for women to grow and lead in business?

Absolutely. The more diverse, the better the company with new ideas, different ways of thinking, and perspectives from a woman’s viewpoint can impact the success of any company. It’s not easy, and could seem like a constant uphill battle, but view failure as part of the journey. I failed enough times at something that I could have almost given up. Once you overcome those challenges, as a woman, you realize that your impact is larger than anyone could imagine.

“I do feel a responsibility to be a mentor and a role model in young women’s career paths; I feel it is my purpose to guide the next generation – especially in an entrepreneurial world where the majority are men. It is important to continue to inspire, educate and provide the tools that are necessary in all aspects of life, as they are our future.”

You often speak about the importance for young women to find role models and mentors in their careers. Did you have mentors early in your career and do you see it as a responsibility for women in leadership positions today to give their time and expertise to the next generation of women leaders?

“My passion for philanthropy and creating the True Sioux Hope Foundation was born from the belief that with a little help, we could support the strength and spirit of the great Sioux Nation. The Foundation gives back by providing critical aid to a tribe where the poorest people in the country reside. By honoring and releasing the pain of the past, we can go on to create new opportunities for a brighter future.”

I do feel a responsibility to be a mentor and a role model in young women’s career paths; I feel it is my purpose to guide the next generation – especially in an entrepreneurial world where the majority are men. It is important to continue to inspire, educate and provide the tools that are necessary in all aspects of life, as they are our future.

Where did your passion for philanthropy develop and what was your vision for creating the True Sioux Hope Foundation?

My passion for philanthropy and creating the True Sioux Hope Foundation was born from the belief that with a little help, we could support the strength and spirit of the great Sioux Nation. The Foundation gives back by providing critical aid to a tribe where the poorest people in the country reside. By honoring and releasing the pain of the past, we can go on to create new opportunities for a brighter future.

You have built successful businesses and impacted many lives through your philanthropic work. Do you take moments to reflect and appreciate what you have accomplished or are you always looking at what is next?

I am fortunate to be someone with enormous influence. If I can inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to people, it is humility for those of us who supposedly ‘made it’ – kindness, not because of credit or recognition – just because you can.

A life lesson quote is my favorite Maya Angelou poem, “Phenomenal Woman.” I read this consistently in my 20s. It helped me to understand my currency, my elegance. It gave me confidence, while understanding of the gift of humility – the grace and gentle strength of a woman.

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Faster, Safer, and Cleaner An Interview with Christophe Gaussin, Chief Executive Officer, Gaussin EDITORS’ NOTE Christophe Gaussin of batteries, in particular electric and is the CEO of the Gaussin Gr oup, hydrogen fuel cells. With more than a c o m p a n y s p e c i a l i z i n g in 50,000 vehicles worldwide, Gaussin clean energy and smart freight enjoys a strong reputation in four fasttransport. He joined the family expanding markets: port terminals, company in 1992, which was airports, logistics and people mobility. founded by his great-great-grandfaThe group has developed strategic partther in 1880. During the following nerships with major global players to two years, Gaussin got a hands-on accelerate its commercial penetraeducation at the family business, tion: Siemens Postal, Parcel & Airport gaining an in-depth perspective on Logistics in the airport field, Bolloré the sector and acquiring experPorts and ST Engineering in ports, and Christophe Gaussin tise i n t h e m a t e r i a l h a n d l i n g Bluebus for people mobility. Gaussin manufacturing process that the has broadened its business model with company specializes in. Named General the signing of license agreements accelerating the Director of the company in 1994, he went on diffusion of its technology throughout the world. to take the presidency of the Board of Directors The acquisition of METALLIANCE confirms the one year later, succeeding his father, Henri emergence of an international group present in Gaussin. He infused the company with a new all segments of intelligent and clean vehicles. In vision right from the start by introducing motor- October 2021, Gaussin won the Dubai World ized vehicles instead of the “roll-trainers” that Challenge for Self-Driving Transport. his father had built his success on. In order to give the company greater operating flexibility, Will you highlight the history and herihe took Gaussin Manugistique public in 2006, tage of Gaussin and how the company has eventually listing it with Alternext. In 2006, the evolved? company filed nearly 16 patents, and two years Gaussin is a French engineering firm speciallater Gaussin created a new company called izing in smart, zero-emission transportation soluEVENT, specializing in research and devel- tions. The company has been in my family since it opment. In addition to introducing motorized was founded in 1880 and we have been working equipment for warehousing, Gaussin also reori- and innovating in the transportation sector from ented the company toward producing prototypes of hybrid and electric vehicles for heavy loads. In 2012, the company released a new range of vehicles under the name ATT (Automative Terminal Trailer) designed for the harbor environment after six years of research. This represented a first step towards warehousing automation in this particular environment. The vehicles were especially appealing to port operators because they use environmentally friendly technology, developed in partnership with the CEA (Atomic and Alternative Energy Commission). Gaussin received an undergraduate degree from Institut de Contrôle de Gestion and an MBA from Concordia University.

COMPANY BRIEF Gaussin (gaussin.com) is an engineering company that designs, assembles and sells innovative products and services in the transport and logistics fields. Its knowhow encompasses cargo and passenger transport, autonomous technologies allowing for self-driving solutions such as Automotive Guided Vehicles, and the integration of all types 92 LEADERS

that time to create the company that you see today, a leading specialist in creating clean energy products that move cargo and people.

I joined and took on the role of CEO in 1995 and the first major innovation of my tenure was to launch the first range of tailor-made electric, self-propelled vehicles for specific industries, such as oil and gas, aerospace and others.

It was also then that we started developing the next generation of battery-electric vehicles as well as new hydrogen fuel cells to make a full transition away from fossil fuels, and we did it: as of 2013, everything we produce or manufacture runs on clean energy only, either electricity, hydrogen, or both.

How do you define Gaussin’s mission and purpose?

At Gaussin, our motto is “Faster, safer and cleaner,” and ultimately, what we’re trying to do is to make transportation more responsible and efficient by developing vehicles that run on clean energy and also offering an option for driver-assisted technology across the various lines. A major motivation for our team is to help reverse the negative impact that the transportation sector has had on the environment due to the use of petroleum and the emission of greenhouse gases. We must do this without sacrificing important elements such as speed and safety, and automation helps with both factors.

Gaussin ATM H2 (above); Gaussin full hydrogen-powered truck line (top)

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One of the biggest topics of conversation in the trucking industry at this moment is the issue of driver shortages, and automation is helping with that as well.

How critical is innovation to Gaussin’s culture and where is innovation taking place in the company?

Innovation has been the heart and soul of the company from the very beginning. Today it is no different and even more evident through our partnerships, our energy solutions, and our technology. For much of my tenure as the CEO, we have focused on rolling out new zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles for the movement of goods and people in the off-road transportation segment. We also have developed our own automation technology for driver-assisted systems and robotic arm capabilities to couple and decouple trailers.

In 2021, we made our first move to enter the on-road trucking space, primarily Class 8 tractors for short-haul applications. For this expansion we launched our Road Truck Skateboard, designed as a modular platform to be compatible with cabins, truck bodies and other equipment for straight trucks and tractor trailers. We also recently unveiled our first line of on-road trucks, featuring our H2 Racing Truck, which is the first of the line to be developed, and it’s functional – we entered the 2022 Dakar Rally last month in the experimental category and our H2 Racing Truck completed all 12 stages. We are really proud of how it performed.

Will you provide an overview of Gaussin’s business and what differentiates the company in the industry?

Our core product line is zero-emission heavy-duty transportation for goods and cargo with a focus on seaports, logistics centers and airports. We also provide solutions for the movement of people in cities for last-mile transportation. We cover a much wider range of industry segments than our competitors with the vehicles that we offer, and our proprietary technology solutions – our battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell options, plus our modular Road Truck Skateboard, the battery swapping technology and our autonomous driving capabilities, to name a few – are also much broader in scope.

We’re also thinking about the full ecosystem.

When we speak to owners and operators who want to adopt clean energies, some of the challenges that they face are the upfront costs of the technology and the potential for more limited range over a duty cycle, relative to diesel. Both of these issues are addressed with new technology, but at Gaussin we are also offering turnkey solutions so that when we discuss the sale of a fleet of vehicles, we propose an end-to-end turnkey solution. People are more familiar with this in the automobile space, but it hasn’t been common in the heavy transportation space.

How has Gaussin adapted its business to address the challenges caused by the pandemic?

Gaussin has always been fairly international in nature so we are used to dealing with remote work, but some of our processes have VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

had to change and production times are a bit slower in some cases, but it’s the nature of the business. We are not experiencing this in a vacuum – we are also subject to the knock-on effect of the global supply chain issues – so for the most part the key change is our ability to set expectations with our customers.

If there is one thing that this pandemic has taught us, it’s to stay prepared for the unexpected, and that’s been our stance since the beginning of all of this.

How important is it for Gaussin to build a diverse and inclusive workforce?

It is very important to the success of our business to be as diverse and inclusive as possible. As mentioned, we are an international company with operations across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North America – so this really provides us the basis for a truly diverse and inclusive workforce. Just as we want to be leaders in the industry supporting climate change initiatives, we strive every day to create a workforce that reflects the world we want to see around us and we hope we can be examples for others in our industry by taking this perspective.

What do you see as Gaussin’s responsibility to the communities it serves and to being a force for good in society?

We have a tremendous responsibility as a company to have a positive impact on the communities we serve and interact with. A key part of our mission is to provide support for climate change initiatives around the world. We are the last generation that will have a chance to act on climate change before it is too late to make an impact, so if we can help to stop the

carbonization of our atmosphere, our children and our grandchildren will reap the benefits of these efforts. We’re taking steps to do this on our own with our clean energy technologies and our goal is to make the transition an easy decision.

Our strategic partnerships are also a very important way to create a bigger impact.

One of our most recent partnerships is with Aramco, which is one of the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals companies.

For Gaussin, this is a key partnership for the business, but it is also very important for our goal of decarbonization. It’s a goal shared by both companies and the collaboration brings us one step closer to achieving net zero carbon emissions.

What are your priorities for Gaussin as you look to the future?

Our next step is to deploy our Road Truck Skateboard – we’ll start rolling these out first in Europe, then in North America. We’ll also be building out our line of on-road hydrogen trucks and, as a result of our experience at the Dakar Rally this year, we will be making some adjustments to the truck.

Lastly, we’ll be focusing on building out the business in new regions – we launched a North American subsidiary in 2021 and it’s a great opportunity to introduce hydrogen energy capability – on-road and off-road – in the U.S. market. We have entered manufacturing partnerships with key companies on the continent, such as Plug Power in the U.S. and Magna and Loop Energy in Canada, and with these partnerships we will have an opportunity to address our core segments with local assembly and service.

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Gaussin H2 racing truck

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Terroir, People, and Time An Interview with Baptiste Loiseau, Cellar Master, LOUIS XIII working with the team to make sure we are performing at the highest levels, while also focusing my time on inspection and creation, where I concentrate on the final blend.

Will you highlight the commitment to sustainability and social responsibility for the brand?

This is a part of our DNA. This is at the essence of what we make every day and what the previous generations have done. When you have something that dates back to 1874, it shows the focus and responsibility that was given to preserve the terroir in order for the terroir to be able to continue for decades and decades. When you plant vineyards, it is for the next 40 to 50 years, so we must think long term and focus on sustainability. We use the words terroir, people, and time. We need to take care of our terroir, need to have people internally and externally that understand our vision, and need to focus for the long term.

You mentioned the team at LOUIS XIII. Will you elaborate on the talent and expertise of the team?

We have our own estate and a key for us is the partnership that we have with our growers which is something that was created more than 50 years ago. There was the understanding and vision at that time that in order to have the quality and quantity we wanted, it was necessary to build a mutually beneficial partnership with our growers. When I first joined the company, my role was to work with the growers and to make sure they had the tools to produce the quality and quantities necessary, since without these growers and all the other people on our team that focus on different areas of the business, there would be no LOUIS XIII. We spend a great amount of time on explaining our culture, training, and being transparent with our people which is why our team has been with us for many years.

Baptiste Loiseau

EDITORS’ NOTE Baptiste Loiseau became Cellar Master of LOUIS XIII in 2014. At the age of 34 at the time of his appointment, he became the youngest ever Cellar Master of LOUIS XIII. Growing up in the Cognac region, Loiseau has had a respect and understanding of the complex nature of cognac from a young age. In his role, he uses eau-de-vie from a curated selection set aside by the previous cellar masters, which he blends using experience and intuition to recreate the signature LOUIS XIII flavor profile.

In turn, he creates a new eau-de-vie that will eventually be used by his successors.

Will you discuss the history of LOUIS XIII and what has made LOUIS XIII so special?

The history behind LOUIS XIII with its creation in 1874 is what makes LOUIS XIII so special. It is a long history for the brand which is highlighted by the superiority of the land and the superiority of being aged longer. This is what is transferred from one cellar master to another over many years. The role of the cellar master is to make sure that the product is consistent and to preserve the legacy of the past, while building for the future. It is the priority of the cellar master to focus on quality above everything else – the quality of the land, the quality of the grapes, and the quality of the wine. We have built a team of incredibly talented and passionate people at LOUIS XIII and I balance my time between 94 LEADERS

LOUIS XIII, a tradition since 1874

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I often make a parallel between LOUIS XIII and a perfume. I like to say that LOUIS XIII is the perfume of time. Similar to the different aromas you will experience when you first smell a perfume, you will experience different aromas when you first bring a glass of LOUIS XIII to your nose. With both LOUIS XIII and perfume, you let time provide an opportunity to appreciate all the senses and emotions that come from the product.

The importance of taking time to experience the aromas is to prepare the palate for LOUIS XIII and it is best to take a small sip and to let LOUIS XIII take the space and lead the way to show all its facets – it may be fruity, floral, oaky, nutty – the flavors will come one after another. This is the power of LOUIS XIII. Will you discuss the impact that your predecessor, Pierrette Trichet, had on your career?

She taught me so much, from ripeness of the grapes all the way to the final blend of LOUIS XIII. It was an amazing apprenticeship.

She taught me about the importance of being demanding and always being committed to producing the highest quality. She also told me to trust my feelings and beliefs.

I learned from her the importance of staying true to the brand and to maintaining the quality and consistency that LOUIS XIII is known for. I see it as my responsibility to find and train the next generation that may become future cellar masters and hope to impact them in the same way that Pierrette impacted me.

How do you describe the LOUIS XIII experience?

For me, the LOUIS XIII experience starts by talking about the history and the location of where it comes from, and I like to start with a map to explain where Cognac is located since many people still do not realize that Cognac is a city. It is helpful to know where the product comes from in order to appreciate the essence of the brand. When you are tasting LOUIS XIII, it is important to take the time to experience all the aromas. There are all these flavors that come one after another and you need to have time to appreciate the full LOUIS XIII experience.

The LOUIS XIII experience is iconic from the very beginning when you witness the decanter.

From the first days in 1874, the shape of the decanter has remained the same so everywhere in the world, if you go to a high-end venue, you will see the LOUIS XIII decanter highlighted in the middle of the bar and it makes you feel that something special is happening in the place. We work with Baccarat in France and each decanter is handcrafted and unique.

I recommend for people tasting LOUIS XIII to go slow and to first discover the aromas on the nose and then on the palate. You will start to appreciate the aromas as soon as the glass approaches your nose, and each person will describe what they are experiencing in a different way. The power of LOUIS XIII is how it impacts your senses and emotions, and it brings back memories of special occasions and experiences.

This is the power of LOUIS XIII – you will discover something new every time you open a decanter.

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LOUIS XIII Time Collection (top), The Magnum (above)

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PURPOSE

Eliminating Waste An Interview with Ernie Peia, Owner, CSS, Inc. EDITORS’ NOTE Er nie Peia is want the older-looking packaging on Founder and Chief Executive Officer the shelves in the retail stores. As you of CSS Inc. (Closeouts Surplus & can imagine, all these factors affected Salvage). He started CSS 35 years their bottom-line profit in a negaago selling merchandise such as tive way. I knew there had to be an clothing and health and beauty aids alternative to what they were being out of the trunk of his car. Today, forced to do with their products. They CSS sells over 7,500 different items needed a partner who could help in many different categories such them with these challenges. Therefore as electronics, home goods, appliCSS (Closeouts Surplus & Salvage) was ances, automotive, toys, hardware, created, and we showed these major groceries, pet supplies, and more. In brand companies that selling us their Ernie Peia addition, CSS is the largest purchaser surplus products at a fair market price and reseller of As Seen on TV prodwould eliminate the need to sell at ucts in North America. CSS (cssincusa.com) is prices where their profit margins would be associated with many different charities such as hurt or even destroyed. Speaking of destroyed – the Make A Wish Foundation, Feed The Needy, and imagine how thrilled these companies were Gleaners Basket. when they realized they could sell us their slightly damaged products; now where they What was your vision for founding CSS? previously took a loss, they are making a profit.

