the new global citizen - fall 2013

INSIDE

Hult Prize Fights Hunger With Crickets

p. 6

GSK & Pfizer Tackle Black Fever in India

p.10

Africa’s Oil & Gas Frontier Transformed

p.14

Pro Bono Cultivates Global Leadership Competencies

p. 20

IBM & State Department Promote Pro Bono

p. 24

Social Enterprise Takes Off in China

p. 40

Corporate Service Corps Changes Lives

p. 56

FALL 2013 | newglobalc i t izen.com

MANAGING EDITOR

Alicia Bonner Ness

PUBLICATION MANAGER

Melissa Mattoon

PROOFREADERS

Matt Clark • Daniel Elliott

Published daily at:

www.newglobalcitizen.com

Tel: (202) 719-0656

@BeNewGlobal

facebook.com/BeNewGlobal

FALL 2013

LETTER FROM THE EDITORor records. Games themselves are often

an ongoing rehashing of personal and

team records, and adjacent televised

programming, like A Football Life, the

NFL Network’s Emmy-award winning

documentary series, goes inside the lives

and legacies of players and coaches in

extended format. In no other reporting

medium are commentators and their au-

dience so squarely focused on telling

the stories of individual and collective

success.

At the same time, dominant American

news sources constantly focus on the

negative—murder, fraud, negligence,

death, and corruption. Who doesn’t re-

call the media legacies of Terry Schiavo,

Anna Nicole Smith, Enron, and most re-

cently, Treyvon Martin?

Yet, in the domain of corporate respon-

sibility, a few dynamic media sources

have emerged, eager to showcase the

positive impact of CSR, shared value,

and social good, on global develop-

ment. CSRwire, 3BL Media, and Business

Fights Poverty are leaders in this space,

encouraging corporations and others

to be bolder and louder in their com-

munication about their commitment to

impact. By launching a new storytelling

forum within this space, I acknowledge

the legacy that precedes this publica-

tion, and I am eager for opportunities to

collaborate across these media.

The New Global Citizen is inherently

different. In many ways, it leaves be-

hind traditional conceptions of CSR in

favor of a new multi-sector framework

of global engagement and partner-

ship. In so doing, it focuses on five key

themes: Leadership, Impact and Innova-

tion, Citizen Diplomacy, Enterprise De-

velopment, and Global Pro Bono. The

magazine seeks to simultaneously bring

to life the ground-level impact of effec-

tive solutions and innovative practices,

while also creating a forum for leaders

and influencers to share their opinions

and experience about what works, and

what does not. The magazine provides a

bridge to cultural understanding of how

others exist, innovate, and drive shared

value around the world.

Today, our world is more connected

through technology than ever before,

and new institutions—yes, they have

become institutions—like Twitter, Face-

book, Instagram, Pinterest, and others

have become the foundation of a new

global discourse. Technology has not

only increased our connectivity, it has

increased a thousand fold the stream

of information coming at us each day.

In this over-saturated world, it becomes

increasingly important to prioritize our

information intake. While many online

publications have made an enormous

contribution to greater efficiency in

information consumption through ag-

gregation and summary, this is not our

domain. We will continue to favor the in-

depth deep-dive over the 30-thousand-

foot view.

September is my favorite month. In the

American northeast, the days are sunny

and warm and the mornings and eve-

nings brisk. But the joy of the change

in the weather pales in comparison to

the joy of the best part of the year—the

beginning of football season.

Football is a challenging sport, both on

and off the field. Most players get less

than three years of professional play be-

fore injuries or other factors force them

to retire, and those that do endure often

suffer physically as a result. The window

in which they can be recognized at the

highest level for their accomplishments

is fleeting, at best.

Given these natural time constraints,

football reporting is almost always fo-

cused on the progress players and teams

are making towards positive milestones

T h e N e w G l o b a l C i t i z e n | F a l l 2 0 1 32NGC

LETTER FROM THE EDITORWithin each issue, we highlight the most impactful

stories and influential insights on each of the five key

themes. We have also sought to distill insights from many

of the most influential convenings of the past quarter.

Most excitingly, we ensure each issue has global reach.

Within these pages, we’ve highlighted some of the most

exciting transformations taking place in China, Thailand,

Morocco, Nigeria and beyond.

As the Editor, my perspective is inherently shaped by my

upbringing. I grew up in upstate New York, in a small rural

town, steeped in holistic thinking. At birthday parties

when I was a little girl, we didn’t have clowns, we had

the Storycrafters, Barry and Jerri, a quirky couple who

somehow discovered how to make a living doing the

impossible—telling stories to children.

I remember the eagerness and anticipation I experienced

as a child listening to their stories, and the way they

used songs and sound effects to bring those stories to

life. How vividly I remember that duo, even today, is a

testament to their influence on me. Those first memories

of the Storycrafters inform how I view my own role in

storytelling. As the Editor of this magazine, I hope to con-

vey stories of real people doing amazing things that will

inspire each of us as the Storycrafters once inspired me.

In a world filled with endless negative press, The New

Global Citizen creates a forum focused on ‘bright spots’

of collaboration, innovation, and exchange around the

globe. By sharing stories and insights, I hope we can bet-

ter understand how innovative and unheard-of solutions

to big problems are actually working. By embracing the

opportunity to celebrate success, perhaps we can each

make this brave new world a little bit brighter.

Alicia Bonner Ness

Today’s world demands individu-als and organizations prepared to thrive in a globally interconnected network of challenges and opportu-nities. Greater social awareness and innovative approaches have allowed a growing number of individuals and organizations to cross borders and cultural boundaries to create shared value and understanding. The New Global Citizen chronicles the stories, strategies, and impact of innovative leadership and international engage-ment around the world. This publi-cation seeks to capture the ground-level impact of these approaches, providing an avenue through which beneficiaries and implementers alike can showcase their impact.

Today’s transformed and increasingly interconnected world has spurred a revolution in our global culture, rein-forcing collaborative approaches to addressing complex challenges. The New Global Citizen elevates the ways in which individuals, corporations, and others are championing a better future for our world.

This is the world of the new global citizen.

THIS IS YOUR WORLD

T h e N e w G l o b a l C i t i z e n | F a l l 2 0 1 3 NGC 3

FEATURESCONTENTS

GSK & PFIZER INC TEAM UP TO FIGHT BLACK FEVER IN INDIABy G avin Cepelak

SHIFTING GEARS IN AFRICA’S OIL AND GAS FRONTIERBy Harr y Pastuszek

LOOKING FOR THE PATH TO GLOBAL LEADERSHIP?By Al ic ia Bonner Ness

BUILDING GLOBAL LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIESBy Laura Asia la

CUPID SHUFFLE TO MUTUAL UNDERSTANDINGBy Benjamin Orbach

HAPPENINGS8 FROM A HANDOUT TO A HANDSHAKERockefel ler Centennial

24 DID YOU KNOW YOUR COMPANY COULD CHANGE THE WORLD?State Depar tment IC V Forum

32 YOU HAD ME AT {HELLO}Cit izen Diplomac y Campaign

36 ARE YOU READY FOR THE NEXT ADVENTURE? MBAs Without Borders

10

14

18

20

28

COMMENT6 HULT PRIZE CHAMPIONS INSEC T PROTEIN TO FIGHT HUNGER

Fear less Global EngagementBy Deirdre White


AR

OU

ND

TH

E W

OR

LDFEATURES

40 THE RISE OF SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN CHINABy Daniel E l l iott

44 THAILAND’S ORGANIC FARMING MOVEMENT TAKES OFFBy Amy Crumbl iss

50 SMART AGRICULTURE DRIVES ECONOMIC OPPORTUNIT Y IN MOROCCOBy Jai lan Adly

56 IBM OPENS A WORLD OF POSSIBILIT YBy Matt Berr y


Cover Image ‘Moroccan Caravan’ by Triin Visnapuu

COMMENTThis March, Deirdre White, President and CEO of PYXERA Global, had the oppor tunit y to ser ve on the Cambridge, MA regional judging panel of the Hult Pr ize. She and the other members of the jur y had the pr iv i lege of selec t ing the McGil l Univers ity “Power Flour ” team as the regional winner. The M cGi l l team went on to win the Hult Pr ize this S eptember at the Cl inton Global I n i t iat ive in New York .

Eeewwww.

I would be lying if I were to pretend that was not my first thought as the team from

McGill University presented their solution to the Hult Prize case challenge. The McGill

students proposed to address the problem of food security in urban slums by farming

and processing—wait for it—crickets! But don’t worry, you don’t have to eat a cricket

whole (though that is one option). Instead, the crickets will be processed and served up

in a product called “Power Flour”.

HU

LT P

RIZ

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HA

MP

ION

S IN

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PR

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By Deirdre White


sible? Second, did it have the potential

to disrupt and transform the landscape

of food security at large? From my per-

spective as a judge, the McGill approach

did more than meet those criteria.

