Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, this is a season for giving and sharing - and as we reflect on the year or look forward to well-deserved bonuses, promotions and vacations, my thoughts also turn to the people whose passion for their work have inspired me.
Some of the most inspiring people are found in the most unlikely places at the most unexpected times. My very first tribute goes to caregivers around the world, especially the selfless relatives, doctors and nurses who have supported us, my mom-in-law and the family through this challenging time. Special acknowledgment to the Singapore Hospice Council and the Lien Foundation for launching the Life Before Death campaign.
Fortune's 50 Most Powerful Women in Business photo feature includes a few of my career heroines: Indra Nooyi (Pepsi), Andrea Jung (Avon), Anne Sweeney (Discover), Ann Moore (TIME), Shelly Lazarus (Ogilvy), Mary Minnick (CocaCola) and Colleen Goggins (J&J).
Despite choosing the corporate path for 7 years now, I often contemplate moving into the public service, NGO or nonprofit realm - first as an undergrad economics TA/RA, again when I collaborated with the United Nations and the World Bank throughout my MBA, and most recently while debating a career switch after we relocated to Asia. Maybe I will take the plunge someday, but in the meantime, these are two role models who've successfully leveraged their business expertise and experience for the greater good.
Elizabeth Littlefield. Formerly a managing director at JPMorgan in their capital markets division, she now serves as a World Bank director and CEO of the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor, a consortium of public and private development agencies working together to expand access to financial services for the poor in developing countries.
Jeff Skoll. The former eBay president wanted to be a writer as a youth. Today, he's founded - inter alia - the Skoll Foundation which links up with Oxford's Saïd Business School to invest in promising social entrepreneurs; and Participant Productions, that has brought us Syriana, Good Night, and Good Luck and An Inconvenient Truth.
A little light reading on for profit v. public/nonprofit trade-offs:
Doing well and doing good (Economist)
What's wrong with profit? (New York Times)
The power of philanthropy (Fortune Magazine/CNN Money)
When is being good not good enough? (Forbes)
No comments:
Post a Comment