When I first started out in the merchanWill you provide an overview of CSS’ dising business, I noticed major brand compa- services and solutions? nies had an extraordinary amount of surplus We have the ability to purchase and wareinventory. There were many reasons for this house extremely large quantities of merchansurplus of merchandise, including the change in dise. Our buying power enables us to sell major seasons, newer styles and models being intro- branded merchandise to smaller retailers and other duced, and faster technology. Another major venues that normally would not get the opportureason was that companies had to make room nity to purchase to sell these brands because in their warehouses to store new merchandise they could not afford to purchase the minimum that was coming in at a fast pace. For these purchase amounts required. By doing this, we not reasons, as well as others, they were forced to only help the brand expand the number of places sell their current inventory at closeout pricing. where their product is sold, but it also helps them In addition to the surplus, these companies achieve their targeted sales goals and increases would have to discard and destroy top-quality the brand’s awareness in the marketplace. We also merchandise just because the packaging was have a drop-ship division. What this simply means slightly damaged. Another issue was when is we ship merchandise directly for companies or they had a label change or when they intro- when items are purchased online. We provide this duced a newer-looking package, they didn’t service for them all around the world.

Project area at the CSS warehouse

I would like to mention that we are also a major refurbishing company. Major brands trust us to fix, repair, and repackage their product to their original manufactured condition. They need this service due to items getting damaged while being shipped, customers and retailers who return merchandise, floods, and issues with the temperature in their warehouse. These are just a few reasons why they need this valuable service.

Where do you see the greatest opportunities for growth for CSS business?

I believe and I hope most people will agree that we need to take care of our planet.

We need to dispose of trash in the proper way and we need to recycle products that can be used again or can be recycled into a new, useful product. We help companies start or continue to grow their green initiatives and sustainability programs. We have proven Zero Waste and Zero Landfill solutions programs. As companies

“I believe and I hope most people will agree that we need to take care of our planet. We need to dispose of trash in the proper way and we need to recycle products that can be used again or can be recycled into a new, useful product.”

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“We have the ability to purchase and warehouse extremely large quantities of merchandise. Our buying power enables us to sell major branded merchandise to smaller retailers and other venues that normally would not get the opportunity to purchase to sell these brands because they could not afford to purchase the minimum purchase amounts required.” and manufacturers continue to grow, so will their challenges with sustainability and we are there to help them by recycling their products in a way that is best for the planet which obviously is best for all of us who live here. We have showrooms in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Chicago, Illinois, Oklahoma, Las Vegas, and additional surrounding areas coming soon so we can better serve our clients with this fast-growing initiative as well as all of our other services.

How critical is it for CSS to build a diverse and inclusive workforce?

This is a subject that is extremely important to me - our employees. I say this because our employees are our most important asset.

Without them, we would not exist. Many have been working for us since the company started over 35 years ago. We have had the pleasure of watching them grow, and their families as well. We have an employee program which we call FGP (future growth program). We have periodic discussions with employees to discuss where they are in CSS and where they would like to go. We then set up a plan with them to help them achieve their goals.

Communication is paramount and that is why we have this program. We also always try to promote from within which has been a very successful program for us as I am a firm believer that the future of CSS is not only in my hands or in the hands of our current leadership, but it is also in the hands of our future leaders whom we are currently teaching, grooming, and learning from as well. I also have an open-door policy and I make sure that every employee knows if they have something on their mind that they would like to discuss, I am here for them just like they are here for me each day.

What do you see as CSS’ responsibility to the communities it serves?

The community we serve has always been extremely supportive of our success, so we do feel that we have a responsibility to give back to our community. Due to our growing success, we are always looking for new, talented employees and we are always excited when we can hire someone from our community to become part of our working family. In addition, we work with many local charities by donating food, clothing, appliances, building materials, cellular phones, and other necessities. We will continue with this practice and do whatever we can to help our neighbors. We also work with our neighborhood schools by donating sports equipment for their sporting programs. We also donate our time. We work with neighborhood representatives and help with projects to clean, repair, and beautify the neighborhood.

Did you always know that you had an entrepreneurial spirit and desire to build your own company?

I still remember my first lemonade stand when I was a child. I remember gathering all the ingredients with my mom to make the lemonade and making the stand and the sign, but what I remember most was the feeling in my heart when I sold that first glass of lemonade.

I will never forget that feeling. I was so proud of myself, and I knew my parents were proud of me too. Obviously, I wasn’t the first kid to have a lemonade stand, but for me it was a total success and I knew at that moment I wanted to do this again. When I was fourteen years old and in the eighth grade, I began selling candy in school. I started with Snickers and 3 Musketeers candy bars. After a short time, I had ten kids in

the school in different grades selling for me.

Looking back, I realize that was my first sales force. As I got older, I began to read every book I could on business and leadership. I still practice this behavior because as times change, great leaders must be adaptive and have the ability to change as well.

Do you take moments to reflect and appreciate what you have built with CSS or are you always looking at what is next?

I am a firm believer in taking time to reflect. In today’s busy world, I think people are too focused on where they want to go instead of taking a moment to turn around and truly notice how far they have come in their journey through life. We are all busy and technology is changing faster than ever and it’s almost impossible for us to keep up. Therefore, I try to use technology to assist me in my time of reflection.

For example, I will set a timer on my phone to remind me to stop what I’m doing and take a minute to be thankful for what I have. I also spend time viewing new and old pictures of me, my family, and my business so I can appreciate and be thankful for what I have accomplished.

I must admit that I do spend a lot of time looking for what is next for me and CSS. We all know that when we become too comfortable where we are, we tend to get lazy and then growth slows down, or even worse it stops. I have noticed this happen with friends and other business leaders I know. Sometimes it is difficult to get started or motivated again and we get caught in the “someday syndrome.” I once heard a saying that I will never forget: “The road to someday leads to a town of nowhere,” and that is a road I never want to take and a town I never want to visit.

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“I am a firm believer in taking time to reflect. In today’s busy world, I think people are too focused on where they want to go instead of taking a moment to turn around and truly notice how far they have come in their journey through life.”

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ESG

Creating 360° Value An Interview with KC McClure, Chief Financial Officer, Accenture EDITORS’ NOTE KC McClure was Accenture Song – all powered by the r ecognized as the number one world’s largest network of Advanced IT Services CFO in Institutional Technology and Intelligent Operations Investor’s 2020 annual survey of the centers. Its 710,000 people deliver on sector’s equity analysts and instithe promise of technology and human tutional investors. Prior to her ingenuity every day, serving clients in appointment as CFO in January more than 120 countries. Accenture 2019, McClure was Senior embraces the power of change to create Managing Dir ector – Business value and shared success for its clients, and Commer cial Finance and people, shareholders, partners, and was responsible for all of Finance’s communities. work across Accenture’s markets KC McClure and services. In addition, she was Will you provide an overview of responsible for the Commercial your role and areas of focus?

Management and Finance Strategy and As Accenture’s chief financial officer, I Enablement functions. During this time, she am responsible for the company’s corporate represented Finance on Accenture’s Operations controllership, treasury, tax, investor relations, Council. Throughout her more than 30-year financial reporting and analysis, strategic plancareer with Accenture, McClure has served in ning and analysis, and corporate development a number of Finance leadership roles. She was functions. I am a member of Accenture’s Global Finance Director for the Communications, Management Committee and I have been at Media and Technology and the Health and Accenture for more than 30 years.

Public Service groups where she was a member As CFO, I am focused on our strategy to of the leadership teams and responsible for create 360° Value for all our stakeholders – our financial operations worldwide, including sales, clients, people, shareholders, partners and contracting and delivery of client engagements. communities. How do we define 360° Value? It’s She was Head of Investor Relations from 2010 to 2016, and was responsible for cultivating and maintaining Accenture’s strategic relationships and communications with shareholders and the broader investment community. During her tenure, Accenture’s Investor Relations team was ranked number one in Institutional Investor’s annual survey of the sector’s equity analysts and institutional investors. Earlier in her career, she also served in a variety of finance roles with Accenture’s new business ventures, alliances and outsourcing teams. She joined the company in 1988 and was promoted to managing director in 2001. A certified public accountant, McClure holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business administration from Pennsylvania State University. She currently serves on both the Board of Visitors and the Accounting External Advisory Board for the Smeal College of Business at Penn State.

how we deliver the financial business case and unique value a client may be seeking, along with striving to partner with our clients to achieve greater progress on inclusion and diversity, reskilling and upskilling their people, achieving their sustainability goals, and creating meaningful experiences for their customers and employees.

We measure and report our success on both our financial results and the 360° Value we deliver for all our stakeholders.

How do you describe Accenture’s culture?

Let me start with our people. We believe the companies that will be the leaders in the next decade must be able to access talent; be a talent creator – not just a talent consumer; and unlock the potential of their people. Accessing talent starts with what we do. People are really motivated by the cutting-edge work that we do with market leading organizations and by how we do it. We create value while leading with values, because what matters most to our people is that what we say matches what we do; it strengthens trust.

We know we also need to be creators of talent, so we continuously pivot our people to

“How do we define 360° Value? It’s how we

deliver the financial business case and unique

value a client may be seeking, along with striving to partner with our clients to achieve greater

progress on inclusion and diversity, reskilling and upskilling their people, achieving their

COMPANY BRIEF Accenture (accenture.com) is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries, it offers Strategy and Consulting, Technology and Operations services, and 98 LEADERS

sustainability goals, and creating meaningful experiences for their customers and employees.”

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meet new demands, and by focusing on skill development, we can help our people remain highly relevant with vibrant career opportunities.

Unlocking the potential of talent requires the right operating model and culture; the ability to combine the power of technology and people; and most of all, a commitment to help your people be “net better off” because they work for your company.

We strive to meet our people’s needs beyond just providing a job and a paycheck – they want to have marketable skills, to feel they belong, to work with purpose, and to be physically and emotionally resilient. Our research shows that meeting these needs contributes to unlocking two-thirds of a person’s potential at work. And leaving people “net better off” is the single most important predictor of successful experiences, where everyone can participate fully and have an equitable experience, regardless of where they work. We know these things matter to our people because we ask them, and if there are gaps, we close them.

As a talent- and innovation-led organization with nearly 700,000 people, we have a culture of shared success – for our clients, our people, our shareholders, our partners and our communities. Our culture is built upon four tangible building blocks – our beliefs, our behaviors, the way we develop and reward our people, and the way we do business.

Our “Leadership Essentials” also set the standard for what we expect from not only our leaders, but also from all our people. They include always doing the right thing, in every decision and action; leading with excellence, confidence and humility; caring deeply about people personally and professionally; and a commitment to making client value creation a cornerstone of our business.

Will you highlight Accenture’s ESG strategy and how ESG is embedded into Accenture’s operations and culture?

Our strategy is to create 360° Value for all our stakeholders and this starts at the top with our Chair and CEO and Board. Our view of sustainability spans environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues including transitioning to a zero-carbon economy, protecting human rights, and advancing inclusion and diversity.

What was once viewed as a compliance issue is now about competitiveness – it’s a “must-have” for all stakeholders. This is why we have made sustainability one of our greatest responsibilities – we believe that it will create one of the most powerful forces for change in our generation. We believe that every business must be a sustainable business, and at Accenture, we are focused on both how we operate our own business, and helping our clients meet their sustainability goals.

We are helping our clients move swiftly from commitment to action. Our goal is to embed sustainability into everything we do and for everyone we work with, connecting our clients’ digital transformation agendas to making progress on their sustainability commitments. Our Sustainability Services, which span net-zero transitions to sustainable value chain, VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

“Our ‘Leadership Essentials’ also set the standard for what we expect from not only our leaders, but also from all our people. They include always doing the right thing, in every decision and action; leading with excellence, confidence and humility; caring deeply about people personally and professionally; and a commitment to making client value creation a cornerstone of our business.” technology, measurement, leadership and organization; and customer experience, helping our clients create business value and sustainable impact.

For our people, our commitment to inclusion, diversity and equality creates an environment that unleashes innovation, allows our people to perform at their very best, and underpins a culture in which everyone feels they have an equal opportunity to belong, advance and thrive. Our progress includes improvements in gender, race, and ethnicity diversity; accessibility for persons with disabilities; same-sex benefits; and diversity of our suppliers. We also set bold goals to accelerate gender equality. Today, more than 300,000 women work at Accenture and 50 percent of our Board of Directors are women.

In addition, we have implemented best-in-class wellness programs – with outstanding participation – and invest approximately $1 billion annually in skilling our people.

We are committed to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2025 and we will do this by first reducing our Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions and then investing in nature-based carbon removal solutions to remove any remaining emissions from the atmosphere. We are also making progress toward our goal to use 100 percent renewable electricity in our offices by 2023.

To help in our communities, we have equipped more than 5.8 million people with the skills to make substantive improvements to their lives through our Skills to Succeed initiative. In addition, we have made meaningful contributions to COVID-19 relief around the world, and we are working to assist Ukrainian and Afghan refugees.

Last year, we launched our 360° Value Reporting Experience, a new way to share our progress on how we are creating value for all our stakeholders. We did this because

transparency builds trust and helps us all make more progress. The experience enables our stakeholders to easily access the metrics that are most important to them and explore the frameworks and standards that Accenture currently reports against. We are measuring and reporting our success on both financial results and how well we deliver 360° Value for all our stakeholders.

What do you see as the keys to being effective in a company’s ESG efforts and how critical is it to have engagement and commitment from the C-suite for this work?

It’s critical that the C-suite drive successful ESG strategy and priorities because of the magnitude of change. That is why our strategy to create 360° Value for all our stakeholders starts at the top with our Chair and CEO and Board. Given the growth and importance of ESG matters, as well as our people and culture, the Board recently approved two enhancements: The Board’s Nominating & Governance Committee was renamed the Nominating, Governance & Sustainability Committee, reflecting its expanded oversight of the company’s ESG performance, disclosure, strategies, goals and objectives and its monitoring of evolving ESG risks and opportunities.

The Board also expanded the Compensation Committee‘s role to oversee strategies and policies related to our people, including overall well-being, pay equity, inclusion and diversity, leadership succession and culture. This enhanced role also inspired a new name: the Compensation, Culture & People Committee.

As a UN Global Compact (UNGC) signatory since 2008, we champion the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) focused on those that are most relevant for our company. We support our clients, many of them FORTUNE Global 500 and Forbes Global 2000 companies, as well as our suppliers and other stakeholders, on their SDG journeys.

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“We are committed to creating inclusive and equitable opportunities for all our people to advance and grow. We look for people with high learning agility from a wide variety of backgrounds and teach them high-demand skills because we believe potential is greater than pedigree. This focus not only opens new doors to find talent, but also provides people with new career pathways.”

Building on this partnership with the UNGC, last year we expanded the ESG reporting we have been doing for more than a decade based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). We now also include disclosure against the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosure (TCFD), and the World Economic Forum International Business Council (WEF IBC) metrics.

Our new governance structure, including an ESG steering committee, helps to define, support and execute our reporting strategy.

Good governance also builds transparency and confidence that the data is accurate. It includes policies, internal controls and assurance so that ESG data is institutionalized and treated like financial data.

This governance extends to our supply chain. As a global company we have an opportunity to use our procurement process to drive responsible change at scale. We focus on four pillars to advance responsible buying: the environment; human rights; supplier inclusion and diversity; and the future of work. In addition, we believe that our clients will require sustainability commitments from their suppliers. And we are our clients’ Scope 3 emissions, so it matters to them that we plan to use 100 percent renewable electricity in our offices by 2023.

How important are metrics to track the impact of Accenture’s ESG initiatives?

Our roadmap from commitment to action includes leveraging data, technology and skills as well as expanded metrics to measure our performance and help us all make more progress. Using data and metrics, we develop goals against our ESG priorities and commitments. We understand our baseline, measure our performance, and continue to share progress with all our stakeholders through our 360° Value Reporting Experience.

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Technology not only enables transformation, but also captures data in a repeatable and reliable way. “One source of the truth” is critical, as is the ability to get data quickly and accurately. Everyone, everywhere across the organization, must have the exact same information. The infrastructure is in place to move fast to capture new waves of growth. We need all of this so we can move with speed, agility, flexibility and scalability.

For example, we have a single global instance of both SAP and Workday that support efficiency in gathering specific ESG data while enabling reliable, real-time reporting. The currency of the future is data, and by keeping all our finance data in the cloud with S/4 HANA on Azure, we know firsthand that moving to the cloud is key to having real-time access to data across the entire enterprise, right down to the transaction level, which enables agility and speed.

Our Finance organization plays a key role in tracking and measuring the impact of our ESG initiatives, collaborating across the company to ensure we are capturing and reporting the right data in a reliable and consistent way, making how we treat sustainability metrics just as important as financial data. Our most senior leaders are measured by not only financial performance, but by meeting additional nonfinancial objectives, including our diversity and skilling goals.

Will you discuss Accenture’s commitment to build a diverse and inclusive workforce?

Our unwavering commitment to inclusion and diversity creates an environment that unleashes innovation for Accenture and our clients. We are a recognized leader, taking a broad view of diversity – including gender, race and ethnicity, LGBTI and persons with disabilities – that also extends to the diversity of our suppliers.

As part of this journey, in 2016 Accenture became the first professional services company to publish our demographics by race, along with statistics on gender, veterans and persons with disabilities – holding ourselves accountable and building trust that we were serious about driving change.

In 2017, we set a goal to achieve a genderbalanced workforce by 2025. Since then, we have doubled the number of women, from 150,000 to more than 300,000, and we’re almost at 47 percent women today, on track to achieve our goal. We are also making progress against our race and ethnicity goals.