As I listened to nearly 20 teams offer

their solutions to urban food security,

I thought back to Bill Clinton’s Time

magazine article last fall, “The Case for

Optimism”. In this piece, President Clin-

ton specifically named the Hult Prize

for its ability to change the world. After

having the honor to serve as a regional

judge for the second year now, I could

not agree more.

Many people may think that the Hult

Prize’s transformative promise is born

out of the funds it delivers—the win-

ner of the challenge goes home with

$1 million to launch the proposed social

enterprise. While that kind of money is

certainly nothing to sneeze at, it’s only

part of the answer.

The Hult Prize successfully solicits cre-

ative ideas from all over the world, ideas

that truly have the potential to address

their target challenge. This year, Hult

received over 10,000 entries from more

than 350 schools in 150 countries. Each

team I saw had members from at least

three different countries, all bringing

unique life experience to attacking the

problem posed by Hult, IXL Center, and

the Clinton Global Initiative.

Second, and perhaps most importantly,

the Hult Prize selection process moves

at a lightning pace. Regional winners are

chosen within hours of their presenta-

tion, and the final winner will be selected

less than six months later. There is no

extended drum-roll, no wait-and-see.

Hult ensures that these great ideas have

the potential to be realized almost as

quickly as humanly possible. Indeed,

Hult reminds us, the international de-

velopment practitioners, that an idea

in the abstract is no good at all. Many

NGOs spend years talking about new

ideas or approaches, and only after

white papers have been written, vet-

ted, presented, discussed and discussed

again, are those ideas actually put into

action, sometimes after the evolution

wave that bore them has expired. Hult

forsakes circumspection for speed, often

to great effect.

As I reflected on these important les-

sons, I was reminded of the Case Foun-

dation’s Be Fearless campaign. I was

inspired by Jean Case’s passion on the

topic at Ernst & Young’s Women Execu-

tives Connect Forum last year, and her

words stuck with me. The premise of Be

Fearless is that most of us who are work-

ing to solve global challenges use the

same tools, ideas, and approaches, and

move all too slowly and cautiously in

doing so. Jean Case argued that we must

“rethink traditional models…to be bold,

act with urgency, and embrace risks with

potential to produce exponential social

returns.”

The Hult Prize is certainly aligned with

those key tenets of “being fearless.” And

I’ve got just one thing to say about being

bold:

CRICKETS!

While I cringed at the idea of crick-

ets in my crepes, the team put forth a

number of compelling arguments: 35

percent of the world’s people already

consume some form of insect; crickets

are relatively cheap and easy to grow,

providing potential income-generating

opportunities for slum dwellers; crick-

ets have nutritional advantages over

traditional animal-based proteins; and

the environmental footprint of cricket

farming is much smaller than farming

other types of protein. I came away from

the presentation squeamish, but also

convinced that cricket farming could

have a transformative impact on urban

food security and that the students who

dreamed up the idea had the passion to

see it through.

Our panel of judges heard many fantas-

tic ideas, each compelling and aspira-

tional in its own right. Harvard Business

School offered an elegant and simple

solution to exploit inefficiencies in the

rice market in Ghana, while the Uni-

versity of Wisconsin proposed a cost-

effective plan to grow micro-greens.

Georgia Tech’s “Ubuntubox” leveraged

existing social structures in South Africa

to distribute high-nutrient food and HEC

Paris proposed “Aquapods” that use the

waste from small-scale fish farming to

feed vegetable growth in a closed-loop

system.

It was incredibly difficult to select just

one regional winner from among the

diverse and brilliant approaches and tal-

ented teams, but two factors weighed

more heavily than any others for me.

First, was the idea proposed actually fea-


HAPPENINGS

Goodluck Jonathan, the President of

Nigeria, stood on the dais in front of a

hundred or so of the most influential

people in Africa.

“Oil is old news—agriculture should be

the new frontier of Nigeria’s growth…

The concept that farming is only for

rural people, only for poverty allevia-

tion must go…There is no reason that

Nigeria should be a net importer of

F R O M A H A N D O U T TO A H A N D S H A K E

By Deirdre White

hosted by the Rockefeller Foundation

as part of the Foundation’s Centennial

Series. I was honored to be invited to

participate in a convening of the most

creative and innovative minds in African

development.

As the CEO of an international devel-

opment NGO, I have seen the catalytic

impact robust development of the agri-

culture sector can have on a community,

with initiatives ranging from capacity

building for small-holding farmers, to as-

sociation development, to nucleus farm-

ing, to technology innovations around

pricing strategies and market access.

While these types of successes were

highlighted, much of the summit em-

phasized next generation approaches

and opportunities for scaling up and

the pervasive challenges that hinder ef-

fective development of the sector. The

stakes could not be higher: according

to one expert at the event, 23 percent

of the population in Africa is undernour-

ished versus, on average, 16 percent in

the rest of world. And the demand only

grows. According to research by Jason

Clay of the World Wildlife Fund, to feed

the planet, we will need to produce as

much food in the next 40 years as we

have in the past 8,000.

One major constraint to agribusiness

development and to the replication of

successful innovations in Africa is that

land is not treated as an asset. While

this may be a simplification of the chal-

lenge, it is certainly fair to say that until

food.” Jonathan’s bold statements were

a call to action for all those assembled to

transform the concept of farming from

an approach to managing poverty to

one of wealth creation for Nigeria and

for the African continent.

Jonathan was among those who gave

opening remarks at this week’s summit,

Realizing the Potential of African Agricul-

ture: Catalytic Innovations for Growth,

I ns ights f rom the Rockefel ler Foundat ion Summit on I nnovat ion Agr iculture


many African governments clarify land

ownership, leasing, and usage rights

from a policy perspective, it will be dif-

ficult to scale agribusiness. Additionally,

scientific study to advance agriculture

is underfunded and underperformed.

Advances in agriculture require constant

investment in innovative technology,

possibly stimulated by universities and

government, but tested by the private

sector. As one commercial farm execu-

tive noted, “R&D must happen at the

farm level, not in a university or a labo-

ratory.”

Much of the focus was on how to engage

youth in a sector that they find unap-

pealing. The attraction of urban areas is

strong, and it becomes ever more criti-

cal to reinvent farming as a high-value

occupation. Increasing and enhancing

opportunities for women farmers were

also seen as critical to the future of the

agriculture sector and to economic sta-

bility in general. As President Jonathan

noted, “When you empower women,

you change the destiny of nations.”

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Finance Min-

ister of Nigeria and former Managing

Director of the World Bank, demanded a

shift in attitude from misconceptions of

Africa as a starving continent: “There is

absolutely no doubt that this continent

can feed itself and be an exporter…We

must agree that no more will we have

other people feeding us. The face of

hunger should not be the face of an

African child.”

Heeding Ngozi’s call, and ensuring Af-

rica’s agriculture can feed the continent

(and then some!), will require greater in-

vestment from the private sector, which

in turn calls for government attention

to the enabling environment and civil

society sector involvement in capacity-

building. To drive change on this issue,

we must shift the mindset that agricul-

tural investment is charity support for

subsistence farmers. With strategic in-

vestments in agriculture development,

jobs are created up and down the value

chain.

An executive from Oxfam noted that in-

novation happens “when great ideas,

appropriate incentives, and political

will align.” Likewise, President of the

Rockefeller Foundation Judith Rodin,

Goodluck Jonathan, and others called

on those convened to move the conver-

sation from a handout or a hand up to a

handshake. These sentiments represent

exactly the right tone for how to move

forward—in cross-sectoral partnership

toward a common goal. After this week’s

summit, it would appear that many of

the requisite stakeholders are on the

same page.

In closing, Goodluck Jonathan posed

a challenge to those convened. “We’ll

know our work is done when not one

Nigerian goes hungry…I challenge all

the ‘eggheads’ gathered here to find

new approaches, new solutions to real-

izing the growth potential of agriculture

in Africa.”

I hope to count my-self and my team at PYXERA Global among those eggheads.


By G avin Cepelak

IMPACT & INNOVATION

G S K & P F I Z E R I N C

T E A M U P TO F I G H TB L AC K F E V E R I N I N D I A

GSK PULSE Fel low, Clara Marr ( lef t ) and Pf izer Global Health Fel low, Matt A zzara (second-from lef t ) , are work ing with the CARE I ndia team (shown) to research ways to e l iminate K ala azar, the wor ld ’s second largest paras i t ic k i l ler.


This spring, pharmaceutical giants Pfizer

Inc and GSK forged a new partnership.

They committed to sending two of their

employees to work together to address

one of South Asia’s most deadly but in-

frequently discussed health challenges,

visceral leishmaniasis or “black fever.”

When it comes to insect-borne infec-

tious diseases, health experts often

reference the world’s deadliest insect-

borne disease, malaria. Visceral leish-

maniasis, also known as “black fever,”

or by its Hindi name, Kala azar (KA), is

similarly deadly but less well known.

Each year the world’s second-largest

parasitic killer, KA, infects an estimated

500,000 people. Transmitted by small

sand flies, it is especially prevalent in

India and South Asia.

To assist CARE India in researching ways

to eliminate KA, Pfizer Inc and GSK de-

veloped a new and unique partnership

through their corporate volunteering

programs. The collaboration brought

together a GSK PULSE Fellow, Clara Marr,

and a Pfizer Global Health Fellow, Matt

Azzara.

Clara is a clinical research and infectious

disease specialist from England and Matt

is a market researcher and oncology

strategist from the United States. Given

the competitive nature of the pharma-

ceutical industry, Clara and Matt are an

unlikely duo, but Matt’s experience in

strategy development and market re-

search complements Clara’s deep clinical

research and infectious disease exper-

tise. Together, they make an exception-

ally skilled and knowledgeable pair.

Matt and Clara came into this project

with no prior experience with KA and no

experience working in rural India. With

the help of CARE India program leads,

Dr. Raj Mohan Singh and Dr. Indranath

Banerjee, Matt and Clara embarked on

the journey with clear goals and a strong

commitment.

Their objective is to better understand

the role of private medical providers, es-

pecially Unqualified Medical Practitio-

ners (UMPs) in rural India, with regards to

identifying, diagnosing, and treating KA

patients. UMPs far outnumber qualified

doctors in India, and a high proportion

(estimated to be over 80%) of rural vil-

lagers rely on UMPs as first-line providers

for their basic health needs. However,

as UMPs operate outside of any public

system, they receive no formal training,

there is no tracking or regulation of their

activities, and no reporting of patients,

which would help the Government of

India understand where to direct their

resources to combat KA. Most impor-

tantly, UMP knowledge and awareness

of proper diagnostic and treatment

techniques for KA has been demonstrat-

ed to be quite poor, leading to patients

becoming very ill or dying of the disease

instead of being cured.

Clara and Matt are designing a research

study to investigate how these UMPs

(as well as some qualified doctors with

private practices) interact and manage

“Matt’s experience in strategy development and market research complements Clara’s deep clinical research and infectious disease expertise. Together, they make an exceptionally skilled and knowledge-able pair.”

A posit ive K ala azar test .


suspected and confirmed KA patients,

and to help determine a way for these

practitioners to be included in the effort

to eliminate KA.

Meeting a Patient

In 2011, in the Indian state of Bihar alone,

over 30,000 cases of KA were reported,

with many more cases unreported. Clara

and Matt visited Bihar several times to

meet with local stakeholders and pa-

tients to better understand the dynam-

ics of the disease. They saw first-hand

the devastating effects that the disease

can have on patients.

While at the hospital in Bihar, Clara and

Matt spoke with a KA patient, a young

man named Prasanth*. Prasanth had

been sick for ten days with a fever and

an upset stomach when he first sought

medical help from an unqualified medi-

cal practitioner. He was treated for jaun-

dice for two months. His skin turned

black as often happens with KA patients

and he went through several additional

months of treatment before being sent

to a public health facility. Finally, he was

admitted to the emergency room and

was diagnosed with KA, seven months

after falling ill.

While Prasanth was expected to fully

recover from KA, he had not received

any information on how to prevent it in

the future. “While it may not have been

representative of all cases, we were left

with a vivid portrait of a family who had

limited control over their own health

needs in a complicated health care sys-

tem,” said Matt.

Hope for EliminationAlthough the volunteers found local

physicians knowledgeable about the

disease, the doctors were not always

aware of the latest protocols and more

effective, new treatments. Matt and

Clara’s field trips and meetings with

relevant stakeholders enabled them to

design their research protocol, establish


goals, and determine how best to moni-

tor and evaluate progress of their work

over time. “Reporting and tracking new

KA patients in order to identify KA hot-

spots and measure progress against the

elimination goal is critically important,”

said Clara.

While travelling to villages and health

centers throughout the region, Matt

remarked “In some places, it seemed

like a lot of progress had been made to

combat the spread of KA, including pre-

vention activities like spraying homes

with insecticide to reduce the number

of disease-carrying sandflies, and aware-

ness of the disease was high among vil-

lagers. In others areas, KA still seems to

be relatively unknown.”

By the end of Matt and Clara’s six month

project in India, they will have complet-

ed a pilot study and also designed a ro-

bust research protocol to further assess

the role of the private sector in the man-

agement of KA. The research study is

planned to be conducted next year; the

evidence generated from the study will

enable CARE India to facilitate changes

to public policy for a new approach to

both treating and raising public aware-

ness of KA.

Clara and Matt have come a long way

in the three months—visiting patients,

UMPs, private doctors, public health

facilities, social health activists, and re-

search institutions in Bihar. They have

worked together, capitalising on their di-

verse backgrounds to build their survey

and a comprehensive research protocol

to implement it. To ensure the project’s

sustainability, they will train the CARE

India team to conduct next year’s broad-

er study. Matt and Clara have also com-

mitted to be available to provide support

after their assignment if needed.

GSK’s and Pfizer’s commitment to work-

ing together with CARE India to elimi-

nate KA speaks to a growing willingness

among corporations to look past their

competitive differences and to collabo-

rate to solve big problems. The potential

success of innovative teamwork, like that

of Matt and Clara, encourages the need

for collaborative approaches to address

global health challenges, one patient

at a time.

Hopefully, GSK’s and Pfizer’s willingness to collaborate will inspire other corporations to adopt the same impact-ful approach towards solving tough global problems.

* Name has been changed


About a month ago, I received a phone

call from the lead consultant on a team

hired to advise the Ministry of Energy

for a small African nation on issues re-

garding local content. Local content is

a term at risk of falling into the abyss

of development jargon. Put simply, it

means the extent to which local people

and companies are able to participate

in the workforce and supply chains of a

given industry. It is most often a focus

area in sectors that require technical so-

phistication to exploit natural resourc-

es—namely extractive industries such

as mining, oil, and gas.

The phone call from this lead consultant

was one of four such contacts I received

in that week alone. As the Vice President

of Enterprise and Community Develop-

ment at PYXERA Global, I have seen a

growing interest in advisory services

designed to aid local companies in en-

tering the oil and gas supply chain in

sub-Saharan Africa. This shift highlights

S H I F T I N G G E A R S I N A F R I C A’S O I L A N D G A S F R O N T I E RBy Harr y Pastuszek

ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT


tries are recognizing the importance of

establishing NOC preeminence from the

outset of new exploration and project

development. Increasingly, IOC’s are

navigating the murkier waters of the oil

industry—accessing oil that is harder to

find and to extract for geological, chemi-

cal, or political reasons. More than ever,

IOC’s are sharing the steering wheel with

NOCs. Many would even argue that in

some African settings, they are just rid-

ing shotgun.

Keeping Jobs and Money In-CountryAs this shift in influence continues, gov-

ernments in developing countries are

exerting their influence in this domain

by passing local content laws. These

laws aim to ensure that countries with

large oil reserves retain the greatest

economic benefit from their natural re-

sources. Local content legislation seeks

to maximize the opportunities available

the fact that a new day is dawning in the

oil and gas industry in this part of the

world. The claims in a recent Economist

feature that the death knell is sounding

for the integrated international oil and

gas company (IOC) may be overcooked;

however, there is no question that the

rising relevance of national oil compa-

nies (NOC) in new markets is driving pro-

found attention to issues of small and

medium enterprise (SME) development

among regulators, NOCs, and IOCs.

The Changing Role of the IOCWhile it is true that IOCs such as Exxon-

Mobil, Chevron, and Shell remain among

the world’s most valuable companies,

there is still no doubt that the IOC’s role

in the global oil industry is changing.

Oil demand in developed countries has

been falling since the mid-2000s, a re-

sult of more efficient vehicles and overall

demographic changes in car ownership.

Simultaneously, we are seeing a great-

er demand for oil from the developing

world—a demand that is only expected

to increase as living standards improve

in developing countries.

Today, it is estimated that between

70 and 90 percent of oil reserves are

controlled by NOCs. IOCs have to-date

played a leading role in exploration,

project development, and operations

because NOCs lacked the technological

expertise and global reach of the big

multinational oil companies to produce,

refine or sell their own oil. The gap in ex-

pertise between NOCs and IOCs is clos-

ing, and perhaps more essentially, coun-

for indigenous businesses and people,

keeping more jobs and money in-coun-

try. Many smaller, local firms, however,

struggle to compete with larger, inter-

national firms that have always been the

ones to supply the procurement needs

of the oil and gas industry.

PYXERA Global has been engaging in

local content development since our

first supplier development project in

Russia in the mid 1990s. PYXERA Global

currently has local content develop-

ment programs, at varying degrees of

implementation, underway in Equato-

rial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, and Mozam-

bique. In each of these interventions,

PYXERA Global is implementing a pro-

gram to first understand the demands

of the oil industry and the ability of local

companies in a given market to meet

those demands in order to then design

and implement a program to help local

companies enhance their competitive-

ness for oil company tenders.


Ensuring Effective Enterprise Development

This is where it gets interesting. As NOCs

assume greater control of the mar-

ketplace, the question remains—will

NOCs be motivated to, and perhaps

more importantly, will they be able to

tackle challenges around local content

development to enable local companies

to participate in the oil and gas supply

chain?