In 2022, we were the highest-scoring company on the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index, and we were recently recognized as number one on DiversityInc’s 2022 Top 50 Companies for Diversity list, marking the 16th consecutive year DiversityInc has recognized Accenture in the U.S. for creating an inclusive and equitable culture. As a result, we believe that we have a broader talent pool to draw from.

We are committed to creating inclusive and equitable opportunities for all our people to advance and grow. We look for people with high learning agility from a wide variety of backgrounds and teach them high-demand skills because we believe potential is greater than pedigree. This focus not only opens new doors to find talent, but also provides people with new career pathways.

For example, we are creating new career opportunities for our people from our apprenticeship programs, and we have hired more than 1,200 apprentices since 2016. The vast majority – 960 people, or 80 percent – joined the company without a four-year college degree, and we plan to have 20 percent of our entry-level hires in the U.S. come from apprenticeships this year. It’s a win-win for our people and our business.

What are your priorities for Accenture’s ESG work as you look to the future?

It starts with accountability and transparency, and an ongoing commitment that we are going to measure ESG and use the data to inform our actions. This is the foundation on which we build trust with all our stakeholders.

We will continue to measure our success by the way we create 360° Value and make progress on meeting our goals relative to diversity, climate and upskilling our people, making how we treat sustainability metrics just as important as financial data.

Our priorities will continue to reflect how we invest in sustainability on behalf of our clients – whether using digital technology to not only make their supply chains more resilient, but also increase their overall energy efficiency.

ESG reporting is now table stakes.

Ultimately, our ESG strategy and approach are about competitiveness. Our research shows that companies that embrace sustainability are more profitable and deliver a higher total return to shareholders. Measuring progress like every other business strategy is critical. Sustainability is not only the right thing to do – it also is essential for how companies will win in the future.

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ESG

Accelerating the Information Revolution An Interview with Catherine Lenson, Managing Partner, SoftBank Investment Advisers EDITORS’ NOTE Catherine Lenson into being less than six years ago to is a Managing Partner at SoftBank manage the SoftBank Vision Funds.

Investment Advisers, the world’s As a young part of the organization, largest technology investment firm our culture has evolved as a unique with $175 billion under management mix of different backgrounds, in the two SoftBank Vision Funds geographies and heritage – proudly and SoftBank Latin America Funds.

London-based, blending the best of She sits on the Investment Committee the Silicon Valley Venture Capital for the $100 million SB Opportunity world with our Japanese corpoFund and is the executive sponsor of rate headquarters. The combination Emerge, SoftBank’s tech accelerator of these three cultures provided a for underrepresented entrepreneurs. stimulus for us to build our idenCatherine Lenson An experienced and trusted executity and corporate behaviors from tive coach at C-suite level, she works the ground up. We focus on three with companies within the Vision Fund port- critical principles: teamwork – being collabfolio on leadership, talent, and operating chal- orative and challenging one another to reach lenges, including as a Board Director. Lenson is a better outcomes; integrity – emphasizing member of the SBIA Remuneration Committee; is inclusivity and transparency; and impact – the a Director of SoftBank Israel; and oversees the HR, belief that through a shared vision we can ESG and Real Estate teams. Outside of SoftBank, amplify our ambition.

Lenson is a Young Global Leader (World Economic We understand that culture will deterForum, Class of 2021);a founding member of mine not only how we develop the accomSustainability30 (which brings together Chief plished team we’ve already assembled, but Sustainability Officers from 30 of the world’s whether we continue to attract the best talent leading companies) ,and an active participant in and portfolio companies in the industry. In the U.K. angel investor community (particularly the past two years it’s proved a huge strapassionate about personally supporting ambitious tegic asset in bringing people together even diverse founders building companies with global during times of physical isolation. It’s made us scale). Lenson grew up in Lincolnshire, studied a stronger company. at Cambridge University, and is active as a third How do you define SBIA’s mission and sector advisor and trustee, including as a Director purpose? of University Jewish Chaplaincy, an organization SoftBank’s CEO, Masayoshi Son, which supports Jewish students across dozens of famously articulated his 30-year vision, UK universities. founded on an ecosystem that promotes the sharing of wisdom and knowledge to accelORGANIZATION BRIEF SoftBank Investment erate the Information Revolution. Our belief Advisers (SBIA) believes the next stage of the is that artificial intelligence (AI) will fundaInformation Revolution is underway. Through mentally change the relationship between the SoftBank Vision Funds, SoftBank LatAm mankind and machines, that computers will Funds, and the Opportunity Fund, SBIA is enable human beings to connect in new ways investing in many of the world’s leading tech- to satisfy their emotional, physical and spirinology companies. SBIA offers the operational tual needs, and that these technologies are expertise, global network and patient capital central to building a happier and fulfilling required to help exceptional founders build future for everyone. It was this ambition to market-leading companies. Established in create a better world that first drew me to 2017, SBIA is headquartered in London, with work at SBIA. a further 13 offices operating across North It’s a lofty ambition, but we experience America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. every day how the technologies we invest in, from autonomous vehicles to computational How do you describe SoftBank Investment biology, hydroponic farming to renewable Advisers’ culture and how critical is culture energy storage, digital entertainment to hyperto the strength and leadership of SBIA? local e-commerce, will genuinely reshape S o f t B a n k G r o u p ’ s i n v e s t m e n t ar m how we live, work and play in the decades (SoftBank Investment Advisers – SBIA) came to come.

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How did SoftBank Investment Advisers adapt the way it works to address the challenges caused by the global pandemic?

The pandemic forced us to reflect on how we operate, support our portfolio companies, and support each other. A topic I’ve found particularly interesting is the renegotiation of the employer/employee contract. Postpandemic, the concept that a manager might not know anything about an employee’s personal life feels absurd. We’ve all gotten so used to seeing each others’ spouses, kids, pets on Zoom calls – it’s a totally different sort of integration.

We’ve also put a lot of thought into how we tackle the communication challenges that come with virtual and hybrid working. We’re small, so we can have personal conversations in a way that you can’t in a huge firm, but like everyone, we’ve had to think about how to show empathy and care in a digital environment. Our CEO, Rajeev Misra, is a truly authentic and personal leader, and we’ve really benefited from his approach during a difficult period. Ultimately, the past few years have reaffirmed our belief in the power of face-to-face interaction.

Will you provide an overview of your role and areas of focus?

Much of my career has been focused on helping women succeed – internally as a driving force behind DE&I efforts in the workplace; externally with leading programs that aim to get capital into the hands of female entrepreneurs; through opportunities for tech products to reduce barriers to women’s full participation in the workforce and economy; and personally as an active angel investor in female-run companies, a speaker on women’s issues, and a coach and mentor for women of all levels across industries.

I’m very proud to have been SBIA’s first female Managing Partner, and even more delighted that I’m no longer the only one. Day-to-day, I lead our $100 million+ Opportunity Fund and our Emerge accelerator, and I drive our strategy around ESG which is an increasingly important area of focus for SoftBank Group, led by Yoshimitsu Goto, our CFO and Chief Sustainability Officer for the Group. I’m a Director of our subsidiary in Israel, and I oversee the HR and Real Estate teams.

Within the Vision Funds’ portfolios, I’m proud to have had great opportunities to build experience and trust as an executive coach at

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the C-suite level, working with companies on leadership, talent, and operating challenges, including as a Board Director.

How is ESG engrained in SoftBank Investment Advisers’ strategy?

While SoftBank Vision Funds and SoftBank Latin America Funds are not impact funds, Environmental, Social and Governance standards (ESG) are increasingly relevant to how we invest and oversee our portfolio.

We conduct ESG pre-investment risk assessments on a significant number of potential investment opportunities. These incorporate the use of a third-party digital intelligence tool which analyzes millions of publicly available data sources,metrics and ESG risk profiles of the company. Post investment,selective risk monitoring is conducted including via third party providers where appropriate.

In relation to environmental impact, SoftBank Vision Funds invest in multiple companies that contribute to climate change mitigation. These include enterprises focused on the generation and storage of clean energy, such as Energy Vault and Enpal, or on the decarbonization of urban mobility, including TIER and ZŪm.

At the governance level, diversity is an important issue for us. We support portfolio companies with C-suite and board appointments to help provide a balanced pipeline of candidates by gender and race. By working with independent organizations such as Him for Her, Athena, Beyond Board, Stanford Women on Boards, and Boardlist, we have seen consistent progress in increasing female representation in boardrooms across the portfolio.

You serve as the executive sponsor of Emerge, SoftBank’s successful tech accelerator for underrepresented entrepreneurs. What was the vision for creating ‘Emerge?

I always start by emphasizing that Emerge was truly a commercial venture – not a philanthropic endeavor. Emerge was created with the belief that the companies of tomorrow should represent the world today, and that without the full participation of entrepreneurs from all backgrounds, we limit the amount of innovation in the world.

We sincerely believe that these companies will go on to be exceptional investments.

It’s a fact that diverse founders are “overmentored and under-funded.” We saw diverse founders starting businesses and perhaps getting early funding from angel investors, but not moving successfully through the funding pipeline. With the Vision Funds as growthstage vehicles, we realized we’d have to get involved at an earlier stage in the pipeline to open up doors to underrepresented founders.

I’m personally grateful to Masayoshi Son for his sponsorship of Emerge and the Opportunity Fund. Even though these programs were being run far from our Tokyo headquarters, when we asked for his support, he understood immediately why SoftBank needed to step up in this space, and he gave us his backing. I’m proud to work for an VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

organization where our leaders are committed to doing what is right, not what is easy.

How critical is it for SoftBank to bring diverse perspectives and experiences to the table when making business decisions?

Diversity isn’t just a nice-to-have; it helps us to make better decisions and accelerates business growth. But as an industry, we’re missing out on the diverse perspectives that drive true innovation because of a lack of representation. At SBIA we have clear goals to increase representation among minority groups, and our senior leadership is accountable for progress against this ambition.

We’re proud to say that The Information ranked us 8/100 in their VC Diversity Index, number one of all funds with more than $15 billion under management. We scored particularly high on ethnicity and continue to focus on gender, which is an area of ongoing progress across the firm. Our numbers have been consistently improving and, today, 45 percent of our employees are women, and 32 percent of our investors are female (20 percent at partner or more senior roles). That’s progress for sure, but we’re nowhere near satisfied.

“SoftBank’s CEO, Masayoshi Son, famously articulated his 30-year vision, founded on an ecosystem that promotes the sharing of wisdom and knowledge to accelerate the Information Revolution.”

SoftBank has built an investment ecosystem of over 450 companies. How do you interact with these founders and how do you guide them during today’s uncertainty?

Many of our companies have been well prepared for the pandemic because they pivoted early to prioritize profitability and unit economics and have raised enough capital to weather the storm. We also offer bespoke support through our Operating Group which

comprises former executives with direct experience in leading companies on the ground.

These specialists advise on specific issues faced by companies in an uncertain environment, such as cash flow management, capex planning, and supply chain negotiation.

Ultimately, our relationships with founders are built on trust. We give them space to do their best work but ensure they’re comfortable asking for help when they need it.

Do you feel that there are adequate opportunities for women to grow and lead in VC? Women r emain dramatically underrepresented in leadership roles in VC firms, and while our industry spends a lot of time thinking about recruitment, we often spend less time thinking about retention and promotion. At SoftBank, we’re increasingly focusing on how we allocate opportunities, the sort of conditions we create in the firm, how voices are heard, how we call out bias when we see it, and the role that direct managers play in setting the right tone.

Beyond this, it’s important that we understand how every investment professional can fall victim to unconscious bias when meeting founders who don’t necessarily look or sound like them. Research published by HBR highlighted how male entrepreneurs often get asked questions by VCs about potential for gains, and women about potential for losses.

Quoting the piece: “According to the psychological theory of regulatory focus, investors adopted what’s called a promotion orientation when quizzing male entrepreneurs, which means they focused on hopes, achievements, advancement, and ideals. Conversely, when questioning female entrepreneurs, they embraced a prevention orientation, which is concerned with safety, responsibility, security, and vigilance. We found that 67 percent of the questions posed to male entrepreneurs were promotion-oriented, while 66 percent of those posed to female entrepreneurs were prevention-oriented.” It’s no surprise, then, that the male-led startups in the study went on to raise 5X more funding than their female counterparts.

We’re investing huge energy to resist falling into these traps, by conducting unconscious bias training for our investment team, and in coaching our diverse founders on how they should turn around this line of questioning.

What advice do you offer to young people beginning their careers during this challenging and unprecedented time?

Your career will look more like a jungle gym than a ladder; the days of climbing upwards in ascending rungs are over. Working lives are going to be longer than they’ve ever been, and consequently, less linear. Try new things. Move horizontally. Seek out work that you enjoy and that builds your skills. Seek out mentors who inspire you and learn from them. Grab opportunities when they come, even if it’s not immediately obvious what they lead to.

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ESG

The ESG Ecosystem An Interview with Jeannie S. Rhee, Partner, Litigation Department and Deputy Managing Partner, Washington, D.C. Office, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison EDITORS’ NOTE Jeannie Rhee is Will you give an overview of a litigation partner and deputy Paul, Weiss’ Sustainability and managing partner of Paul, Weiss’ ESG practice?

Washington, D.C. office. She joined Our ESG team has grown to seven Paul, Weiss in 2019 from the office full-time ESG lawyers and six ESG of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, professionals, who regularly collabowhere she led the team investigating rate with 25 ESG-focused partners Russian cyber, social media and across the firm, such as myself. At a intelligence efforts to influence the high level, the firm leverages this cross2016 presidential election. A versadisciplinary team to help clients build, tile litigator and former prosecutor, improve and strengthen their ESG she specializes in sensitive investiprograms, strategy and governance.

Jeannie S. Rhee gations, white collar and regulatory Using a collaborative approach, we defense and cybersecurity matters. work with clients to produce tailored, She is also leading several impactful pro bono holistic solutions that mitigate legal risk and optimatters focused on hate groups and the rights mize for long-term success. of Asian Americans. Rhee earned a BA summa The practice brings together ESG-focused cum laude from Yale University and a JD from lawyers, dedicated program managers, sustainYale Law School. ability experts, data scientists and researchers with our market-leading, preeminent lawyers in FIRM BRIEF Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & M&A, white collar and regulatory defense, internal Garrison (paulweiss.com) is a firm of more investigations, fund formation and other practhan 1,000 lawyers with diverse backgrounds, tices. We provide counsel on the entire breadth personalities, ideas and interests who collab- of needs in the ESG ecosystem, from engagement oratively provide innovative solutions to their on ESG issues; to corporate governance, the “G” clients’ most critical and complex legal and of ESG; to crisis management in the ESG context; business challenges. Paul, Weiss represents the to corporate social responsibility and sustainability world’s largest public and privately held corpo- initiatives; to diversity, equity and inclusion-focused rations and investors, as well as clients in need ESG matters; and to regulatory compliance and of pro bono assistance. enforcement matters.

Why did Paul, Weiss create an ESG Advisory practice?

In the years leading up to the launch of our ESG practice, we were approached by numerous clients who needed help navigating the labyrinthine legal, business and political ramifications of developing and implementing ESG-related initiatives. Our Chairman, Brad Karp, recognized that we had to build a fullservice, dedicated team of ESG lawyers and experts to respond holistically to client needs in this area.

Our firm brought in Dave Curran, an internationally recognized expert on ESG, to help us launch our Sustainability & ESG Advisory Practice in April 2020, ahead of most other law firms, positioning us well to proactively help our clients respond to ESG-related challenges, including those prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement, among others. The practice has been incredibly successful since its launch.

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Companies and boards often struggle to follow and coordinate the fragmented ecosystem of ESG ratings, frameworks and regulation. We help clients with this. We also provide clients robust thought leadership to empower them with the most relevant and timely regulatory developments, market trends and industry best practices.

Our ultimate goal is to help our clients, which include the world’s largest and most important companies and their boards, navigate safely through these challenges so that their businesses emerge stronger and more resilient.

How is ESG a core component of your practice?

I advise clients on sensitive internal investigations and high-stakes civil, white collar and regulatory matters. Today, I am expected to apply an ESG lens to my work on internal investigations and general litigation strategy. Increasingly, an ESG knowledge base is critical to mitigating legal risk and thus an important tool in my litigators’ toolbox.

So whether I am conducting a racial equity audit for a large online retailer, engaging in a holistic review of a technology company’s compliance program, or litigating against hate groups for carrying out racially motivated violence, I am taking ESG principles and best practices into consideration.

“At a high level, the firm leverages this crossdisciplinary team to help clients build, improve and strengthen their ESG programs, strategy and governance. Using a collaborative approach, we work with clients to produce tailored, holistic solutions that mitigate legal risk and optimize for long-term success.”

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“Companies and boards often struggle to follow and coordinate the fragmented ecosystem of ESG ratings, frameworks and regulation. We help clients with this. We also provide clients robust thought leadership to empower them with the most relevant and timely regulatory developments, market trends and industry best practices.”

I regularly oversee sensitive investigations and formal audits, and help boards and top management become informed and respond appropriately, both to internal and external stakeholders, often in conjunction with the ESG advisory team. I evaluate and measure material risks, consider external factors and influences, help clients define the story they wish to tell, and help them make decisions based on input from all stakeholders.