Early returns from countries seeking to

enforce strict local content quotas sug-

gest that NOCs and regulators often

struggle to close the gaps between local

SME performance and the oil and gas

industry’s demands. These first movers

are discovering that the IOC tendency

to work with foreign suppliers and con-

tractors is driven by more than a blind

unwillingness to work with locals—find-

ing qualified and competent local sup-

pliers is more difficult than simply issu-

ing an invitation to tender in the local

language.

Winning work with oil and gas firms is

not an easy matter for the Schlumberg-

ers, Halliburtons, Fluors, and Bechtels

of the world—so imagine the effort re-

quired of a 10-person start-up enterprise

in an emerging market. The past reality,

in which IOCs shouldered the entire bur-

den in meeting regulatory requirements

for local content, presented numerous

sustainability challenges. Extractive in-

dustry sectors are notorious for their

failure to expand economic growth op-

portunities—on a dollar-for-dollar basis,

the mining and oil and gas sectors tend

to have a much smaller impact on local

economies than manufacturing, for ex-

ample.

Furthermore, oil projects are not static—

they are constantly evolving from ex-

ploration to construction to production,

and ultimately, to closure. Each stage

brings with it contractors and service

providers specifically geared to the de-

livery of short-term value to the “owner”

of the asset. Where the owner is an IOC

keeping its eye on the next viable re-

source, maintenance of opportunities

for local small and medium enterprises

is far from a priority. Making NOCs the

custodians of oil reserves and the op-

portunities they bring presents a game

changer for international development.

The perception that oil can be a “resource

curse” for countries “lucky” enough to

have discovered it is strong and lasting.

While it is a major contributor to climate

change, oil’s affordability means it will

remain a primary source of energy for

the next century. The international de-

velopment community should ensure

that each additional unit of carbon di-

oxide emissions enabled by discoveries

of oil in developing countries yields the

greatest possible economic benefit—in

the place most deserving of that impact.

In order for Africa to realize its greatest

potential, circumstances will demand

that NOCs are equipped to champion

local content initiatives.

Much remains uncertain as roles among

and between IOCs and NOCs continue

to evolve, but one thing is clear—a mo-

tivated and properly resourced NOC

and local regulator that is involved in

the effort to develop local content from

the start will improve the way in which

natural resource discoveries enhance

local livelihoods. That IOCs and NOCs

are increasingly willing to think of one

another as true partners presents a criti-

cal opportunity for Africa’s future.

The road will not be easy, and many con-flicting interests remain unresolved, but these changes have the po-tential to improve the economic environment in some of the most un-derdeveloped parts of the world. And that’s all for the best.

“The international de-velopment community should ensure that each additional unit of carbon dioxide emissions en-abled by discoveries of oil in developing coun-tries yields the greatest possible economic benefit.”


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Leadership in ActionDow Addresses Community Development in Ghana

In a new twist on talent development, The Dow Chemical Company provided a unique opportunity for 35 high per-forming employees to use their skills to enhance local non-profit organiza-tions and social entrepreneurs in Ghana. Under the Leadership in Action-Ghana Community Development Project, employees worked in teams from May to September 2013 to solve some of the challenges facing these seven organiza-tions. Projects included efforts to address STEM education, sustainable farming, issue surrounding access to water, and urban housing. This program is the first of its kind for the H.H. Dow Academy, a talent development program aimed at Dow’s future leaders, and the Dow Sustain-ability Corps, the company’s skills-based employee engagement program. Dow enlisted the help of PYXERA Global to connect with the best project opportuni-ties in Ghana.

“There are multiple facets of this project that are exciting,” said Johanna Soderstrom, Dow vice president, Human Resources-Center of Expertise “We are thrilled that Dow employees were ex-posed to this kind of leadership develop-ment opportunity, and pleased to be able to demonstrate Dow’s commitment to the global community by putting some of our brightest minds to work on some of the country’s most important chal-lenges. Most important, we look forward to the potential impact on the Ghanaian community.”

Dow employee participants began work in May 2013 to create plans for their respective organizations. Results range from providing strategic plans on how to grow medicinal plants as cash crops, to providing ways to improve water and sanitation in slums, to improving access to clean water.

“Ghana is a rapidly-growing economy in Africa and Dow employees provided access to critical skills for social enter-prises, universities, and NGOs that do not otherwise have access to this level of business acumen,” said Deirdre White, CEO and president, PYXERA Global.

“Programs such as Dow Sustainability Corps offer a sustainable approach to developing more resilient economies around the world. At the same time, the company is readying its workforce with a lens for the future.”

Bo Miller, Dow global director of Corporate Citizenship, said “In addition to this effort meeting an important talent development need at Dow, it also serves as a way for the Company to live out its citizenship objectives in a tangible way.”

“By immersing employees into the country, they were able to experience first-hand the stark realities of food, housing, water and educational challenges facing the Ghanaian people,” Miller said. “There is no better way to get a sense for a culture or its people. That’s when corporate citizenship can make the most profound difference.”

®™ The DOW Diamond Logo, Solutionism and design are trademarks of The Dow Chemical Company © 2013

LEADERSHIP LO

OK

ING

FO

R T

HE

PA

TH

TO

GLO

BA

L LE

AD

ER

SH

IP?

Being globally minded is no longer a profes-

sional choice. It’s a business requirement. To

achieve global progress and shared value so-

lutions to the big problems that are facing

our planet—challenges such as food security,

economic development, access to clean water,

and adequate healthcare distribution—every

corporate Joe or Jane must transform to meet

the new standards of global leadership. Those

who meet or exceed these expectations will

lead the world to a better future. Those who

do not are likely to fall behind, and, inevitably

disappear.

But who is the enigmatic global leader? As

leadership development pedagogy has

grown, the true meaning of global leadership

has become increasingly vague. A few schol-

ars, however, have managed to develop great-

er clarity in this domain. In Being Global: How

to Think, Act, and Lead in a Transformed World,

Ángel Cabrera and Gregory Unruh detail three

primary foundations for an individual’s global

leadership potential—global mindset, global

entrepreneurship, and global citizenship.

Multinational companies in rapid-growth mar-

kets are aware that these problems critically

constrain their international expansion. In a

recent Harvard Business Review article, Beth

Brooke, Global Vice Chair of Public Policy at

Ernst & Young, stated, “When my organiza-

tion commissioned a survey of more than 800

business executives working in 35 markets,

not even a third of them expressed strong

confidence in their top management’s abil-

By Al ic ia Bonner Ness

GO LEAD IN AN EMERGING MARKE T


ity to build and execute a global talent

strategy.”

Cabrera and Unruh point out that to-

day’s world economy is dramatically

different from twenty years ago. Global

leadership today requires a mastery of

a complex mindset and competencies,

and an understanding of the business

and cultural realities in emerging mar-

kets that are quickly industrializing.

Companies such as IBM are placing

the three ideals of Being Global at the

forefront of their business operations

to address this challenge. Over the past

five years, IBM has sent 2,400 employees

around the globe through its Corpo-

rate Service Corps (CSC) program, one

month assignments in which employees

volunteer their professional skills for a

nonprofit, government agency, or en-

terprise. Unlike the multinational model

of old, talent and resources are shared

freely between geographies in a globally

integrated enterprise. These employees

hone their leadership skills, while build-

ing relationships with other IBMers and

organizations in new markets.

Interestingly, these three primary com-

petencies of global leadership all inter-

sect directly with the theoretical un-

derpinnings of this type of global pro

bono service. ICV, a relatively new, but

growing practice among leading cor-

porations, involves sending teams of

employees across international borders

to serve as volunteer consultants for be-

tween three weeks and three months to

NGOs and governments in the develop-

ing world.

These programs cultivate a global

mindset in employees. The challenge

of meeting professional objectives in a

foreign environment forces volunteers

to transcend cultural barriers and see

through a multinational lens. Returning

employees consistently report increased

cultural awareness, enhanced problem

solving and team work abilities, and a

better understanding of their company’s

role in the developing world.

ICV programs open up avenues for

global entrepreneurship, allowing com-

panies to create new partnerships with

for-profit, non-profit, and government

sectors. For example, through the CSC

program, IBM developed a close work-

ing relationship, with the government

of Cross River State, Nigeria. Grounded

in the common objective of saving the

lives of mothers and children, this vol-

unteer program grew into a cross-sector

partnership between the state and IBM

that is still active today. Cross River

State’s health care system now has up-

to-date technology that provides health

care to communities across the region.

This experience engenders knowledge

and connections that often inspire em-

ployees to become global citizens, a

force for global change and community

impact. IBM, along with several dozen

other multinational companies, are

developing global leaders by actively

engaging them in the growth of a sus-

tainable and inclusive global economy.

In the final words of their book, Cabrera

and Unruh capture this sentiment:

“The world needs global leaders now.

We hope we inspired you to start on the

path to becoming one. And we hope

you’ll make the lifetime commitment

to pushing yourself to acquire, develop,

hone, and expand the skills of a global

leader. It’s the only thing that will ad-

dress our global challenges in a way

that builds sustainable prosperity for

everyone.”

This spring, Ángel Cabrera gave the clos-

ing keynote address for the 4th annual

ICV conference on Responsible Leader-

ship (pictured above). Shortly thereaf-

ter, Cabrera and his coauthor Gregory

Unruh published a piece in the Harvard

Business Review, calling attention to the

fact that, according to an AMA survey in

2011, less than one third of companies

have global leadership development

programs.

While the individual aspiring leader can

follow Cabrera and Unruh’s three-step

action plan to join the global elite,

companies that seek to capture global mar-ket share, learning from IBM, John Deere, Merck, and others, will need to reassess their priorities in order to succeed in a competitive market-place.


Mindset, Entrepreneurship, and Citizenship

GLOBAL PRO BONO

Are leaders born or made? Why not

both? But, if you don’t have the raw

material, it can be tough to develop,

and simply having leadership talent is

insufficient. In many ways, leadership

capability is a lot like physical strength.

You may be born with the capacity for

amazing physique, but unless you work

out—stretching, strengthening, practic-

ing—you will not gain the skill, strength,

or finesse required to deliver winning

performance.

Global pro bono, or international cor-

porate volunteerism, is leadership boot-

camp that builds capacity in a fast, effi-

cient, and economical way. It’s a workout

that exercises all kinds of leadership

muscle, and builds the types of teams

and people that leading multi-national

corporations have identified as top tal-

ent requirements, often at a fraction of

the cost of other approaches.

IBM’s Corporate Service Corps (CSC),

which uses an approach first described

in a 2009 Harvard Business School Case

Study, has long been the pro bono

volunteerism industry standard. Since

its launch in 2008, nearly 1,500 IBMers

have participated in CSC. The program is

championed for its “triple win” that deliv-

ers benefit to the company from market

insight and exposure, to the local client

in the form of free consulting services,

and to the employee, through leader-

ship skill development.

B U I L D I N G G LO B A L L E A D E R S H I P CO M P E T E N C I E S

By Laura Asia la

IBM CSC par t ic ipants in Valparaíso, Chi le.


But which leadership skills?IBM identified seven key characteristics

for a successful global leader that are

linked to the company’s unique priori-

ties for talents that enhance global vir-

tual teams. As I reflected on the lead-

ership development capacity of ICV, I

wondered how those same character-

Polaris® Competency Characteristics defined by IBM

PROBLEM SOLVING & DECISION MAKING

CHANGE MASTERY

ABLE TO COLLABORATE GLOBALLY AND SENSITIVE TO CULTURAL NORMS AND PRACTICES

CULTURAL AWARENESS

A BUILDER OF MUTUAL TRUST ANDUNDERSTANDING TO ACHIEVE SHARED

OUTCOMESRELATIONSHIP BUILDING

SAVVY ABOUT PERSONAL INTERACTIONSSOCIAL AWARENESS

ABLE TO ENGAGE AND NURTURE A TEAM THAT DOESN’T HAVE AN ASSIGNED LEADER

TEAM BUILDING SKILLS

AN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATOR(APPRECIATIVE OF NON-NATIVE LANGUAGE

SPEAKERS)COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS

A PROBLEM SOLVER & ANALYTICAL THINKER

ADAPTABLE & FLEXIBLE

istics might stack up against a leader-

ship competency model that has been

developed and verified by leadership

development experts.

The Polaris® Global Leadership Com-

petency model is a research-based

model developed by Bruce Griffiths of

Organization Systems International and

Carolyn Feuiller that combines cultural

intelligence, emotional intelligence,

and organizational leadership. The Po-

laris model measures five dimensions

of leadership—personal, social, global

business, leadership, and cultural—ex-

hibited through 19 competencies, ten of

which ICV accelerates or impacts.

In addition to Problem Solving & Deci-

sion Making, Change Mastery, Cultural

In addition to Problem Solving & Decision Making, Change Mastery, Cultural Awareness, Relationship Building, Social Awareness, Team Building Skills, and Communications Skills, the Polaris model also recognizes additional competencies that are implicit in IBM’s list, including Composure, Learning Agility, and Influence Skills.


Awareness, Relationship Building, So-

cial Awareness, Team Building Skills,

and Communications Skills, the Polaris

model also recognizes additional com-

petencies that are implicit in IBM’s list,

including Composure, Learning Agility,

and Influence Skills.

Because experience is the best teacher,

ICV programs are almost always more

effective at global leadership develop-

ment than classroom-based programs,

at least that’s what we learned from a

George Washington University Study

published in 2012. It’s also much less

expensive than an expatriate assign-

ment, ($15,000 per participant for a four

week pro bono assignment compared to

several thousand for a single individual),

the more traditional approach to global

leadership development. In fact, a team

of 10 costs significantly less than a single

expatriate experience, and offers addi-

tional return on investment through the

development of corporate reputation,

stakeholder relationships, and new mar-

ket insights for growth.

This approach also turns out to have

potential for global leadership assess-

ment, especially when paired with a “360

degree” leadership assessment of these

competencies before and after the ICV

experience. By coupling the assignment

with a leadership diagnostic—like the

leadership assessment the Polaris model

offers—participants are more aware of

their strengths and weaknesses, and can

focus on them appropriately over the

course of their ICV experience.

This type of accelerated, experiential

leadership development—not simu-

lated, but real—is relatively new. So

far, none of the corporate programs (at

least those I know of ) are rigorously re-

searching the comparative long-term

effectiveness, based on an agreed-upon

standard. But I think it’s an interesting

question, and one I hope more corpo-

rations will consider. Even without this,

however, using a competency model

like Polaris as an overall leadership as-

sessment rubric—prior to making in-

ternational assignments—could quickly

“weed out” inappropriate candidates

and offer the right candidates an ac-

celerated and cost effective leadership

experience.

Most importantly, ICV creates a pathway

for potential global leaders to better un-

derstand the challenges and opportuni-

ties that exist around the world. Accord-

ing to Dr. Ángel Cabrera, the President

of George Mason University, author of

Being Global, and the keynote speaker

at this year’s ICV conference, this trans-

formation in perspective is crucial, “Our

ability to build a truly sustainable and

inclusive world economy will depend

on how well we help new generations

of leaders to become global.”

Just like professional athletes, reaching peak leadership performance requires dedication, drive, and adaptability. The world belongs to those who can perform; ICV—leadership boot-camp—can help get future global leaders in shape.


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tIBM Corporate Service CorpsEssential pro bono problem solving for communities around the world

In the first five years, IBMers have undertaken engagements in

34 countries;

So far, IBM Corporate Service Corps has provided more than

$50 million worth of skilled services over the last five years.

9 out of 10 IBMers said participating in the program made them more effective at their jobs.

What?A pro bono consulting program that has benefitted at least 140,000 people as of 2013, addressing:• Economic development• Energy• Transportation• Education• Healthcare

Why?The initiative helps cultivate:• Communities• IBM market insights• Employee skills

Where?The program deploys IBMers to the developing world and growth markets.

When?The initiative was founded in 2008.

5 years and counting…

In Nigeria, IBM CSC helped design a program to provide financial, healthcare and literacy assistance to poor women and children.

In Vietnam, an IBM CSC team helped a travel agency increase its business and offer more services to clients.

In Brazil, IBM CSC advice boosted efficiency for a network of children's hospitals and youth centers.

In South Africa, a financial services agency is now making consumer loans with better repayment rates thanks to IBM CSC advice.

11 countries in Africa alone.

For more information, visit ibm.com/corporateservicecorps.

The engagement dispatches, on average,

500 IBMersannually.

Who?IBM’s most talented experts in:• Technology• Scientific research• Marketing• Finance• Human resources• Law• Economic development

As of 2013, those participants have come

from 52 countries.

HAPPENINGS

State Department’s Global Partnerships Office Hosts Leadership from IBM, Citi, Amazon, PYXERA Global, and Others at Forum on International Corporate Volunteerism

Yesterday at the State Department, Drew

O’Brien took the stage for his first speech

in his new role as Special Representa-

tive for Global Partnerships. Special Rep

Drew, as he is fondly called by his staff,

convened an important event on be-

half of the secretary, with strong sup-

port from leadership at the IBM Foun-

dation and PYXERA Global. The topic:

International Corporate Volunteerism, or

ICV. Through a series of panels and key-

notes, this half-day conference sought

to explore and amplify the importance

of this growing practice to show other

companies how they, too, can use their

resources to move the needle on glob-

al development in mutually beneficial

ways.

In his opening remarks, Special Rep

Drew called out a few innovative pub-

lic-private partnerships, many of which

had been the inspiration for the event.

Among them were the Diaspora Vol-

unteer Corps, facilitated by the USAID

Office of Innovation and Development

D I D YO U K N O W YO U R CO M PA N Y CO U L D C H A N G E T H E W O R L D ?

Alliances, and Partners for a New Begin-

ning, a partnership with the Aspen Insti-

tute. Lastly, he championed the Center

of Excellence for International Corporate

Volunteerism, a collaborative partner-

ship between IBM, USAID, and PYXERA

Global, which seeks to offer companies

like IBM, Pfizer, FedEx, John Deere, Pep-

siCo and others the opportunity to craft

individual public-private partnerships

with USAID missions and beneficiaries

in countries of interest.