Why are clients increasingly turning to Paul, Weiss for guidance on ESG issues?

The pandemic and the national movement for racial justice greatly intensified stakeholder focus on the “S,” or social concerns, in ESG. Companies are now expected to address and respond with conviction to high-profile social issues and back it up with aligned action.

Today, many of our ESG mandates are focused on helping clients address DE&I concerns and on ensuring that their public statements related to diversity goals match their ability to track progress and meet expectations.

On top of rising stakeholder expectations, a new wave of federal ESG-related regulation is expected to trigger significant new challenges for businesses and boards. Paul, Weiss is uniquely prepared to support our clients in this area because we have deeply experienced lawyers focused on compliance and regulatory issues, such as myself, and a market-leading ESG advisory team.

How is Paul, Weiss currently helping clients in their ESG efforts?

Our firm includes former senior-level government officials like myself and nationally leading litigators and corporate advisers who are focused on helping clients navigate new ESG-focused state, national and global regulatory changes. In particular, because of our historic leadership in the civil rights and DE&I areas, Paul, Weiss is the reflexive choice for engagements touching on issues of racial equity.

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We leverage our experience in this area to help clients enhance their efforts to develop sustainable and impactful initiatives; build or enhance a culture of inclusion; and track and measure DE&I progress. Recently, our team has been counseling some of the world’s largest companies and their boards in sensitive audits and internal investigations – including DE&I-focused audits – to help them manage, respond to and navigate challenging new expectations on the part of internal and external shareholders.

If necessary, our renowned litigation team defends companies and boards when ESG-related issues prompt regulatory interest or enforcement actions. We defend clients in a full range of ESG-related crises, including unfavorable media exposure; alleged employee or management misconduct; disclosure-related and other securities litigation; and various claims against boards and independent committees.

How can companies effectively navigate the “social” element of ESG? Stakeholders are demanding that businesses respond publicly to issues of great societal urgency, including coronavirus pandemic impacts, the racial justice movement, voter restrictions, anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ state laws, and the recent rise in violence against the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, among other issues.

These demands on businesses and investment funds are increasingly reflexive and organizations should be prepared for continued scrutiny from all sides. Responses must be driven by a thorough assessment and deep understanding of what your stakeholders are expecting from you during a moment of crisis.

Actively and consciously engaging with all stakeholders – including customers, employees, investors and board members – can help clearly define what a company or entity stands for, allowing it to respond comprehensively and effectively when ESG issues arise.

Particularly for “S” issues, it’s also important to not underestimate the power of allyship – advocating and actively working for the inclusion of a marginalized group – in addressing challenging social issues, particularly among members of the Black and AAPI community.

Paul, Weiss is known for its commitment and investment in ESG thought leadership. Will you share how the practice is broadening its knowledge and research efforts, especially for lawyers and the business community?

In 2020 and 2021, clients were clamoring not only for thought leadership on ESG, but deeper, data-driven ESG intelligence on evolving trends, new regulations and market dynamics.

Paul, Weiss recognized the need for independent, solutions-oriented research and analysis on the intersection of ESG with legal risk and has produced some of the timeliest analyses on the emerging area.

We are also on the front lines of emerging ESG thought leadership via a first-of-its-kind ESG and Law Institute. The Institute cultivates and expands the discussion on the intersection of ESG and the law, providing a centralized forum of ESG intelligence for public company leadership and the legal community. Led by firm Chairman Brad Karp and ESG Advisory Practice Co-Chair Dave Curran, it partners with the nation’s leading law schools to convene roundtable discussions and collaborate on proprietary research, and will provide cutting-edge insights and intelligence to businesses still navigating the ESG ecosystem. The Institute has already partnered with Berkeley Law School’s Business in Society Institute and Howard University School of Law. What advice do you have for organizations trying to comply with the rapidly evolving ESG regulatory landscape?

We are almost certain to see a slow but steady transition from voluntary to mandatory ESG disclosure. Regulators expect companies to take the lead and define the issues and topics material to them. More importantly, regulators will observe closely how organizations talk about those issues and then scrutinize disclosures by asking: is this company actually doing what they say they are doing? Does this fall in line with our compliance?

Companies and their legal teams should get out ahead of these upcoming changes. This is the time to revisit and update ESG priorities, consider scenario planning and start pressuretesting new ESG initiatives. Engage directly with investors and the public to take the temperature, and keep an eye out for geopolitical, regulatory or other clues that the ground will shift again. Ensure consistency and alignment in messaging across all channels – filings, public statements, ESG reports and more – to close the gaps and lessen risk. Reviews and formal audits are a powerful way to find the facts and face them head-on: boards and top management should take informed action to address shortcomings, respond appropriately to internal and external stakeholders, and mitigate potential adverse publicity.

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ESG

Mission, Vision, and Values An Interview with Xiaojun (Dennis) Huang, Executive Vice President, Bank of China U.S.A. EDITORS’ NOTE Dennis Huang is Part of our commitment to an EVP and senior financial econserving the needs of our clients and omist of Bank of China U.S.A. His our communities is reducing our team has been delegated to lead carbon footprint. As reported in the Bank’s strategic management the 2021 annual ESG Corporate process, including risk-based straSocial Responsibility Report of the tegic planning and strategy impleBOC Group, sustainable developmentation monitoring, on top of his ment bonds issued overseas reached responsibilities focusing on macroUS$12.8 billion, and BOC U.S.A. economy and business research, as contributed a significant part in the well as training. He also leads the Group’s overseas green and sustainN.Y. Research Center of the Research able finance business development.

Institute of BOC Group and BOC Xiaojun (Dennis) Huang We provide green financial services Academy (NY) of BOC University. and continue working to expand our Before working for the Bank, Huang had capabilities to achieve our sustainability goals. extensive securities industry experience in both Will you discuss Bank of China U.S.A.’s China and the U.S. He engaged in the prepa- ESG initiatives? ration of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. He has Embedding and adopting ESG into banking served as an elected board member of the China strategies has never been more important. BOC International Finance Society, BOC’s Global U.S.A. will expand our customer base in local, Research Expert Network, and as a member of the sustainable, and low-carbon industries, with a advisory board of the Emerging Market Institute particular focus on clean energy. This includes of Johnson Business School at Cornell University. energy conservation, emissions reduction, waste Huang holds an MBA from Cornell University. recycling, and low-carbon transportation.

Within the past year, we have led or particCOMPANY BRIEF As China’s most interna- ipated in many green finance projects, with a tional and diversified bank, Bank of China combined credit of billions of dollars. Our clients (www.boc.cn/en) has a well-established global include one of the largest geothermal power service network with institutions set up across the producers and one of the largest commercial Chinese mainland, as well as in more than 60 offshore wind projects in the U.S., as well as countries and regions. It has established an inte- widely recognized companies in environmental grated services platform based on the pillars of maintenance and industrial cleaning services. its corporate banking, personal banking, finan- BOC U.S.A. has proudly achieved industry-wide cial markets and other commercial banking coverage supporting clean energy. businesses, which covers investment banking, Besides green finance, our ESG business direct investment, securities, insurance, funds, development also addresses social and sustainaircraft leasing and other areas, thus providing able finance. We invested significant amounts in its customers with a comprehensive range of green bonds issued by the International Bank financial services. Bank of China U.S.A. (BOC for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) U.S.A.) (www.bocusa.com) has branches in New and Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) York City, Queens, Chicago and Los Angeles. for the purpose of combating the COVID-19 pandemic. The total value of green and social How important is being a sustainable bonds held by BOC U.S.A. as of 1st quarter of business to Bank of China U.S.A.?

2022 is close to 9.5 percent of our entire bond We are fully committed to promoting the portfolio. integration of ESG concepts across BOC U.S.A. We have established a dedicated ESG By integrating ESG factors and the concept of Working Group, consisting of six subgroups, sustainable development into our strategic plan- covering all three aspects of ESG. In addition to all ning, we promote the integration of sustainability I have described about our ESG business developin corporate governance, risk management, and ment, we have also taken initiatives to continue value creation. As we are continuously educating enhancing our existing Diversity, Equity, and ourselves on the latest industry trends, we are Inclusion (DEI) programs, our Corporate Social building a foundation of knowledge to integrate Responsibility (CSR) activities, our Community environmental and social risks into our systems.

Reinvestment Act (CRA) initiatives, as well 106 LEADERS

as our Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption (ABAC) program. We also launched green office and green operations projects and implemented an annual carbon footprint survey aiming at reducing our own carbon footprint.

How critical is it for Bank of China U.S.A.’s leadership team to enable and support delivery of its ESG and sustainability strategy?

Our executive management attaches great importance to green finance and ESG. First and foremost, we see ESG and sustainability as an essential part of BOC U.S.A.’s strategy. Starting from 2021, ESG has become an important part of our strategic plan. Following the overall guidance of BOC Group, our strategic plan closely adheres to the group’s strategic outline and emphasizes high-quality development and highlights green finance as one of our main priorities.

In recent years, we established a formal ESG Program and an ESG Annual Work Plan to ensure we deliver on our ESG commitments.

Our executive leadership has been closely involved in the development of all key documents in these plans to ensure we have strategic consistency and the necessary resources to support our efforts.

Our executive management team also regularly joins meetings convened by our dedicated ESG Working Group to participate in key discussions about ESG topics and provide guidance regarding prioritized ESG programs. A dedicated EVP was also assigned to lead ESG-related key initiatives and monitor their implementation.

Will you highlight Bank of China U.S.A.’s focus on developing and delivering ESG products and services to help its clients achieve their individual ESG objectives?

We have a client in the wind energy sector who is currently building the nation’s first utility-scale offshore wind energy project more than 15 miles off the coast of Massachusetts.

The project will generate clean, renewable and affordable energy for more than 400,000 homes and businesses across the Commonwealth, while reducing carbon emissions by more than 1.6 million tons per year – that is the equivalent of taking 325,000 cars off the road. It will achieve all this while offering $3.7 billion in energy related cost savings over the life cycle of the project. Since the project financing was initiated in 4th quarter last year, it has attracted

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The headquarters building for Bank of China U.S.A. in Manhattan

a number of mainstream banks to participate, but Bank of China U.S.A. was the only Chinese bank to receive an invitation. This project also received the Project Finance International (PFI) award for ESG Deal of the Year in 2021.

Another example of a project finance deal we supported is the largest complex of geothermal power plants in the world. The complex, located in California, will house 13 power plants, with a net generating capacity of about 725 megawatts of electricity – enough to power 725,000 homes, or a city the size of San Francisco. It will be one of the most reliable energy sources in California, accounting for 9 percent of the green power produced in VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

the state. In December 2021, Bank of China U.S.A. participated in the syndicated financing group for the project and committed to its loan facility. In 2022, as the construction of the facility progresses, we will continue providing financing to the project to demonstrate our long-term commitment to ESG. We also support solar projects as well. In particular, we backed one of the largest solar PV (Photovoltaic) + BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) projects in the U.S. with a sponsor who is at the forefront of developing, building and operating energy storage and solar projects across North America. With an industry-seasoned team and in-house capability in development,

construction and long-term asset management, the sponsor delivers a full spectrum of energy services, but with a nimble, flexible, and more unique approach. This year, Bank of China U.S.A. has been invited to participate in its loan facility to make this project a reality.

How is Bank of China U.S.A. attracting, developing, and retaining the leadership, talent and skills needed to drive its sustainability strategy and outcomes?

Bank of China U.S.A. is committed to capacity building initiatives that focus on ESG, particularly those that foster employee knowledge and understanding of ESG-related topics.

Doing so not only makes a positive impact on organizational performance, revenue, and competitiveness, but also instills the necessary values and skills to inspire environmentally aware individuals to act sustainably inside and outside of the workplace. This work is in alignment with our green finance talent development plan and in conjunction with an internal sustainability-focused research institute aimed at cultivating green finance professionals.

Green finance-related training and R&D projects are a major strategic task in our training plan. With great importance placed on green finance training, we coordinate and integrate education and training resources inside and outside the bank. We provide senior managers and key personnel at all levels and across all business lines with training on green finance of various forms, including lectures, classes and seminars. As we continue to enrich our personnel to build a green finance talent team, we are making efforts to identify green finance experts and assign full-time green finance specialists across our branches.

How does Bank of China U.S.A. organize to deliver its ESG and sustainability strategy, including structure, work, governance, and platforms?

BOC U.S.A. has included ESG as a priority for development in our strategic plan. In terms of governance structure, we established a dedicated ESG Working Group in May 2021 under the Strategy and Business Development Committee (SBDC) to drive the bank’s green finance and ESG efforts. In less than a year, they have expanded into six subgroups covering almost all departments of the bank. These groups also report to the Executive Management Committee (EMC) on key items and updates.

In terms of framework, the working group developed the BOC U.S.A. ESG Program (Version 1.0) in August 2021, which was approved by the SBDC and EMC. Within this framework, the working group has created an action plan based on input from all relevant departments, which includes sections on green finance, community engagement and compliance, ESG-related risk management, internal audit, ESG training, among other topics, and will serve as the guidance and assessment framework for our ongoing ESG practices.

To ensure the implementation of the ESG and green finance strategies, the working group developed the BOC U.S.A. Green Finance Performance Evaluation and Assessment Approach in July

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“We strive to continue introducing the market’s best practices for green and sustainable finance development, climate and social risk framework, DEI, and all other ESG-related topics.”

2021, which has been formally incorporated into our annual internal performance evaluations. This helps reinforce the working mechanism to ensure that each subgroup has its own action plan, and we are working to integrate climate risk into our existing risk governance framework.

How does Bank of China U.S.A. create the right culture and engage its people in its ESG efforts?

We strive to achieve excellence and deliver results in a professional, responsible, and timely fashion. Operating in the U.S.’s financial hubs of New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles makes it possible for us to build a diverse workforce and an open and inclusive corporate culture. Employees with different backgrounds and corporate experience bring varied perspectives and values to the bank.

Our culture of diversity, mutual respect and inclusion supports strong employee engagement and fosters teamwork.

We have also cultivated a community committed to giving back to the areas in which we operate. In recent years, we’ve expanded our community outreach through partnerships with many local organizations. For example, since 2019, we have partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City and created a workplace mentorship program for high school students from underserved communities.

For many of our employees, volunteering is a way to connect with coworkers and stay true to the bank’s values outside of the work environment. These engagements foster a culture of cooperation and a sense of purpose beyond our business activities. We invest many efforts to support these causes and are always proud to see their positive impact in our local communities. Some employees have even gone so far as to sit on the boards of various foundations, including Cent$ Ability and Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City, further demonstrating our culture and commitment to our local communities.

How does BOC Group’s mission, vision, and values impact Bank of China U.S.A.’s ESG efforts?

As a part of the BOC global network, BOC U.S.A.’s culture is built on the strong foundations of BOC Group’s mission, vision, and 108 LEADERS

values. That is, the bank’s mission to “integrate the world for the benefit of society,” vision of “building a world-class and modernized banking conglomerate,” and values of providing “excellent service, sound creativity, and open and inclusive collaboration that is mutually-beneficial.”

Our success with implementing ESG practices across all our branches and departments is derived from the guidance laid out by BOC Group and our adherence to the bank’s mission, vision, and values. The bank’s growing global commitment to ESG means BOC U.S.A. has the support of senior leaders both in the U.S. and in China to make fundamental changes to our business practices that drive sustainability and environmental and social risk governance.

We strive to continue introducing the market’s best practices for green and sustainable finance development, climate and social risk framework, DEI, and all other ESG-related topics.

How important is having a strong ESG focus and commitment to retaining talent for Bank of China U.S.A.?

We recognize that retaining the best talent is largely dependent on implementing and maintaining good values within the bank. By placing increasing importance on finding solutions to global issues, whether environmentally, socially or from a governance perspective, BOC U.S.A. is dedicating resources on many fronts to emphasize our strong ESG focus while serving the pressing development needs of the global economy.

As we keep a close eye on our development goals surrounding carbon emissions reduction, we created green development requirements to raise awareness among all our staff and continue to promote a green development culture across the bank. We are integrating green and low-carbon concepts into every aspect of our management and business activities to balance both short- and long-term ESG strategies and outcomes, while raising the concept of sustainability as a bank-wide strategy.

We are also assigning increased score weights for ESG-related strategic contributions when designing performance evaluation rules

and score cards to properly incentivize teams and individual employees to proactively think and act sustainably.

What are some of the key challenges and priorities for Bank of China U.S.A.’s ESG efforts as you look to the future?

Some of the key challenges and priorities for our ESG efforts lie in systematizing changes throughout the bank and maintaining a proper balance between development and emissions reduction.

In the short term, our immediate priorities are to implement our ESG Action Plan and to integrate climate risk factors into our risk governance framework. By completing these two projects, we will have laid a solid foundation for further ESG efforts. In order to integrate environmental and social standards into business processes, we need to include ESG-related risk management into the entire credit review process. This may include developing an innovative ESG evaluation system to incorporate characteristic indicators and establish a differentiated interest rate pricing mechanism with greater support for enterprises or projects that contain ESG-related practices and performance.

Consequently, a fully functioning ESG evaluation system can help us identify credit quality and sustainability, while providing data for sound investment and financing decisions.

Also, as an active bond participant in the capital markets, we plan to establish and improve the sustainability bond-related framework, and actively explore products such as ESG and sustainability-linked bonds.