By Al ic ia Bonner Ness

The panel inc luded Stan L i tow ( far r ight) , the Pres ident of the IBM Foundat ion and the Vice President for Corporate Responsibi l i ty at IBM, Deirdre White (middle) , the President and CEO of PYXERA Global , Jef f rey Blander ( lef t ) , the Ac t ing Direc tor for Pr ivate S ec tor Engagement in the State Depar tment ’s O ff ice of the Global AIDS Coordinator, and John Glenn ( far lef t ) , Pol ic y Direc tor of the USGLC.


Special Rep Drew also championed

those who have already made a signifi-

cant impact through their ICV programs.

Chief among them is IBM, whose Cor-

porate Service Corps (CSC) has fielded

more volunteers in the past five years

than any other, dedicating $70 million

worth of pro bono service to solving

complex global challenges. Dow Corn-

ing’s commitment to the Global Alliance

for Clean Cookstoves, one of the most

ambitious private-sector commitments

to a specific issue, was inspired by one

of Dow Corning’s corporate volunteers.

Following his introduction, the first

panel took the stage. The panel, moder-

ated by John Glenn, the President of the

US Global Leadership Coalition, includ-

ed Stan Litow, the President of the IBM

Foundation and the Vice President for

Corporate Responsibility at IBM, Deirdre

White, the President and CEO of PYXERA

Global, and Jeffrey Blander, the Acting

Director for Private Sector Engagement

in the State Department’s Office of the

Global AIDS Coordinator.

Why is ICV a Good Thing?John Glenn opened the discussion with

a simple question: What do we mean

by ICV and why is it a good thing? Stan

Litow was the first to respond. First and

foremost, “Companies need to under-

stand it from the standpoint of the huge

advantage it has for the company,” he

said. “The common denominator is that


companies will be judged based on the

talent of their employees.” According to

Litow and others, ICV programs yield a

triple benefit: they enhance the skills of

their top talent, they deliver significant

and impactful benefit on the ground,

and they provide companies with in-

sight into new markets.

As he wrapped up his intro remarks,

Litow clearly articulated the biggest

challenge in spreading ICV. Many com-

panies believe that “volunteerism” is

important, but separate from their core

business. It’s something they encour-

age ambitious employees to undertake

on their free time, but not something

that delivers measurable returns. When

it comes to ICV, he said, “We need a

new name other than ‘volunteerism’

because it’s not separate from the busi-

ness, it’s part of it.”

IBM’s CSC is celebrating its 5th anni-

versary this year. Over this time, the

program has deployed 2,400 IBM em-

ployees as pro bono consultants in 34

countries around the world. According

to Litow, the creation of CSC was fueled

by the company’s need to create cross-

cutting global relationships. “Becoming

a globally integrated company required

putting together teams of top talent to

work together to delivers significant

value to local organizations.” IBM’s teams

have worked as far afield as Morocco,

Senegal, Tanzania, and Kenya, often

in exceptionally rural environments.

Through CSC, IBM continues to cham-

pion its commitment to lead innovation

in Africa. This year, IBM has also begun

to embed employees from companies

new to the idea of their own ICV teams.

Last spring, a team of IBM and Citi execu-

tives worked together on a participatory

budgeting project in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

This fall, a team of IBMers, joined by four

executives from JP Morgan Chase will

deploy to Uberlandia, Brazil.

But such scale and impact is difficult to

achieve without the right implement-

ing partner. According to Litow, “The

Corporate Service Corps would not be

effective without an NGO implementer

like PYXERA Global.” To his point, Deir-

dre White articulated the most impor-

tant elements of a successful program:

“What’s really critical is that we have the

right host organizations, scopes of work

that have a real (and achievable) deliver-

able, and that we match the right set of

skills with the problem that needs to be

solved.” While this might seem simple

at first blush, accommodating as many

as 15 professionals in rural parts of the

globe, and working with local NGOs to

absorb the capacity infusion that an ICV

team can provide is hardly wrinkle-free.

When it is done right, however, ICV can

create significant change quickly. White

“International experi-ence is critically impor-tant to building a great business and in solving the big issues we face in society.”

- Stan L i tow

Pres ident , IBM Foundat ion Vice Pres ident , Corporate Responsibi l i t y, IBM


called out a recent example of a team of

IBMers who provided recommendations

to the state government of Nigeria’s Ekiti

State on their procurement process. Be-

fore the team arrived, the state’s pro-

curement process required 55 separate

administrative steps. Through the team’s

assessment, the department was able to

reduce its procurement process down to

33. While 33 steps may still sound overly

complicated, such a rapid automation,

reducing the process by 22 steps, will

have far reaching implications (and cost

savings) for the entire province. “That

wouldn’t have happened for many years

without an IBM team,” said White.

How Do We Measure Success?Inevitably, the conversation turned to

metrics: “How do you measure success?”

asked John Glenn.

According to Litow, it starts with how

you design the program. For IBM, it

started with leadership development.

“Companies are increasingly globally

integrated, so you have to be particu-

larly understanding of being culturally

literate,” said Litow. “If you are trying to

be effective in developing business in a

new geography, you can’t possibly be

successful without having that level of

understanding.”

By working as client-facing consultants

in resource-constrained environments,

participants develop enhanced team-

ing, cultural adaptability, and listen-

ing skills, among others. Many return

from their assignment to a promotion,

or a vertical move to somewhere else

within the company. Not only that, but

interest in the program can attract top

talent from elite business schools and

computer science programs around the

world. When they finish their assign-

ments, participants have developed

their own network of top talent within

their company, a deeper understand-

ing of strategic business problems, and

a greater affinity for the company they

work for. These experiences also have

far-reaching implications for the future

of our world. “Corporate leaders will be

a different kind of corporate leader for

having had such an experience,” said

White.

Subsequent panels included leaders

from VEGA Alliance, Cuso International,

Seed Global Health Amazon, Citi, the

Points of Light Foundation, and USAID.

All had terrific ideas and examples of

the ways ICV has changed how we think

about public-private partnerships in ac-

tion.

Both Stan Litow and Drew O’Brien had

the privilege of closing the conference.

“International experience is critically

important to building a great business

and in solving the big issues we face in

society,” said Litow. “We need better col-

laboration… a way that large numbers

of employees can integrate into their

careers opportunities to help govern-

ments solve problems on the ground…

to deliver real economic benefit, real

skills, and collaboration that brings so-

lutions to scale.” Among other options,

corporate volunteerism abroad is one of

the best ways to help.

Over the past 5 years, as ICV has taken

off, the number of companies and

employees engaged as corporate vol-

unteers in emerging and frontier mar-

kets has grown tremendously, but the

numbers are still too small to have far-

reaching implications. IBM alone sends

500 volunteers a year, but the next big-

gest deployer is SAP, who will send 60

this year. “What would happen, if every

Fortune 500 company fielded 100 em-

ployees a year?” said Litow. “Imagine the

impact that would yield, both on your

employees and on the world.” Having

shown others that it is possible through

CSC, Litow issued a call to action: “Now

it’s up to all of us to take this to the next

level.”

As he closed the event, Special Rep Drew

echoed Litow’s call, asking everyone to

consider the ways in which they could

engage their companies and themselves

in advancing social aims in mutually

beneficial ways through global pro bono

consulting and skills-based volunteer-

ing.

“We are fortunate to work in a field where there is no such thing as a bad idea,” he said. “But even with all that we have achieved, there is still so much more to do.”


America’s Unoff ic ia l Ambassadors Encourage Cit izen

Diplomac y Bet ween Amer ica and the Musl im Wor ld

C U P I D S H U F F L E TO M U T UA L U N D E R S TA N D I N G

By Benjamin Orbach

CITIZEN DIPLOMACY

Hannah D ’Apice teaches middle schoolers to cupid shuff le in I ndonesia .


“Hello, Mr. Cow. Can you come home?”Sam Schindler deadpans into his cell

phone before a classroom full of gig-

gling teenage boys at The Carter Acad-

emy in rural Bangladesh. In Yogyjakarta,

Indonesia, Katarina Deshotel is mapping

close to 2000 domestic abuse cases that

Rifka Annisa responded to from 2007 to

2012. In a Moroccan village in the Mid-

Atlas Mountains, Rachel Wiser is making

number “flash cards” for illiterate female

craftswomen.

Sam, Katarina, and Rachel are three of

the 22 “Unofficial Ambassadors” dis-

patched to the Muslim World this sum-

mer on behalf of America’s Unofficial

Ambassadors (AUA), a new citizen diplo-

macy initiative. They are volunteering in

areas of human development to support

locally-led initiatives and in the process,

are dispelling stereotypes of Americans.

Significantly, they are also bringing their

experience home through blogs and

then community presentations this fall

to build mutual understanding here at

home in the United States.

Sam is a high school teacher in Lan-

caster, PA who traveled to Bangladesh

to teach conversational English. His

students hail from nearby villages and

wear blue uniforms as they sit in pairs

at wooden desks. Sam mixed in some

poetry and teacher training during his

volunteer service, but he left his mark

teaching conversational English – and

idioms like “when the cows come home”

– with humor, grace, and humility.

Rifka Annisa is an Indonesian NGO that

advocates for and counsels abuse vic-

tims. Katarina’s supervisor gave her a

spreadsheet of data, in Bahasa, on 1832

cases and asked her to generate the

graphs and analysis for a 5-year report.

To the delight of her supervisor, she

used an online dictionary, standardized

the data, and then, with software she

learned to use in her Masters program at

the University of Pittsburgh, generated

the graphs and a map of where incidents

occurred.

Helping teenagers in rural Bangladesh

speak English with confidence and

using native data to counter domestic

abuse in Indonesia are not the type of

lofty national outcomes found in the

performance indicator section of the

average USAID-funded proposal. Yet,

in the discussion of healthy lives and a

better, shared future, these are wonder-

ful development successes even before

factoring in the “soft power” impact of a

well-meaning American playing the role

of partner in generating these changes.

What’s more, the impact of these in-

terventions here in the United States is

just as important. According to recent

polls, 45 percent of Americans believe

Muslims are violent, and 62 percent of

Americans say they’ve never met a Mus-

lim. Thousands of Americans will read

about Sam and Katarina’s experiences,

and hundreds more—from college cam-

puses to local libraries—will hear about

the people they met. Multiply Sam or Ka-

Sam Schindler teaches Engl ish in Bangladesh.

“According to recent polls, 45 percent of Amer-icans believe Muslims are violent, and 62 percent of Americans say they’ve never met a Muslim.”


tarina’s efforts by the 20 other unofficial

ambassadors who served in Morocco, In-

donesia, and Tanzania this summer, and

we have a growing movement of citizen

diplomats contributing to a larger goal.

Of course, Americans offering their ex-

pertise or enthusiasm as volunteers in

Africa, Asia, and the Middle East isn’t

new, but I believe AUA is unique because

of our volunteer’s intentionality and the

concentrated geographic scope of their

work. We are taking the sentiment of

global citizenship and leadership that

runs through so many Americans and

channeling it specifically into the Muslim

World. Our volunteers approach their

service in education, human rights, or

the environment with a consciousness

about how we want to represent Amer-

ica abroad and what we want to bring

home for our communities to consider.

There aren’t enough opportunities—for

education, for work, and for dignity—

in the countries that stretch from Mo-

rocco to Indonesia, but there also aren’t

enough opportunities for us to get to

know each other beyond the stereo-

types that exist between America and

the Muslim World. America’s greatest

asset is our citizens. While governmental

interventions and assistance are crucial,

they leave a lot of room for purpose-

ful citizen diplomats to generate sus-

tainable achievements that result from

partnerships built on merit, trust, and

mutual interests.

And those flashcards?

For years, the women of Tarmillat vil-

lage have created and sold rugs without

keeping track of their inventory or costs.

Rachel Wiser, a William and Mary under-

graduate, took a page from her own Ara-

bic studies and created flashcards for the

women to learn math. After just a few

weeks, the women now understand that

their enterprise has been making them

less than a dollar an hour. That knowl-

edge, and what those women do with

it, is a great step forward.

Math flash cards in Tarmillat, English

language debates in Zanzibar, and line

dancing in Aceh might not be the stuff

of presidential summits.

Yet these kinds of inter-ventions at the grass-roots level are creat-ing new opportunities and shaping cultural impressions that will last a lifetime. Togeth-er, America’s Unofficial Ambassadors are influ-encing how individuals’ lives are lived and how outlooks on the world are formed.

“We are taking the sen-timent of global citi-zenship and leadership that runs through so many Americans and channeling it specifi-cally into the Muslim World. “


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A Division of PyxerA GlobAl

The U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy promotes and expands opportunity for all Americans to be citizen diplomats and affirms the indispensable value

of citizen involvement in foreign relations.

www.uscenterforcitizendiplomacy.org

every citizen a diplomat

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YO U H A D M E AT { H E L LO }U S C e n t e r f o r C i t i z e n D i p l o m a c y C h a m p i o n s G l o b a l E n g a g e m e n t T h r o u g h a N a t i o n a l C a m p a i g n

By Amanda MacAr thur

HAPPENINGS

A selec t ion of the best photos f rom the USCCD {Hel lo} Photo Contest .


In 2007, 64 million Americans travelled

outside of the United States. In 2009, this

number fell to 61.5 million. In the United

States, 462,979 individuals volunteered

for international organizations at home

in 2008; only 390,572 did so in 2009. It’s

clear that since the recession began, the

number of people engaged in cultural

exchange—or citizen diplomacy—has

markedly declined.

Clearly there is a correlation between

the lagging economy and people’s

enthusiasm for cross cultural engage-

ment. When challenges arise there is a

natural tendency to turn inward and to

perhaps perceive others with a bit more

hesitation, but even in a less than ideal

economic environment we live in an

interconnected world. We rely on one

another more and the ability to suc-

cessfully communicate across cultures

matters more than ever before. It is ex-

actly during these times that we must

embrace opportunities for cultural en-

gagement – whether it’s overseas or just

around the corner.

As the Vice President of Global Citizen-

ship and Volunteerism at PYXERA Global,

I am responsible for designing programs

that engage people across cultures, sec-

tors, industries, and geographies to de-

liver shared value. What does this mean?

It means helping people find ways to

better understand one another, to de-

velop common ground, and to learn

how to overcome interpersonal or in-

tercultural differences to solve problems

and exchange ideas. Citizen diplomacy

“We must embrace opportunities for cultural engagement, whether it’s overseas or just around the corner.”


is as simple as a handshake.

In conversations about citizen diplo-

macy, I often think of John F Kennedy

and his commitment to uniting people

around the world through collaborative

action. In one of his last stump speeches

in the 1960 campaign, Kennedy spoke

to a group of students at the University

of Michigan. Many claim these brief re-

marks were motivated by the same drive

that led to the founding of the Peace

Corps five months later.

In his inaugural address, Kennedy asked

the American people to join him in his

pledge to improve the world. It’s easy to

mistake Kennedy’s inaugural address for

a rallying cry for the Cold War, but mixed

in with the rhetoric of “us” and “them” is

a call to citizen diplomats everywhere:

“If a beachhead of cooperation may

push back the jungle of suspicion, let

both sides join in creating a new endeav-

or, not a new balance of power, but a

new world of law, where the strong are

just and the weak secure and the peace

preserved.”

While the competitive environment

of the Cold War is long behind us, the

mandate for broader global citizen en-


gagement lives on. The U.S. Center for

Citizen Diplomacy (USCCD) is working

to reverse the recent trend towards iso-

lation by educating Americans about

opportunities for cultural exchange

and people-to-people engagement—

much of which can occur within your

own community. Citizen diplomacy em-

braces the concept that the individual

has the right, even the responsibility,

to help shape global engagement ‘one

online campaign: You Had Me at {Hello}.

The campaign highlights how lifelong

connections with people from around

the world often start with a single ges-

ture—a smile or a friendly {Hello}. The

campaign seeks to celebrate citizen dip-

lomats, and inspire others to become

more globally engaged. Three features

of the campaign so far are worth noting.

Last month, right before the campaign’s

kickoff, USCCD’s director Diane Rasmus-

sen wrote a terrific piece for this pub-

lication, “You are a Citizen Diplomat”,

summarizing the important impact of

citizen diplomacy. According to Diane,

finding opportunities to say {Hello} to

the world is beneficial on a personal and

global scale. Citizen diplomats change

their lives, the lives of others, and indeed

the world through their global experi-

ences, whether it is by demonstrating

their global savvy at an interview with

a multinational corporation, or by host-

ing international visitors from China’s

government who will return determined

to establish a stronger partnership with

the United States.

As citizen diplomats, we have the power to bridge nations and cul-tures, to work together as one people dedi-cated to a better, more collaborative tomorrow.

Join us.

handshake at a time.’ By encouraging

citizen diplomacy, USCCD seeks to en-

courage American citizens to become

more globally minded, a cultural shift

that will enhance how Americans—and

by extensions America—are viewed

from afar, ultimately improving the

world for the better.

To get more Americans culturally and

globally engaged, USCCD launched an


M B A G ra d u ate s C h o o s e S o c i a l E nte r p r i s e i n E m e r g i n g M a r k e t s O v e r Tr a d i t i o n a l Corporate Jobs

A R E YO U R E A DY F O R T H E N E X T A D V E N T U R E ?

Tourism development in Sri Lanka, social enterprise expansion

in India, local supplier improvement in Mozambique—just three

of the unique assignments that the most recent cohort of MBAs

Without Borders (MWB) Advisors set out to begin this August. As

MWB Advisors, the seven graduates will spend from five months

up to one year working on a project for a social enterprise, NGO, or

government agency. This experience provides the Advisors with

an extraordinary opportunity to gain practical experience working

in emerging and frontier markets while developing critical leader-

ship skills that strengthen their ability to manage global teams.