In the longer term, reaching an adequate granularity of data could also be a challenge, particularly the quantification of risk management metrics. Regarding risk management, we will make continued driving efforts to improve our ESG risk management framework by establishing a mechanism that covers the entire process, including risk identification, risk assessment, and risk monitoring.

We will also strive to yield more reasonable returns while serving new ESG initiatives, advancing the healthy growth of the economy and society, and moving forward in lockstep with various stakeholders toward a future of prosperity and mutual growth.

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ESG

Guiding Principles An Interview with Elizabeth Lewis, Managing Director and Deputy Head of ESG, Blackstone EDITORS’ NOTE Elizabeth Lewis is and long-term value for our invesa Managing Director and Deputy tors, the companies it invests in and Head of ESG, supporting Blackstone’s the communities in which it works. corporate Environmental, Social Blackstone does this by using extraorand Gover nance (ESG) efforts. dinary people and flexible capital to Prior to joining Blackstone, Lewis help companies solve problems. Its led engagement with investors, $915 billion in assets under manageNGOs, gover nments, and other ment include investment vehicles stakeholders on climate change focused on private equity, real estate, and diversity for the International public debt and equity, infrastructure, Finance Corporation (IFC), the life sciences, growth equity, opportuprivate sector part of the World nistic, non-investment grade credit, Elizabeth Lewis Bank Group. Prior to IFC, she was real assets and secondary funds, all a Partner and Director of Strategy on a global basis. and Business Development for Terra Alpha Investments. Earlier, Lewis established World Will you provide an overview of your role Resources Institute’s Sustainable Investing and areas of focus?

Program and served as Head of Sustainable As Deputy Head of ESG, I support Investing. She has also served as a Principal at Blackstone’s firmwide ESG efforts. I work closely Global Environment Fund, a private equity with our Global Head of ESG, Jean Rogers, in partfund focused on clean energy and sustain- nering with our investment and asset management able forestry. She started her career advising teams to advance ESG initiatives and integration clients in their evaluation of alternative energy across portfolio companies and assets. technologies and solutions at Booz Allen How do you describe Blackstone’s culture?

Hamilton. Lewis serves as a Harvard Alumni At Blackstone, the guiding principles really do Association Committee Member, a Harvard come to life every day: Accountability, Excellence, Business School Impact Investing Alumni Group Integrity, Teamwork and Entrepreneurship.

Steering Committee Member, and a Trustee These principles define our character and of the Maryland/DC Chapter of The Nature culture. I’ve been amazed by the commitment Conservancy. She holds an AB in Environmental to working across the firm in teams, and a Science and Public Policy from Harvard College strong part of this is a commitment to incluand an MBA from Harvard Business School. sivity and the belief that diversity of thought and experience build better businesses. I feel FIRM BRIEF Blackstone (blackstone.com) is fortunate to work in a place where every day the world’s largest alternative asset manager. we see how strong teams create innovation and It seeks to create positive economic impact better results than people working alone. These

shared convictions are a fundamental strength of our business.

Will you highlight Blackstone’s ESG Strategy and how ESG is embedded into Blackstone’s operations and values?

We believe that ESG principles are crucial to developing strong, resilient companies and assets that can deliver long-term value for our investors. We are committed to integrating ESG into our investment process, portfolio operations, and asset management. For Blackstone, decarbonization, diversity, and good governance are priority topics that we believe create stronger, more resilient companies, and longterm value for our investors.

What do you see as the keys to being effective in a company’s ESG efforts and how critical is it to have engagement and commitment from the C-suite for this work?

Integrating ESG throughout our business is crucial for success. At Blackstone, we’ve made a significant investment in ESG talent, bringing in people with longstanding ESG experience and specific ESG expertise in areas like climate and diversity. The collaboration between our investment teams and ESG experts is tremendous. ESG colleagues, for instance, help our investment teams evaluate investment opportunities in the energy transition space, and help portfolio companies reduce their emissions through our industry-leading emissions reduction program. We know from experience that by factoring ESG into our everyday decision-making, we can create more value for our investors, our portfolio companies, and the communities we serve.

“We believe that ESG principles are crucial to developing strong, resilient companies and assets that can deliver long-term value for our investors. We are committed to integrating ESG into our investment process, portfolio operations, and asset management.”

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“At Blackstone, the guiding principles really do come to life every day: Accountability, Excellence, Integrity, Teamwork and Entrepreneurship.

These principles define our character and culture.”

It’s crucial to have C-suite support in order for an organization to fully embrace ESG. At Blackstone, our senior executives have made it clear that ESG is a top priority. Our investment teams are also fully engaged and enthusiastic, and we report on ESG regularly to our board of directors, who are highly supportive. This all helps to shape our firm’s identity and culture.

How important are metrics to track the impact of Blackstone’s ESG initiatives?

ESG metrics are important to measuring our progress and holding ourselves accountable. We are investing significant resources in getting this right at Blackstone. One example of this is our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions footprinting program, which we believe is one of the largest of its kind. As the largest owner of commercial real estate globally and with over 250 portfolio companies, our program helps us generate meaningful metrics with which to measure progress. It also helps us ensure we are meeting our own emissions reduction target: reducing emissions by 15 percent in aggregate over the first three years of ownership across companies in which we control energy usage, a target that is informed by climate science. It also enables us to provide our investors with the data they need to measure progress against their climate commitments.

Will you discuss Blackstone’s commitment to build a diverse and inclusive workforce?

We know that having a diverse and inclusive workforce leads to better decisions and better outcomes. We are committed to attracting, developing, and advancing a diverse

workforce that represents a wide spectrum of backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We are focused on embedding DEI principles to maintain a culture of equity and inclusion. Our belief in the importance of diversity is reflected at all levels of our organization. More than onethird of our leadership team is diverse, and more than 50 percent of our primary businesses have a diverse professional as one of their top two leaders. We achieved 41 percent female representation globally and 49 percent racially diverse representation in the U.S. among our 2021 analyst class.

Do you feel that there are strong opportunities for women to grow and lead in the industry?

Absolutely. I feel lucky to work at a company that has created a powerful network effect by investing in women leaders both inside the firm and outside of it. The Blackstone Women’s Initiative drives innovative programs focused on developing women to their full potential, fostering connectivity across businesses, encouraging mentorship and helping shape our recruiting strategy. Between 2014 and 2021, we doubled the number of women in our global analyst class. We also have powerful programs focused on developing leaders across the firm – the Future Women Leaders and Future Women Innovators Programs expose students interested to finance and technology.

Our commitment to women in leadership extends to our portfolio companies, where we are devoted to supporting women entrepreneurs and growing our investment portfolio of highly successful female-founded businesses. Across

our recent private equity investments, we have invested over $10 billion in companies led by women CEOs or founders since 2019, partnering with entrepreneurs like Whitney Wolfe Herd of Bumble, Sara Blakely of Spanx, and Reese Witherspoon of Hello Sunshine. Our investments in women-founded businesses have created an exciting network effect. Having more diversity on our team and within our portfolio is attracting more and more great women entrepreneurs.

What are your priorities for Blackstone’s ESG work as you look to the future?

Climate change is the crisis of our time.

We have under a decade to get our planetary carbon emissions under control. Those of us in business – especially global businesses – have more power to create value by fighting climate change than ever before. Global businesses can use the opportunity to strengthen our economy by driving forward innovative technologies that create energy using the earth’s renewable resources.

In line with our thematic approach to investing, we are investing heavily in businesses that are focused on supporting the energy transition. Since 2019, Blackstone has committed approximately $16 billion in investments that we believe are consistent with the broader energy transition.

The physical risks of climate change, combined with growing investor demand for action and regulatory shifts, are all driving the need to decarbonize. By supporting a lowercarbon future, we are creating value in our investments – and we hope to inspire other investors to see what is possible.

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“At Blackstone, our senior executives have made it clear that ESG is a top priority. Our investment teams are also fully engaged and enthusiastic, and we report on ESG regularly to our board of directors, who are highly supportive.”

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ESG

Making the World Work Better An Interview with Edua Dickerson, Vice President, ESG and Finance Strategy, ServiceNow EDITORS’ NOTE Edua Dickerson’s the opportunity of a lifetime – and current role includes leading and a responsibility – to help solve chalscaling ServiceNow’s ESG strategy lenges facing the world today. And it and program throughout the was important to me that people who enterprise, embedding it into the look like me or who may identify with ServiceNow operations and culture; my experiences and background were driving strategic initiatives that help a part of solving those challenges. shape and amplify the CFO’s vision, Our progress and where we’re leadership and voice; and spearheaded as a company, and from an heading key initiatives that enable ESG perspective, keeps me excited the finance organization to operate every day. ServiceNow is a rocketeffectively and at scale. She also leads ship and I knew from the get-go that Edua Dickerson the finance talent and career develI wanted to get onboard. We all share opment strategy, including postin the dream to make ServiceNow the university and post-MBA rotational programs. defining enterprise software company of the She brings more than 15 years of experience in 21st century, but we recognize that this doesn’t finance, business strategies, operations, and just mean developing the best technology on the diversity program leadership with a demonstrated market – it also means being a force for change history of working in the Internet industry. Her and leading by example for decades to come. specialties include management, revenue recog- As we continue to grow, we have even more of nition, business process improvement, analytics an opportunity to help sustain our planet, create and training, and business development. She equitable opportunity, and act with integrity all also has experience in serving as co-chair of an while creating more value for our organization. employee resource group for Black professionals Will you provide an overview of your at a global high-tech company, where she helped role and areas of focus? establish more leadership accountability for Like many others, ServiceNow recognizes and investment in Black talent recruitment, that environmental, social, and governance progression, and retention. Dickerson launched (ESG) is no longer a cost center. It has become Edua Lena Coaching, a premiere leadership a business imperative that has real impact on coaching service that is helping diverse, rising stakeholder trust and long-term value creation. leaders unlock their power and change the world.

My role is to establish ServiceNow’s bestDickerson earned a BS in applied mathematics in-class, enterprise-wide ESG strategy and polifrom the University of California, Los Angeles and cies and to drive and scale our global impact an MBA in Decision Sciences and Strategy from Duke University – The Fuqua School of Business.

COMPANY BRIEF ServiceNow (servicenow.com) is making the world of work, work better for people. The company’s cloud-based platform and solutions deliver digital workflows that create great experiences and unlock productivity for employees and the enterprise.

What excited you about the opportunity to join ServiceNow and made you feel it was the right fit?

From day one, I was drawn to the fact that our company’s purpose – to make the world work better for everyone – is so evidently built into everything that we do from our technology to our leadership. Bill McDermott (CEO) will tell you, “the world’s greatest challenges are our greatest opportunities.” What this means to us at ServiceNow, and to me, is that we have 112 LEADERS

program initiatives. This goes beyond simply defining how our business impacts and is impacted by the world. It’s making ESG a natural and consistent part of our business decision-making, operations, and culture through each line of business and investment strategy to ultimately mitigate risk, deliver competitive advantage, and build stakeholder trust. This also includes consistent engagement with our partners – from operating partners to our supply chain – to help them create more sustainable business strategies.

Separately, I lead our finance organization’s talent and career development strategy, including post-university and post-MBA rotational programs.

How do you describe ServiceNow’s culture?

What we all share is a hungry and humble mentality to make our ambitious dreams a reality. We do this by listening and responding to our employees and impacting change within our communities. Our incredible growth trajectory is a byproduct of the dynamic leaders and people working each day to make the world work better. We don’t just talk about change – we act with purpose to build equity into everything we do.

Will you highlight ServiceNow’s ESG strategy and how ESG is embedded into ServiceNow’s operations and culture?

My mission is to ensure ESG is built into ServiceNow’s DNA. We know that to be the

“We have big ambitions as we advance our own ESG journey and build systems to help our customers do the same. It’s a continuous cycle that helps us make the world work better.”

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defining enterprise software company of the 21st century, our impact must extend beyond our four walls and make it easy for everyone to do their best work, live their best lives, and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable, and ethical world. This is a journey without a destination, but we have built the right structure to help solve some of the world’s greatest challenges.

Our ESG strategy centers on three main pillars, all supported by our ServiceNow platform and solutions: sustaining our planet by championing the transition to a net zero-world by accelerating decarbonization and advancing responsible procurement; creating equitable opportunity by empowering and engaging our employees, cultivating diversity, equity, and inclusion, and increasing community investment; and acting with integrity by building trust through ethical, transparent, and secure business practices. This includes leading with ethics, transparency, and disclosure, assuring security and data privacy, and fostering responsible and ethical use of data, and respecting human rights.

Governance is at the core of ServiceNow’s approach to ESG. It keeps us aligned, accountable, and provides transparency for all of our stakeholders. We prioritize oversight of our ESG strategy through our board of directors’ nominating and governance committee, the sponsorship of ServiceNow’s Chief Financial Officer, Gina Mastantuono, the guidance of our ESG steering committee, which has representation from every part of our business, and through third party verifications.

What do you see as the keys to being effective in a company’s ESG efforts and how critical is it to have engagement and commitment from the C-suite for this work?

The last couple of years have cemented ESG as a business imperative. It has skyrocketed up the list of business priorities and there’s a rise in demand for executives to drive and implement ESG initiatives. But for an organization to have a successful ESG program, the tone has to start at the top. Each member of the leadership team must understand the intersectionality of ESG pillars and recognize how each part of the company, not just a select few, can take collective action and drive alignment to make progress on its goals. A successful ESG strategy recognizes that each pillar is inextricably linked and presents a shared, rich opportunity across the organization. As you’ve probably heard before, but I’ll say it again, “Organizations can’t manage what they don’t measure.” The right technology can help consolidate, centralize, and offer visibility into ESG data that companies are already collecting across various applications and teams, to help business leaders embed ESG considerations into daily decision-making across the business that’s aligned with financial and corporate decision-making and governance.

Our collective mission at ServiceNow is to ensure ESG guides our business strategy, impacts the decisions we make, and contributes to our corporate culture at every level. Our own C-suite doesn’t just speak in theory – they live in practice. My own manager, ServiceNow VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

CFO, Gina Mastantuono, is among the rare CFOs – let alone female CFOs – steering ESG strategy and purpose-led investments. She is deeply focused on not only ensuring our ESG steering committee represents every single area of the business, but that she is also empowering every one of our employees to act with purpose and understand where they play an active role. We also recently announced that executive compensation is now tied to our environmental and diversity goals. At ServiceNow, we’re harnessing the vision, determination, and ingenuity of our people and our platform to help effect change and help other companies in their ESG journey to do the same.

How important are metrics to track the impact of ServiceNow’s ESG initiatives?

Transparency has become a primary issue for a lot of organizations, ultimately because they lack insight into their own ripple effects.

Data and analysis must play a bigger role in helping companies deliver on their promises and conform to industry and regulatory standards. At ServiceNow, data collection and management are critical for us to not only increase our accountability, transparency, and trust, but to drive lasting change. Knowing that you can’t manage what you don’t measure, we’re using our own products to do just that.

As we make progress against our own goals, we’re building the systems to help customers turn their own ESG strategies into action. Our goal is to be an example that inspires other business leaders everywhere to aim and achieve higher, and to do this, it requires transparency and accountability.

In publishing our second annual Global Impact Report last month, we provided a comprehensive, year-over-year update on our ESG strategy, initiatives, and metrics. The report highlights the progress we’ve made against our ambitions and outlines what we need in order to accomplish our future goals.

Will you discuss ServiceNow’s commitment to building a diverse and inclusive workforce?

At ServiceNow, we believe that where we focus, we make progress. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is not merely an “HR program” or “corporate initiative,” but a moral imperative for all of us. With this in mind, we established a collective leadership commitment to listen, to have difficult conversations, and to take action with transparency.

Over the past five years, we’ve grown from 6,000 employees to nearly 18,000 and all the while we’ve listened, we’ve learned, and we’ve made an impact. We’ve seen a nearly 10 percent increase in global female leader representation, a nearly 4 percent increase in the representation of under-represented minorities in the U.S., and a 9.2 percent increase in representation of under-represented minorities in leadership in the U.S. We’re also proud to have achieved systemic pay equity since 2020.

Beyond the data, we’ve expanded our DEI learning and virtual reality training programs and created new DEI-focused leadership and executive development programs. We’ve grown

total membership in our Employee Belonging Groups to nearly half of our employee base.

Additionally, we’ve launched and fully distributed a $100 million Racial Equity Fund to drive sustainable wealth creation by funding homeownership, entrepreneurship, and neighborhood revitalization within Black communities across the U.S. We also created a Center of Excellence for Accessibility to ensure that our products provide an optimal experience for all users.

Do you feel that there are strong opportunities for women to grow and lead in the industry?

Yes – my own journey shows that women can grow in tech, but it takes organizations like ServiceNow to lead by example and foster that growth and opportunity. As I mentioned, our 2022 DEI Report data showed impressive progress toward elevating women leaders – we grew global female leader representation by nearly 10 percent. And we’re not stopping there.

Our bench of brilliant women leaders continues to grow. This year, Karen Pavlin joined ServiceNow as Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer, bringing new vision and leadership to help us execute our bold new DEI strategy. We named Jacqui Canney our new Chief People Officer in July 2021, leading all aspects of talent strategy, including DEI, for our rapidly growing workforce. And, with our CFO, Gina Mastantuono, at the helm of our ESG efforts, we’re ensuring equality is woven into the strategic business and stakeholder investment decisions that the company makes. I personally feel supported and empowered to make my own impact on this organization and beyond, and I’m inspired every day by the women I work alongside.

What are your priorities for ServiceNow’s ESG work as you look to the future?

We’re extremely proud of the pace we’ve set and the progress we’ve made so far, but we know we have more work to do and we’re always dreaming bigger. It’s my number one job to listen to and learn from our stakeholders to both help us better support the people and communities we serve and enable ServiceNow to be a force multiplier for change.

This year, as we outlined in our Global Impact Report 2022, we’r e focused on: continuing to deliver solutions on the Now Platform that help address our customers’ risks and opportunities; expanding our carbon neutrality commitment and continuing to meet 100 percent renewable electricity; developing our roadmap for our 2026 near-term SBTi targets with a focus on supply chain engagement and responsible procurement; delivering a new enterprise-wide strategic workforce plan and location strategy focused on underserved communities; delivering a new DEI framework; and accelerating our impact in communities by increasing donations, volunteerism, and scaling the NextGen Professionals digital skills program.

We have big ambitions as we advance our own ESG journey and build systems to help our customers do the same. It’s a continuous cycle that helps us make the world work better.

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BUCKHEAD

Pursuing Cityhood An Interview with Bill White, Volunteer Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Buckhead City Committee EDITORS’ NOTE Bill White is the legislation with Senator Hillary Clinton Volunteer Chairman and CEO of the and Senator John McCain that boosted Buckhead City Committee (BCC), a the death benefit for servicememvolunteer group of Buckhead resibers killed in action from $6,000 to dents, business owners and supporters $500,000 (tax exempt). White has determined to create Buckhead City, business partnerships with entrepreGeorgia. White’s career started in his neur Mark Wahlberg in his water family’s restaurant and real estate bottle company, Aquahydrate, and is a business and evolved to fundraising, partner in the successful Ghost Lifestyle consulting, community engagebrand. Accolades include decorations ment, business and philanthropy. from the U.S. Department of Defense, In 1991, White founded Operation the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Bill White Support, a 501(c)(3), all-volunteer Coast Guard; The Knight (Cavaliere) of group of young professionals dedithe Republic of Italy; and the Life Saving cated to raising awareness and funds for families of Benevolent Association’s top honor for rescuing a wounded and fallen veterans. Philanthropist and woman drowning in the Hudson River. White is real estate mogul Zachary Fisher recruited White a graduate of the French Culinary Institute and as his chief of staff and, ultimately, to lead the holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York Fordham University.

City. Under White’s leadership, nearly $1 billion was raised for the museum’s renovation and for ORGANIZATION BRIEF The Buckhead City grievously injured veterans returning from Iraq Committee (becnow.com) is a nonpartisan and Afghanistan. During White’s tenure, annual organization comprised of a group of diverse museum visitors climbed from 200,000 to over 1 residents and business owners in the Buckhead million. White co-founded the Intrepid Fallen neighborhood of Atlanta who want the best for Heroes Fund, a successful and respected chari- their community. This grassroots initiative aims table organization thriving today which supports to vastly improve public safety, reduce crime, wounded and fallen servicemembers and their gain local control of zoning, enhance mainfamilies. In 2010, White founded Constellations tenance of infrastructure, and beautify area Group, a business development firm to advise parks and recreational facilities in Buckhead. leaders and connect them to strategic partners, It consults with leaders of law enforcement, city funding and counsel. White has been vetted for services, zoning, education and stakeholders in key positions in presidential administrations of small and big businesses to develop best practices both political parties. He coordinated bipartisan for the new city of Buckhead City.

You lead the Buckhead City Committee.

What is the mission of the BCC and will you discuss its efforts?

For decades Buckhead has talked about becoming its own city to finally gain control over zoning, taxes and crime that has exponentially increased over the past three years.

Buckhead has repeatedly lost their choice in Atlanta’s Mayor and the City Hall of Atlanta has neglected the needs and demands of Buckhead, while increasing the taxes. Neighboring cities like Brookhaven, Dunwoody and Sandy Springs have all incorporated as their own city and formed their own police departments – all have been tremendously successful. Buckhead residents want: 1. Taxation with representation.

2. To form its own police force of 250 officers – this is based on the FBI quota per 100,000 residents. This is triple what Atlanta assigns to Buckhead Community now.

3. To pay our officers the highest in the state and give them their own take-home car and stipend to live in Buckhead. This will recruit and retain the best and will also help deter criminals because more police cars on the road prevents crime.

4. To institute tough municipal courts that crack down on crimes like street racing, smash and grabs, noise, late night antics and more.

5. To control zoning, which protects the tree canopy Buckhead is known for. Atlanta wants to carve up lots and build small rental homes in developed neighborhoods – this will destroy the

“For decades Buckhead has talked about becoming its own city to finally gain control over zoning, taxes and crime that has exponentially increased over the past three years. Buckhead has repeatedly lost their choice in Atlanta’s Mayor and the City Hall of Atlanta has neglected the needs and demands of Buckhead, while increasing the taxes.”

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“Buckhead City will live up to its old nickname, “the Beverly Hills of the Southeast.”

Like Beverly Hills, we will be our own city, have our own strong and prevalent police force, beautifully paved roads, and most importantly, safety which will help keep the best restaurants, the best shopping, the beautiful homes and the thriving business community that Buckhead residents are so fond of and so desperate to protect.” look and feel of Buckhead and increase the already horrible traffic conditions.

6. To fix Buckhead roads which are in terrible condition with potholes everywhere.

Buckhead City will repave major roads and maintain them.

7. To improve the safety and appearance of our parks and create more greenspace.

8. To protect and preserve what Buckhead is famous for – beautiful homes and trees, thriving businesses, the best restaurants by encouraging local businesses to open while keeping their patrons and employees safe.

Almost every major restaurant in Buckhead is a supporter of Buckhead City because they have witnessed the deterioration of Buckhead.

What would be the characteristics and strengths of Buckhead if it became its own city?

Buckhead City will live up to its old nickname, “the Beverly Hills of the Southeast.” Like Beverly Hills, we will be our own city, have our own strong and prevalent police force, beautifully paved roads, and most importantly, safety which will help keep the best restaurants, the best shopping, the beautiful homes and the thriving business community that Buckhead residents are so fond of and so desperate to protect.

Atlanta will be better off because the 20 percent land mass Buckhead represents will no longer be its responsibility. The 90 Atlanta Police Department officers will no longer be assigned to Buckhead and can be reassigned

to Atlanta. Atlanta is currently having a very difficult time hiring officers and a Police Commissioner and are currently down over 300 officers city-wide.

How are you engaging the residents of Buckhead in the efforts of the Buckhead City Committee?

We have received over 68 percent support of Buckhead residents in our mission for cityhood.

Most residents are fed up with the corruption and crime in Atlanta and have witnessed how Sandy Springs and Brookhaven have created successful cities without harming Atlanta. Through local and national traditional and social media, Buckhead City Committee has engaged residents and the entire State of Georgia in our movement. Most recently, we had an advisory question on our movement in the GOP Primary and 80.4 percent of voters said they believe we should have the right to vote. We have become very political as well, helping educate legislators and candidates about our cityhood movement. They ultimately help put our movement on the ballot and we are working with the Georgia State Legislature to be on the ballot in 2023.

Are you optimistic about the chances for Buckhead becoming its own city?

Very. Six months into the term of the new Mayor of Atlanta, crime has worsened, and we all realize that, in order to implement real change in Buckhead, we must form our own city. We have formed an incredible team of volunteers, lobbyists, attorneys, bond and school experts.

We have legislators who openly support our

right to vote. We are polling exceptionally well.

We have done a feasibility study that shows we are more than feasible, without hurting Atlanta.

Everyone is excited to hire 270 new police officers for Buckhead alone – that number meets federal standards for our population. We have 90 now with Atlanta so we are 180 short in Buckhead alone.

Do you feel that Buckhead has strong awareness and what more can be done to tell the Buckhead story?

We have compiled a mailing list of 4,000 supporters. Our polls and the recent vote in the GOP Primary prove we have very strong awareness. The media has recognized this as a major story because of the violent crime. Buckhead is at a crossroads – many have moved away, but most want to fight to have our right to vote before giving up. Buckhead City Committee will continue to fight for our right to vote because we know it is the best thing for all of Atlanta and, like I’ve said earlier, we aren’t reinventing the wheel here. Our neighbors in Brookhaven and Sandy Springs both agree that it’s the only option and that it works. Joe Gebbia, who helped create Brookhaven and just finished a successful term as its mayor pro temp, wrote a very inspiring op ed to the people of Buckhead encouraging them to stay the course for cityhood. As he notes, Brookhaven took three years and it is now flourishing. We will continue our efforts engaging everyone in the community to garner more support and understanding of what we are trying to do for us all and our families.

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“We have formed an incredible team of volunteers, lobbyists, attorneys, bond and school experts. We have legislators who openly support our right to vote. We are polling exceptionally well. We have done a feasibility study that shows we are more than feasible, without hurting Atlanta.”

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KANSAS CITY METROPOLITAN AREA

Public-Private Partnership An Interview with The Honorable Curt Skoog, Mayor, Overland Park, Kansas EDITORS’ NOTE Curt Skoog was is the Branch Manager for the Institute elected Mayor of Overland Park in of Building Technology and Safety.

November 2021. Prior to that, he Skoog is a graduate of the Kansas was elected to the City Council Chamber of Commerce Leadership in 2005, and was r eelected in Kansas Program, The Greater Kansas April 2009, 2013 and 2017. Skoog City Ar ea Chamber of Commer ce served as City Council President in Centurions Leadership Program and January 2021. He has been an the University of Kansas School of active member of the community, Business. serving as an elected representa tive on the Shawnee Mission What interested you in public School District South Area Advisory service and in running for Mayor?

The Hon. Curt Skoog Board, Co-President of the Shawnee Growing up in Topeka, Kansas, Mission South PTSA, Co-Host of the I saw the impact my parent’s public Shawnee Mission School District Foundation service had on the community, from serving Annual Breakfast, and as a board member of in the State Legislature to parent teacher orgathe Kenilworth Homes Association. Since his nizations and finishing their service with the election in 2005, Skoog has been one of the City renovation and dedication of the Richie of Overland Park’s appointed members to House, an historical home that was part of the the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) Underground Railroad. My parents demonBoard of Directors where he recently completed strated to me that a community leader can a term as board Chair. MARC is a nonprofit make a real difference. In 2005, I ran for association of city and county governments and Overland Park City Council because there was the metropolitan transportation planning a need for new leadership in my aging part organization for the bi-state Kansas City region of the city. Over 16 years, I worked with the serving nine counties and 119 cities. He also was community and made a real difference, just as a past Co-Chair of the Creating Sustainable I learned from my parents. Following my elecPlaces Consortium Coordinating Committee that tion as Mayor of Overland Park in 2021, I am developed policies for redeveloping transporta- working to bring the community together to tion corridors across the region. Professionally, he make a real difference once again.

Downtown Overland Park Clocktower at sunrise 116 LEADERS

Will you highlight the key priorities for your administration?

Overland Park must build its future success on the great foundation left by our predecessors. The Overland Park community as a whole will look to the future during the upcoming Comprehensive Plan update. This update will create a roadmap for the city to follow and will be based on extensive public discussions. We will develop a broad consensus on how housing needs, infrastructure, development, and redevelopment will be addressed. In addition, Overland Park’s long-term economic success will be based on attracting and retaining a talented workforce.

We must continue to support our high-quality public schools and enable businesses to create workplaces that attract the talent they need to be successful in Overland Park.

How important is it for you to engage the community in your efforts?

Community engagement is key to being a successful Mayor and in operating a modern city government. Local government must be based on dialogue, and not dictate. The primary purpose for updating the city comprehensive plan is to create an atmosphere and process that welcomes all points of view from all corners of the city, especially from those who have not participated in the past.

What do you see as the keys to effective leadership in government?

To me, local government leadership today is primarily the task of building consensus.

Decisions do not get much more personal than the actions that cities take. These actions affect your home, your neighborhood, your job, your schools, and your options for relaxation. So, a good leader must be open to discovering and communicating today’s reality, not yesterdays.

This must include the positives and the challenges within a community.

What do you tell people about the strength and attributes of Overland Park?

For decades, Overland Park leaders have demonstrated a willingness to be innovative and forward-thinking. Elected officials have long established meaningful relationships with our business community through public-private partnerships resulting in a diverse economy with quality jobs. As a result, our nationallyrecognized community continues to experience growth and attract new residents due to our exceptional public schools, safe neighborhoods and other amenities that contribute to a high quality of life for residents of all ages.

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VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

KANSAS CITY METROPOLITAN AREA

In the Heart of North America An Interview with Tim Cowden, President and Chief Executive Officer, Kansas City Area Development Council (KCADC) EDITORS’ NOTE Tim Cowden has spent nearly 30 years in economic development. Before assuming his current role, he served as KCADC’s Senior Vice President of Business Development for more than 17 years. Prior to his position at KCADC, he worked for the Economic Development Corporation of Utah, a private/public corporate recruitment organization representing the State of Utah based in Salt Lake City. Cowden holds a BA degree from the University of Oklahoma.

marketplace, we engage business and talent from around the globe to invest in our region, and we’ve seen plenty of success – over our 40-plus year history, the 18-county, two-state Kansas City area has attracted more than 60,000 new jobs.

We have the privilege of KC being our product, and through our strategic initiatives – the KC Animal Health Corridor, KC SmartPort, TeamKC, KC Heartland and KC Global Design – alongside our 50-plus community and Tim Cowden business partners, we work continuously to promote the benefits of living I N S T I T U T I O N B R I E F K a n s a s C i t y A r e a and doing business in Kansas City.

Development Council (thinkKC.com) is a private, Will you pr ovide an overview of nonprofit organization charged with representing the services that the Kansas City Area the economic interests of the two-state (Missouri Development Council offers? and Kansas), 18-county greater Kansas City region KCADC and our team serves as a vital with a population of 2.5 million. connecting point for companies and individuals who are evaluating the KC region to establish How do you define the mission of the Kansas or grow their lives, careers and companies. Our City Area Development Council? value is determined by our customers, and our I’m fortunate in that I have the best job in Kansas job is to identify whatever information gaps they City, leading the KCADC team to sell this amazing have when evaluating the KC region against other place to the world every day. In a highly competitive markets globally and showcase our region’s assets

Kansas City Area Development Council represents the economic development interests of the 18-county, two-state KC region VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

as a prime location for growing businesses and top talent.

What do you tell companies about the advantages that Kansas City offers from a business standpoint?

KC is an easy place to do business. With steady population growth, access to a highly educated workforce and lower cost of living, KC offers significant value to companies and individuals evaluating our market. KC’s location in the heart of North America is unparalleled for a major market, and our size allows those who are based here to leverage the very best of large market amenities, as well as the value and quality often associated with smaller cities. KC epitomizes that the best is in the middle.

KC is on the move with tremendous market opportunities, as well. Our new single-terminal airport, opening in Spring 2023, will make access to and from KC easier than ever before, further energizing our established and emerging industries booming throughout the region, including bioscience, food and beverage manufacturing, fintech, construction, and more.

How important is it to have such an engaged and committed board of directors for the Kansas City Area Development Council?

It is critical for the business leaders of Kansas City to have an active role in the future growth of our region. KCADC’s role as a sales and marketing engine for KC is an excellent entry point for business executives to have influence and provide leadership in our community. There’s nothing more important to any company than the prospects for their own growth and by extension, these leaders know that the region in which they operate or are based must also grow. There’s no better platform for them to contribute to that overall success for KC than KCADC. What are your priorities for the Kansas City Area Development Council as you look to the future?

My priority for the future of KCADC is to elevate KC’s national brand to the highest degree possible, ensuring that our region takes advantage of our unique position to attract high-value companies and talent to the region. We will continue to attract mega-projects such as Meta’s new $800 million hyperscale data center, while continuing to support our legacy industries that represent strategic investment from years past and are paying dividends now.

I am extremely bullish on our region’s future and our team’s ability to meet the ever-growing interest of businesses and talent evaluating Kansas City.

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Transforming Landscapes An Interview with Ora Reynolds, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hunt Midwest Enterprises, Inc. and Incoming Board Co-Chair, Kansas City Area Development Council EDITORS’ NOTE As Pr esident living, mixed-use, and SubTropolis, and CEO of Hunt Midwest, Ora the world’s lar gest under gr ound Reynolds leads the Kansas Citybusiness complex. Hunt Midwest is a based r eal estate development privately held, Kansas City, Missouricompany owned by the Lamar based company that is the area’s Hunt family. Reynolds’ commulargest full-service real estate develnity service stretches from corpoopment firm. With over one billion rate boards to numerous charitable dollars of development projects in and civic organizations. She serves Kansas City and Dallas/Fort Worth, on the executive committee of the Hunt Midwest has grown exponenKansas City Ar ea Development tially since 1985.

Council, on the advisory board of Ora Reynolds Commerce Bank, and as a member Will you highlight the history and of the KU Advancement board. She heritage of Hunt Midwest? is also the immediate past chair of the board Hunt Midwest is a Kansas City-based, for Starlight Theater. Reynolds is a graduate privately held real estate development company of Indiana University in Bloomington with a with nearly $2 billion of projects completed bachelor’s degree in finance. or under development in multiple geographic markets. Our expertise spans multiple real C O M PA N Y B R I E F H u n t M i d w e s t estate sectors from industrial and self-storage (huntmidwest.com) is a real estate develop- to single-family, multifamily, and senior living ment company with over 50 years of devel- communities. Hunt Midwest is one of the opment, construction, and management pillars of the Lamar Hunt Family’s holdings, experience in a wide range of projects including along with other marquee brands including the industrial, commer cial, mission critical, Kansas City Chiefs, FC Dallas, Chicago Bulls, self-storage, residential, multifamily, senior Hunt Southwest, and Trinity Hunt.

Hunt Midwest Business Center Logistics II in Kansas City, Missouri 118 LEADERS

Our founder, Lamar Hunt, brought professional football to Kansas City in 1963. After developing a deep connection with the fans, he chose to reinvest in the community. That included iconic mainstays within Kansas City, such as SubTropolis, Worlds and Oceans of Fun, and ultimately, Hunt Midwest. As Hunt Midwest’s President & CEO, it’s important for me to continue this investment in the community through advocacy for all that makes Kansas City a better place to live, work and play.

How do you define Hunt Midwest’s culture and mission?

Hunt Midwest’s mission is to advance the legacy of the Lamar Hunt Family and to better the communities we serve through excellence in real estate development. Quality, integrity, safety, service – these are all traits woven into our corporate culture and in the quality of work we deliver. As stewards of the Lamar Hunt Family name, we take a long-term approach to business because a project is always more than just another project to us. As a highly collaborative team with a deep bench of expertise, we merge institutional knowledge with innovative ideas to honor our roots and build a brighter future.

A significant part of Hunt Midwest’s heritage is how deeply we’re embedded in Kansas City. Our culture and legacy have become intertwined with Kansas City, as we’ve contributed to the development of its industrial and residential landscape and committed ourselves to community and civic engagement over the last six decades.

Hunt Midwest is deeply engaged in supporting the communities it serves. Will you highlight this effort and do you see it as a responsibility for leading companies today to be a force for good in society?

A mentor once used a three-word mantra that I think is central to how we approach community involvement. It’s the three T’s: Time, Talent, and Treasure. We give our time where our people volunteer, whether it’s through Harvesters, United Way, or the thousands of hours that we’ve committed to the Groundhog Run benefiting Ability KC over the last 30 years.

We share our talent by leading boards, chambers, and economic development agencies, and helping those organizations flourish. We share our treasure by fundraising and donating millions of dollars to important initiatives that serve our community.

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SubTropolis, the world’s largest underground business complex, in Kansas City, Missouri

As a firm, we support causes that improve the overall well-being of our community: the arts, world-class healthcare, education, economic development, safety net organizations and the list goes on. Our partnerships with Starlight Theatre, the University of Kansas Health System, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Goodwill, Project Cure, Powell Gardens, the American Heart Association, and local school districts – to name just a few – all highlight Hunt Midwest’s commitment to giving back to the communities that we’ve helped to build through the years.

Leading companies have a responsibility to be agents of change and lead with integrity.

Because of our history and our impact, Hunt Midwest is seen as a trusted partner in shaping the region. We achieve that impact through our industry experience, our sense of stewardship, and our focus on legacy. When people look at Hunt Midwest, they see the Lamar Hunt Family; and they see how Kansas City’s commercial and residential built environment has improved over time. It’s our charge to transform landscapes in ways that continue to positively impact our community.

The Vue multifamily development in Downtown Overland Park, Kansas VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

What interested you in assuming the role of Board Co-Chair of the Kansas City Area Development Council and what has made KCADC so effective in its work?

KCADC’s mission of bringing new companies and talent to the region is integral to Hunt Midwest’s purpose, and it’s a cause that’s important to me as a leader. New companies that come to the region lease real estate in our industrial parks; utilize our data center spaces for their technology; employ talent that buy homes in our single-family communities or rent apartments in our multifamily projects; and take advantage of our climate-controlled self-storage. Our company wants to see this region grow and succeed, and KCADC shares Hunt Midwest’s vision for enhancing the economic prosperity of the Kansas City region.

KCADC has been a long-time partner to Hunt Midwest based on its focus on industry verticals that are important to us – whether it’s KC SmartPort (supply chain and logistics), animal health and biosciences, biopharma, or cybersecurity. Over the years, KCADC has attracted more than 60,000 jobs to the area which has helped to cement Kansas City’s reputation as a top destination for talent and businesses. KCADC has also been central in attracting significant resources – such as Meta, the NFL draft and potentially the FIFA World Cup in 2026 – and in strengthening relationships throughout the region.

KCADC’s strategic approach is highly effective. In addition to a tenacious work ethic, their team has some of the most talented economic development professionals in the country. They do an incredible job of collaborating with our regional partners and in creating alignment with other civic organizations. As incoming Co-Chair of the KCADC Board of Directors, I am thrilled to work with the KCADC team to continue building upon our regional success story.

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KANSAS CITY METROPOLITAN AREA

A Bold Voice for Business An Interview with Tracey Osborne Oltjen, CCE, IOM, President and Chief Executive Officer, Overland Park Chamber of Commerce EDITORS’ NOTE Tracy Oltjen is an experienced CEO with a demonstrated history of working in the nonprofit organization management industry who has served in her current role for nearly 18 years.

Prior to her current position, she served as Vice President of the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce and the President of the Edmond Area Chamber of Commerce. Oltjen holds a BA degree focused in English and communication from William Jewell College.

How do you define Overland Park Chamber of Commerce’s mission and purpose?

Our organization exists to make Overland Park prosper. We accomplish this through our mission: We bring people together, lead the hard conversations and tackle the big issues. We work hard every day to make Overland Park the best place to build a business, a career and a home.

Will you highlight Overland Tracey Osborne Oltjen Park Chamber of Commerce’s services and solutions?

We’re the conveners, the matchmakers and INSTITUTION BRIEF Overland Park Chamber the advocates. We’re here to introduce people of Commerce (opchamber.org) exists to make who should know each other, create opportuOverland Park prosper. It is the voice for busi- nities for professional development and build a ness – the resource, advocate, convener and better, more prosperous community. Our three changemaker – that drives economic success buckets of services are economic development, forward in the city, county and state. advocacy and member services.

Today, Overland Park comprises more than 190,000 residents and a geographical area of 75.6 square miles, making it the second largest city in Kansas

The Overland Park community has been ranked at the top of dozens of national rankings because of its attractive and safe neighborhoods, low taxes, nationally-ranked public schools, state-of-the-art healthcare, and diverse cultural and recreational amenities 120 LEADERS

• Economic development attracts new companies and jobs to our community and also means we’re working to ensure existing companies prosper and grow. We’ve been the official economic development agency of the City of Overland Park since 1989. We partner with private companies and development-focused organizations on both sides of the state line to enhance the economic vitality of the entire metro area.

• We are passionate advocates for the interests of business at all levels of government: local, state and federal. We listen to the concerns, goals and challenges of businesses and work with lawmakers to facilitate policy that ensures an economic climate that helps business and our community prosper. We were one of the first chambers in the country of our size to employ a full-time lobbyist on our staff team, guaranteeing that the interests of business are represented whenever our lawmakers are meeting in Topeka.

• The Chamber’s role in member services is to connect, convene, educate and celebrate our businesses.

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Some join the Chamber for just one of these services; others want all.

If people know one thing about a chamber, they know that we cut ribbons.

We do that, but it’s just the beginning of a meaningful and productive relationship with us. As connectors, we can introduce businesses to their next employee, supplier, banker, city council member or good friend.

As educators, we mentor and train emerging leaders, preparing them for their next role in the company or for community leadership. As advocates, we champion the policies they need to remove barriers to growth, such as proposing removal of restrictions of temporary signs during COVID to allow banners announcing delivery and new hours.

As leaders, we’re attracting new investment, talent and customers to the community that helps everyone’s bottom line.

Will you discuss the str ength of Overland Park Chamber of Commerce’s membership and the engagement and commitment of its members to the Chamber’s work?

The diversity and vitality of our region’s economy is represented in our membership, from large employers like T-Mobile’s second headquarters, headquarter companies like Black & Veatch and SelectQuote, growing tech headquarters like Netsmart and WellSky, and small businesses in nearly every sector from retailers to restaurants to salons to consultants. Most chambers of commerce across the country have 90 percent of their membership represented by businesses of ten or fewer employees.

Because of the diverse business size in Overland Park, our small business membership percentage (fewer than 10 employees) is around 50 percent.

Black and Veatch IP Learning Center

Our members can choose various paths of engagement. When I joined the Chamber team in 2004, I was most impressed with the members who served on our Public Policy & Advocacy Committee. This group meets regularly with legislators and vets proposed policies for recommendation to our Board of Directors.

These members are fully invested in the process because they understand the connection between governmental action and the prosperity of their community and their business. I had previously not experienced lay people who so completely understood critical policy issues such as how the state’s school finance formula impacted their district. They invest time and energy to craft our policies, talk with lawmakers and discuss strategic initiatives to improve our region.

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Policy is just one example of member engagement; others include investing in economic development to target workforce development, job creation and capital investment. Our members are the foundation of strategic initiatives such as the expansion and moder nization of U.S. Highway 69, the major North/South artery of our region.

Their voices, time and investments are the resources that empower the Chamber’s vision to be the bold voice for business – the resource, convener, advocate and changemaker – that drives economic success forward in our city, county and state. They both deserve and demand bold leadership from our organization.

What are your priorities for Overland Park Chamber of Commerce as you look to the future?

Our employers – large and small – struggle to find talent. In surveys, meetings and roundtables, attraction and retention of staff has been, and continues to be, their top priority. We’re embarking on a five-year community and economic development strategic initiative focused on ensuring our competitiveness as a community. Whether we’re talking about our region or the world, the business environment is getting more competitive, not less. We must be intentional in our approach to business investment and community vitality. This initiative is designed to position Overland Park and our businesses for prosperity in the global marketplace.

In 2019, we partnered with the City of Overland Park and VisitOP in a community visioning process called ForwardOP. Through this process, our residents called for our community to be innovative, welcoming, and forward-thinking. These principles guide us as we move into the future. These are not only the principles that Overland Park citizens of today want, but we believe businesses and citizens of the future seek as well.

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KANSAS CITY METROPOLITAN AREA

Serving Travelers An Interview with Patrick Klein, Director of Aviation, Kansas City International Airport EDITORS’ NOTE Prior to his current position, Patrick Klein served as the Assistant City Manager for the City of Kansas City after having fulfilled a number of roles there during a nearly 15-year tenure. Klein earned an AA degree at Hutchinson Community College, a BS from Kansas State University, and an MPA from the University of Oklahoma.

experience for airport users. Completion is slated for March 2023.

The terminal will feature 39 gates with the ability to expand to 50 in the future, and the project will include a 6,000+-space parking structure along land-side and air-side improvements.

The new terminal will support more efficient airline operations and allow airport users to enjoy the convenience of modern air travel in a facility with AIRP ORT BRIEF Kansas City updated technology and amenities, Patrick Klein International Airport (flykci.com) close parking, spacious gate areas, and was built by the City of Kansas City, tremendous food and beverage options.

Missouri, and opened in 1972. The KCI complex How critical has it been to integrate new spans more than 10,000 acres, and its three technology into the new terminal offering? runways can accommodate up to 139 aircraft New technology is the backbone of the operations per hour. Uncongested air and ground design and build, and nearly every element of the space, short taxi time, and a low weather-related new terminal itself, as well as the parking garage. closure/cancellation rate are why KCI consistently Technology is involved in the design, planning, ranks among the lowest in delays of all U.S. airports. project management, and coordination meetings.

The runways, two of them parallel with 6,575 feet of Smart technology will drive security measures, separation, Category III instrument Landing System airline operations, flight and baggage information, and other features, help keep operations smooth baggage handling systems, passenger boarding in even the worst of weather. New surfaces on the bridges, asset management, restrooms, and even runways, taxiways and terminal aprons, along with smart parking guidance with green and red lights ongoing infrastructure improvements, enhance the indicating if a space is available. airport’s efficiency and convenience to air carriers.

On-airport fixed-base operator Executive Beechcraft offers basic fueling, charter, and ground transportation services.

Will you provide an overview of your role and areas of focus?

As Director of Aviation, I oversee all aspects of the department, including management, development, operation, and maintenance of Kansas City International Airport and Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport. I am responsible for 400+ employees and annual revenues of over $130 million. Additionally, as Project Executive, I oversee all aspects of the $1.5 billion new terminal and parking garage project at Kansas City International Airport.

Will you highlight the new terminal at Kansas City International Airport and what travelers can expect in terms of their travel experience?

At just over a million square feet, the Kansas City International Airport Single Terminal is the largest single infrastructure project in the city’s history. It will have a profound and lasting economic impact on the region in the form of new jobs, opportunities for local and small businesses, and a world-class traveler 122 LEADERS

How much of a focus has it been to enhance the restaurant and dining experience at the new terminal?

The new terminal design provides much more space for concessions in strategic areas throughout the facility. There are “nodes” where a variety of concessions can be clustered and there is plenty of room for additional concessions near the gates. Travelers should expect to taste some of the best Kansas City has to offer along with the national brands they expect. This new terminal will certainly establish a great first and last impression of our region.

What do you feel will be the impact of the new terminal on the Kansas City business community?

The new terminal at Kansas City International Airport will be opportune for local and out-of-town businesspeople alike. The new terminal will serve to create lasting positive impressions on visiting businesspeople and prospective employees. While it’s up to the airlines to increase air service, the new terminal will make it much easier for airlines to connect to passengers. This ease of connectivity could stimulate flight frequency and destination increases over time. Additionally, the amenities, convenience, inclusivity, and smart technology will serve our travelers for years to come.

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A rendering of the new Kansas City International Airport Single Terminal slated for completion in March 2023

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VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

HOSPITALITY

Dream Maker Culture An Interview with Deborah Yager Fleming, Chief Executive Officer & Partner, Acqualina Resort & Residences on the Beach EDITORS’ NOTE Deborah Yager Fleming joined Acqualina Resort & Residences on the Beach in March 2004 after having served as Vice President, Sales & Marketing, at Island Outpost where she managed marketing campaigns for 12 boutique hotels. She also garnered valuable experience in New York at Leading Hotels of the World where she held senior management positions and implemented the design of worldwide sales strategies and innovative marketing programs.

Acqualina Resort & Residences is the only resort and residential community in Florida completely open to the sea

gratitude and appreciation. I like to celebrate the small wins, not just the big ones. Creating a culture of recognition encourages everyone on the team to perform and be their best self. While I feel what gets measured gets done, celebrating the work and efforts are integral to effective leadership. Leadership is about technical skills. However, being vulnerable is important to have the connections needed to succeed.

It is also important to surround Deborah Yager Fleming yourself with people that genuinely believe in the company’s values and mission and care about what they do and how PROPERTY BRIEF With a lushly landscaped they do it. This gives them purpose. In return, 4.5-acres of seaside bliss, world-class restaurants, it provides great value to the organization. curated amenities and spacious rooms and When individuals feel a sense of belonging, it suites, all with balconies and water views, allows the company to create a strong commuAcqualina Resort & Residences on the Beach nity of unlimited potential. (acqualinaresort.com) is at the center of Miami’s While leaders set strategy, it is paramount to Sunny Isles Beach providing an exclusive experience have empathy and be accessible to the team you and an ultra-luxurious beach lifestyle. The prop- lead. Leadership is also about encouragement, erty is the recipient of the coveted Forbes Five Star trust, and empowerment, leading to innovation Award and the AAA Five Diamond Award. Acqualina and accomplishments. A highly motivated team was recognized by the Global Biorisk Advisory will result in many rewards.

Council, a division of ISSA – The Worldwide Cleaning I am a firm believer in diversity and Industry Association – as a confirmed GBAC Star equality across the organization. Having different accredited facility acknowledging Acqualina’s strengths and points of view will help further increasing best practices and protocols for sanita- differentiate your brand. Respecting each other’s tion during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, talents and contributions will create harmony Acqualina is Sharecare Health Security VERIFIED™ and even greater success. Additionally, I strongly with Forbes Travel Guide. believe in looking inside the organization for those that can become future leaders and giving What do you see as the keys to effective them the platform to achieve their aspirations. As leadership?

I look to grow the Acqualina brand, I also bring It is essential to recognize the team you in new talent that can provide a fresh approach lead and inspire, and create engagement through to reaching objectives.

What has made Acqualina Resort an industry leader and how do you describe the Acqualina experience?

Our Dream Maker Culture. The success of Acqualina is due to our happy, dedicated team members who deliver exceptional experiences while constantly striving to do better. This is our mission. Our successful business model is the creation of world-class amenities and service by passionate and engaged service professionals.

Acqualina offers a great living experience and delivers the world’s finest residences based on trust and value. Acqualina is an ultra-luxury lifestyle, and our iconic buildings are recognized for elegance and five-star service. We are the Costa Grill is one of Miami’s most sought-after dining destinations only hotel and residential community completely 124 LEADERS

open to the sea in Florida. We have expansive amenities offered for all ages. Our Dream Maker Culture empowers team members to recognize hotel guests’ preferences and create memorable moments that we call “WOW” Stories.

Acqualina Resort is committed to continuous improvement and raising the bar. Will you provide an overview of the property today and what guests can expect to see at Acqualina in the future?

Acqualina is located on 4.5 beachfront acres in pristine Sunny Isles Beach. We are known for our great outdoors and lush grounds that feature red lounge seating on Seashore Paspalum grass with signature red umbrellas. The resort has 98 guest rooms and suites and 188 residences, with breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean.

We offer world-class dining, including Il Mulino New York and Ke-uH Japanese restaurant. Our alfresco Costa Grill offers front-row seats to the ocean with a delectable menu of Floridian cuisine and Mediterranean influences. We have oceanfront swimming pools, spacious meeting rooms, and an innovative marine biology-based children’s program. Our interior and exterior venues provide an ideal background for intimate weddings and memorable events. Our awardwinning Spa provides guests with an exquisite 20,000-square-foot, two-story tranquil sanctuary of relaxation and an extensive treatment menu with new facial treatments designed to target recovery and results.

We just launched a new adult pool experience. This tranquility area for adults only has been outfitted with modern chaise lounges, love seats, and eight custom day beds, all featuring Acqualina’s Signature Red cushions. Our Pool Butler is available to attend to any need and provide exclusive complimentary hourly amenities. The four poolside cabanas are styled with two chaise lounges, a sectional sofa and tables, an umbrella, a refrigerator, an outdoor portable fan, a TV with mainstream channels, and curtains for privacy.

We asked STA Architectural Group to provide a new design concept inspired by the classic European style for all the bathrooms in our rooms and suites. Our goal was to design a modern bathroom with traditional elements making the experience timeless. We selected white Vena Oro marble for the vanity top and bathtub decks providing a light and fresh look that brightens the entire bathroom space.

The polished edge profile and backsplash

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complement the under-mount double Kohler sinks and Purist faucets. There is a custom moder n wall-to-wall edge-lit Silver Mirror above each vanity. The scones on each side of the mirror are from Italy. In addition, our oceanfront suites feature a wall-to-wall Molteni vanity in an Ivory gloss lacquer finish and decorative stainless steel trim. Guests will be able to experience our new bathrooms this summer.

Our newly transformed gallery lobby, also designed by STA Architectural Group, will be unveiled in August. We have been working on the final touches to offer refreshed luxury and contemporary grandeur using the rarest, most refined materials sourced throughout the world.

The fresh color palette influenced by the emerald green waters of the Atlantic Ocean brings to life the architectural features that were enhanced and highlighted with varying shades of whites.

Additional striking details feature Luxury Living furniture, bespoke rugs, highlights of smoke glass and warm metallic accents, and a marble archway sourced in Italy. The lobby’s eight arched windows have translucent linen drapes accented with a contrasting modern tieback. The grand chandeliers were refinished in white with silver leaf accents.

At Acqualina, we always aim to elevate our customer experience by introducing new services for guests to have an exceptional beachfront getaway.

Later this year, we are delighted to welcome a new restaurant Avra Miami Estiatorio located at The Estates at Acqualina. Guests and Acqualina residents will be able to access Avra Miami through a bridge that connects the two properties. The magnificent shoreline setting influenced the 10,000 square-foot Greek estiatorio restaurant design. The airy space has a distinctly sophisticated yet warm character and features floor-to-ceiling windows, high ceilings, and a glamorous aesthetic. Diners will be able to hear the sounds of the waves crashing while they eat outside and savor oceanfront views. The first impression of entering the classic tri-arched portico is of a grand scale. On the other side of the revolving door is the host station, where guests will receive a warm welcome and be directed to the lobby bar, pergola lounge,

or the main dining hall or terrace.

The lobby bar has a four-sided island bar with a large terracotta potted olive tree suspended over the center of the bar’s fine spirits display.

How do you define a true luxury hotel experience and what are the keys to exceeding guests’ expectations?

The luxury hotel experience is giving people access to a lifestyle choice that makes them feel extraordinary. It is an emotional connection to the aesthetics and the service encountered that brings utmost happiness and joy.

It begins with knowing the guests’ preferences and delights that can make a difference. Then, using active listening in a conversation Acqualina provides a luxurious, five-star stay with exquisite rooms and suites to gain insight helps to be well informed on what action may be a HEART), Striving To Do Better (illustrated by a taken to make the guest feel extra special. The LIGHT BULB) and Delivering Customer’s Dreams secret to going above and beyond is when you can (represented by a STAR). provide a gesture that is unexpected and creates a What are the characteristics that you “WOW” moment. look for when hiring talent for the propWill you discuss Acqualina’s invest- erty and how important is cultural fit in the ment in its workforce and focus on providing hiring process?

We look for people who are willing to learn training and growth opportunities for its people? and share ideas and insights. Collaboration and We are committed to investing in our team the energy of a person are critical, and the ability members to develop a happy and prosperous to have an open mind and work with others to future. One-third of the workforce has been at achieve a collective goal. There are two overAcqualina for more than 5 years. The resort’s arching factors we consider when hiring new Together App serves Acqualina’s almost 500 talent. First, what are the skills, knowledge, and team members, providing a centralized form of experiences the person will bring to the team. The communication that encourages peer-to-peer second component is assessed through culture recognition with features allowing employees fit – considering a candidate’s attitude, motivato share images and messages. Additionally, tion, and values and whether they are aligned the App offers another vehicle for Acqualina to with our culture. This assessment measures the recognize talents, traits, and exceptional service. candidate’s abstract intelligence or personality We organize a series of employee acknowledg- characteristics such as dominance, extraversion, ments and appreciation events and provide EQ patience, and formality. These characteristics training, educational tips, and wellness fairs. help us place individuals in the right positions We also award AcquaDollars that are redeem- based on innate personality characteristics. able for cash and prizes. We recognize team Did you always know that you were members in every department; interested in a career in hospitality and what not everyone comes in contact has made the industry so special for you? with a guest, but it takes all of I wanted to be a broadcast journalist. I felt us to deliver exceptional service that I would enjoy conducting interviews and daily. We have Wellness Checks, traveling to places to report the news. I think and Open Forums to check in storytelling and travel have always been in my on employees, listen, learn, and DNA. When I was in college, I was offered a find ways to improve and take management trainee opportunity in a hotel. I was action – a voice for all team intrigued by the offer and decided to pursue it. I members where they can be loved the way the different departments worked heard and supported. together to welcome guests. After completing a Acqualina offers many yearly program, I was hooked on the industry, career development opportuni- and that is how I began my career in hospitality. ties, including a mentorship Having worked in every hotel department has program and ACQ Master Series given me an appreciation for what each person to raise professional skills via inti- does every day to make a hotel stay possible. I mate workshops. We want our am very passionate about creating new experiteam members to feel prepared ences and grateful for the ability to meet and and inspired to be Dream work with people from all over the world. I am Makers. Acqualina’s Dream humbled and so thankful to work in an industry Maker Culture© is Inspired with the most generous people who are willing The newly designed bathroom in the Classic Suites Team Members (symbolized by to do all possible to make others feel special.

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An Urban Vibe An Interview with Elizabeth Andrews, General Manager, The Opus, Westchester EDITORS’ NOTE Elizabeth Andrews PROPERTY BRIEF The Opus, Westchester is a veteran of the hospitality (theopuswestchester.com), an Autograph industry with over 20 years of expeCollection property, has a luxe residenrience in hotels. Her career began tial flair, capturing the calm of a sancat 60 Thompson (now SIXTY SoHo) tuary retreat with a city soul and rich as a Front Desk Agent, moving her urban experience infused throughout way up and growing alongside the property. The new hotel features ownership over the course of ten 146 guestrooms including 38 luxury years before finishing her tenure suites and acts as a central hub for the as General Manager of the propcommunity. erty. Andr ews then went on t o serve as General Manager for Will you provide an overview of Elizabeth Andrews several boutique luxury properThe Opus, Westchester and how ties including Thompson LES (now the property is positioned in the SIXTY LES Hotel); Smyth, a Thompson Hotel (now market?

AKA Tribeca); Paramount Hotel; and Gramercy The Opus, Westchester is part of Marriot’s Park Hotel. The former modern dancer turned Autograph Collection hotels. We strive to evoke hotel operator works to infuse her artistic flare an upscale but approachable urban vibe. and experience into the ethos of every prop- Located in Westchester, New York, we are just erty she helms. Andrews was appointed General 35 minutes from the heart of New York City, Manager of The Opus, Westchester prior to its making our hotel an ideal place for those who opening in April 2021. are looking for a relaxing retreat yet feeling the

The Opus, Westchester entrance (top) and lobby (above) 126 LEADERS

unmistakable energy and soul from the city.

The hotel features 146 guest rooms including 38 luxury suites, the rooftop Kanopi restaurant with floor-to-ceiling windows and sweeping skyline views, a vibrant, socially engaging lobby bar, a heated indoor rooftop pool, 10,000 square feet of meetings and events space and more.

At The Opus we offer a warm and inviting space with a social nature and modern appeal, featuring inviting open spaces, eclectic art and décor, authentic experiences, urban glamour, and personalized service.

What excited you about opening The Opus, Westchester and made you feel it was the right fit?

I had taken a step back from my career to care for my two small children when a former colleague mentioned The Ritz Carlton New York, Westchester was going to be renovated and rebranded as a lifestyle property. I had not planned to rejoin the workforce for another year or so, but the project had such tremendous potential, I could not resist. As a Westchester resident, I knew the market was in desperate need of a sophisticated, modern destination hotel. White Plains is truly an urban center at the nexus of the Hudson Valley and New York City, which makes for a fascinating mix of styles and experiences.

Having spent most of my career managing Manhattan hotels, the sheer size of the average guestroom and the expansive five-fixture bathrooms were compelling as well. Despite only featuring 146 rooms, The Opus, Westchester has countless amenities including an indoor heated rooftop pool, a seductive Lobby Lounge, expansive fitness center and 10,000 square feet of event space. The opportunity to manage a world-class luxury spa was also something that drew me to the role, and I am thrilled to announce that we look forward to opening The Opus Spa in August.

The Opus, Westchester has a strong dining/food and beverage product. What are the keys to being successful in food and beverage for a hotel?

The food and beverage experience is crucial to any lifestyle property. As a member of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, we have the freedom to create one-of-a-kind offerings that are informed by current food and beverage trends, while still accessible to a wide range of guests. We feature local, Hudson Valley

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ingredients wherever possible, and have crafted a strong cocktail program, which changes seasonally and features modern takes on classic drinks.

Will you discuss The Opus, Westchester’s meeting and event capabilities?

Whether the guests are planning a sophisticated wedding reception, an intimate dinner, a mitzvah or a large-scale conference, at The Opus we provide the ideal canvas for any event. We have 10 different event spaces adding up to 10,000 square feet, including a Grand Ballroom with capacity for 350 guests, and we offer modern facilities with floor-toceiling windows and an abundance of natural light so there is definitely room for any kind of beautiful event that an organizer wishes to plan.

We also cater to different tastes with a range of cuisines – from hors d’oeuvres, champagne, cocktails, and the perfect complement of stations to a five-course dinner or elaborate ballroom gala, our team can reach and exceed any expectations.

How has the role of the general manager evolved and what are the keys to being successful in the role?

For me, being the General Manager means wearing many hats – leader, mentor, problemsolver and idea facilitator. I aim to provide my team with the tools, resources and support necessary to provide service excellence. Today, General Managers need to ultimately be responsible for every element of the hotel operation.

Do you feel that there are strong opportunities for women to grow and lead in the industry?

More so than ever before. When I attended the Cornell GM Management Program several years ago, there were 100+ GMs from all over the world, and only three of us were women.

One-bedroom suite

For many associates, the GM archetype is still an older, white man, especially for full-service hotels, but that is changing. Representation matters, so women need to see other women in leadership roles. Traditionally, women have been taught to hide their personal lives from employers and co-workers. Fighting against that conventional wisdom is key to enacting change.

If I have to leave work early to attend a parentteacher conference, or see a school play, I do not apologize for it. I want to demonstrate it is possible to be successful in hotel operations and have a fulfilling family life as well.

Rooftop pool VOLUME 45, NUMBER 3

I am thankful to work for an organization like Crescent Hotels & Resorts, which is committed to fostering a culture of inclusion, and has a very active Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council.

What advice do you of fer young people interested in building a career in hospitality?

Hospitality is still an industry where you can start from the “ground floor” and work your way up, and one does not need an advanced degree to succeed. Get experience by working unpopular shifts and volunteering for whatever projects are available.

Whenever there was a task force opportunity or a new hotel transitioning into the portfolio, I would volunteer. Early in my career I took on many projects that I was not technically qualified for, but I made it my mission to succeed. Take every opportunity to learn – volunteer for a task force, assist different departments, when you find yourself in a conversation with a knowledgeable person – ask questions.

You have been in the hospitality industry for more than 20 years. What has made the industry so special for you and a place where you have wanted to spend so much of your career?

About 10 or so years ago I considered transitioning away from hospitality management, even going so far as to earn my MBA in the part-time program at NYU, but I just could not bring myself to do it. Instead, I developed a renewed passion for the work that we do and enjoyed using my education in my day-to-day hotel operations. I love engaging with a diverse group of associates and guests daily, and the constant problem-solving that comes with the business. No day is the same and there is truly never a dull moment.

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HOSPITALITY

A New Image to Mentalism An Interview with Kevin Nicholas, Modern Mentalist

Kevin Nicholas

EDITORS’ NOTE Kevin Nicholas’ stylish flare is coupled with an energy that pulls audiences and leaves them speechless. He began honing his craft at 13 years old. Within two years, he was already an international award-winning magician and on his way to captivating audiences with his illusions. Nicholas’ dedication to his craft has taken him around the world to perform his own brand of magic known as Modern Mentalism (modernmentalist.com). A natural performing artist, his journey has placed him front and center with countless celebrities, fashion houses and sports icons. His shows incorporate his experiences and impeccable style, creating a highend performance.

Did you always know you had a passion for being a mentalist?

I didn’t always know I had a passion for mentalism or magic. I always knew I had a passion for entertaining and, when I found magic, I found my vehicle to perform and entertain. Mentalism came some years later when I started honing who I was as an entertainer and developing my style and personality, as well as my way of connecting with my audience.

How is being a mentalist different from being a magician?

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difference between being a country music artist or a hip hop artist. Both are in the same family – just different styles. I call myself a “Modern Mentalist” because I like bridging the gap and blending both genres. I love the visual aspects of magic tricks such as card effects and other effects I perform, coupled with the connection and intimate relationship I create with my mentalism style.

Does mentalism work better in a more intimate setting?

Mentalism does work great in an intimate setting. As a mentalist you want your audience connected to you as you go down this amazing rabbit hole of entertainment. Mentalism is like a jazz band set; there are these fluid yet almost organic and spontaneous moments where you don’t know what might come next during your performance. You want your audience to be invested and connected to these moments, so having an intimate setting is definitely a plus.

Will you discuss your process in creating your work?

My creative process is similar to an artist or fashion designer in that I want my audience to feel a connection to who I am. For me, it’s my other passions that create my pieces of performance – my love of fashion, travel, cigars, wine, cocktails – and I get inspired by characters from movies. For me, I create by performing and, over time, these effects will change and evolve into an effect or a magic trick and become a piece of my art.

Kevin Nicholas entertaining celebrities

Your passion is performing for people, but there is the business side as well. Is it hard to find the balance?

Performing and business goes hand in hand. It’s always business whether I’m performing or not. In our world today, we are all a brand from what we post on social to the dinner or drinks I have at a bar, I’m always on.

I want to meet everyone and bring magic into everyone’s’ lives. I created a life over the past 20 years where I have come to love the romance of both the amazing times and the hard times. Like all businesses, there are busy times and slower times. As an artist, this can be amazing and rewarding, but also frightening and stressful. As an entrepreneur, I control the future, just like any business owner.

Can mentalism be taught or is it a skill that a person is born with?

Mentalism, like magic, is an art form.

Like anything, it can be taught but not all entertainers, like musicians and artists, are the same. There is only one Kevin Nicholas and I feel I bring a new image to mentalism and magic. I can learn to play a song on a guitar, but it won’t sound like Eric Clapton or John Mayer. In the same way, you can learn a magic trick, but it won’t look, sound or feel like Kevin Nicholas. I was born with a love of people and I love learning and connecting to them. Mentalism and magic are my vehicles for doing that.

With the success that you have achieved, do you miss the early days when it was all about the work and you were building your career?

I miss the early days very much. I was 15 years old performing at a restaurant three and sometimes four days a week for five or six hours hopping table to table. I wasn’t thinking about whether this was what I would do as my career or for the rest of my life. I was just loving performing. I would walk around entertaining people for tips and getting my countless hours in. I was in the grind and wouldn’t accept the answer “no” if a table didn’t want to see me perform. It was these early years that molded me. They made me appreciate hard work and allowed me to appreciate where I came from and what I have become. I am in no way close to satisfied, even with all the success and amazing clients I have. There are millions of people that have not seen me perform and I can’t wait to blow their minds.

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