On July 29, the Advisors gathered at headquarters in Washington,

DC to kick off their assignments, which will take them to coun-

tries that include India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Mozambique

and Tanzania. While the seven MWB Advisors’ areas of expertise

range from environmental science, to mechanical engineering,

to scuba diving, they all have one thing in common—the busi-

ness acumen to provide pro bono services to promote growth,

entrepreneurship and economic development around the world.


HAPPENINGS

On July 29, the Advisors gathered at headquar ters in Washington, DC to k ick of f their ass ignments, which wi l l take them to countr ies that inc lude I ndia , Sr i Lank a, Nepal , Bhutan, Mozambique, and Tanzania .


“ I n the f ive months ahead, I k now there wi l l be obstacles and chal -lenges, and I ’ l l be forced to solve problems I ’ve never even thought of. I t ’s th is k ind of chal lenge that f i rst drew me to the MBAs Without Borders exper ience. I ’m ready for the nex t adventure.”

PAU L B E L K N A P MBA, Smeal Col lege of Business, Penn State

Paul joins the Indian social enterprise, Sustaintech, which sells clean cook stoves as a replacement for the more common and dangerous traditional stoves used by over 3 billion people in the developing world. He will spend the next five months as a Business Development Specialist performing a market analysis and developing and implementing sales strategies for new markets.

“ I bel ieve that there is a great oppor tunit y to create shared value s imply by leveraging business in innovat ive ways…. ‘Business as usual ’ hasn’t been good enough for a long t ime —it ’s t ime to do business with people in mind.”

J E S S I C A C U S T E RMBA, HEC Par is

Jessica will spend the next five months as a Marketing and Sales Specialist at Kara Weaves, a fair-trade certified organization that sells hand-woven clothes and linens designed by local weavers of Kerala, India. Jessica will work to ex-pand Kara Weaves’ market share locally and internationally, while identifying new distribution channels and increasing sales.

“ I can’t wait to work with communit ies to help them shape the tour ism potent ia l into exper iences that enr ich the l ives and per-spec t ives of v is i tors and res idents a l ike.”

ANNESSA K AUFMANMTA, George Washington Univers i t y

Annessa, whose interests include museum curation, scuba diving and sustain-able destination management, will spend the next 12 months as a Tourism Development Specialist in Sri Lanka. She will work with communities to help sustainably develop the tourism industry to provide value to both visitors and residents.


K AT H R Y N S V O B O D N YMBA, Masagung Graduate School of Management, USF

Kathryn joins READ Global, an organization that partners with communities in rural Asia to develop community library and resource centers, as a Sustaining Enterprise Specialist. As READ is ready to expand its services throughout Asia, Kathryn will spend two months in Nepal, two months in India, and one month in Bhutan, identifying the types of READ models that can be replicated across the continent implementing sales strategies for new markets.

M I C H E L L E D E A R R U DAMBA, Darden School of Business, Univers i t y of Vi rgina

Michelle will spend 5 months as a Supplier Development Advisor enhancing local enterprise in Mozambique. Michelle will be instrumental in developing positive relationships with local small businesses and entrepreneurs as well as conducting training sessions, developing workshops, and providing logistical and technical support for new businesses.

M I C H A E L A N D E R S O NMBA, Univers i t y of M issour i

Michael will spend the next 5 months as a Program and Technical Advisor for the Tanzania Horticulture Association, which is committed to the growth, pro-motion, and continued development of the horticulture industry in Tanzania through the promotion of Public-Private Partnerships.

J O H N G I N T H E RMBA, MS Global Af fa i rs , Univers i t y of Toronto

John joins Annessa as a Small Business Finance and Management Advisor in Sri Lanka. John will spend 12 months supporting a development project that seeks to fuel economic growth in former conflict regions by providing financial and advisory support to small businesses.


T H E R I S E O F S O C I A L

E N T R E P R E N E U R S H I P

I N C H I N ABy Daniel E l l iott

The beating heart of NuoMi, a small

clothing design business, lies in a mod-

est, three-story house in a nondescript

suburb about an hour’s drive from

downtown Shanghai. The bottom floor

has been retrofitted to make space for

design tables and sewing machines. The

kitchen doubles as a packing and stor-

age facility. The bedrooms upstairs are

offices, some holding a couple of tables

and computers while others house racks

and racks of clothes in a perpetual bat-

tle with overflowing filing cabinets for

space along the walls.

At first blush, it is not much different

than the thousands of other small busi-

nesses sprouting up all over Shanghai.

Yet, what makes NuoMi different is the

mission underlying its business model

– their labor force is comprised of poor,

underprivileged families who have

children with disabilities. The company

provides employment, micro-financ-

ing, equipment, training, and support

to these families in order to help them

establish self-sufficient businesses with-

in two years. Founder Bonita Lin Wen

admits that it doesn’t make business

sense in the traditional way—she has

lost thousands of RMB over the years—

but the fact that these families and their

dependent children are better off than

they were before make her efforts worth

it. She doesn’t see it as a loss of capital,

but rather as an investment into making

“She doesn’t see it as a loss of cap-ital, but rather as an investment into making bet-ter lives for her community.”

AROUND THE WORLD


better lives for her community. Meet one

of the faces of social entrepreneurism

in China.

Social entrepreneurism is a recent phe-

nomenon, but over the last couple of

years this approach to business, in West-

ern countries specifically, has evolved

into a powerful force. Companies now

have to place ‘do-gooder’ causes—fair

labor practices, responsible stewardship

of land and water, to name a few—front

and center in their business models be-

cause both customers and employees

expect and demand it. In the West, if

you have the option of two equal scarves

to buy, where one was made in a large,

nameless factory and the other by or-

phaned street children from El Salvador,

the backstory of the latter would push

most people to choose it. That is why

you see the face of Juan, the Costa Rican

coffee bean farmer, every time you walk

into a Starbucks.

In China, however, the capitalist con-

cept is still in a relatively early stage of

development compared to the rest of

the world. The idea that a business can

pursue altruistic goals and profits simul-

taneously is still extremely foreign. The

mentality is very much about making

money above all else. Aversion to this

business model delves deeper into the

overall fabric of China as well. As Meng

Zhao points out in the Stanford Social

Innovation Review, the lack of a strong


social enterprise sector in China can be

attributed to the obstacles embedded in

the country’s political, institutional and

cultural environment. Bonita has en-

countered customers in her retail store

in downtown Shanghai that wrinkle

their noses and decide not to purchase

an item once they hear NuoMi’s backsto-

ry. Their usual reason—they don’t want

to own something made by someone

with a disability.

FYSE’s 2012 China Social Enterprise

Report highlights the overall state of

social entrepreneurship in China and

the obstacles it faces. For example, fi-

nance is the biggest challenge. Only 42

percent of social enterprises achieved

financial sustainability in 2012 and 77

percent were dependent on family and

friends for funding. At least 58 per-

cent said that access and retention of

human capital is a severe or significant

challenge to staffing and running their

organizations. Furthermore, incorpora-

tion is extremely difficult because there

is no specific legislation regarding their

status and they cannot benefit from tax

exemptions like similar organizations do

in other countries.

The future for social entrepreneurship is

promising nevertheless, and the major

player in this space—the Chinese Gov-

ernment—has taken notice of its impor-

tance. The Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA),

which publicized its 12th Five Year Plan

for Charity in July, has laid out a plan

to write better legislation for the chari-

table sector, create a tax environment

in which donations to charities are en-

couraged, promote more development

in the sector, and develop a more effec-

tive volunteer policy, among other ini-

tiatives. FYSE’s report also showed that

social enterprises grew over the past

year and entrepreneurs have an opti-

mistic outlook for the future. Close to

75 percent of those surveyed expect an

increase in revenue over the next year.

Walking out into the chilly afternoon

air, atypical for Shanghai in April, Bo-

nita pulls out her phone and shows me

a picture of her four children, two her

own and two adopted. “This one we ad-

opted has cerebral palsy, and this one is

genderless.”

Capitalism with a soul is starting to take root in China, but it still has a long way to go. For Bonita, however, it’s al-ready in full bloom.


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SAP Corporate Social Responsibility

SAP Social Sabbatical A Model for Leadership Development and Social Impact

As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device – SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition.

We deliver upon our vision to help the world run better and improve people’s lives in many ways, including social investment. By focusing our talent, technology, and capital on education and entrepreneurship, we strive to enact social change through economic growth, job creation, innovation, and community.

One such offering is the SAP Social Sabbatical. Introduced in 2012, the Social Sabbatical is designed as a short term, exclusive development opportunity in which an international, cross-board area team of High Potential employees build capacity and solve business challenges with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that work with emerging entrepreneurs in select markets such as Brazil, India, South Africa and China.

For participants, they can: • Develop leadership and crosscultural skills. • Be part of an experiential learning opportunity. • Have the chance to connect with other emerging leaders,

which can lead to new ideas and business relationships.

For organizations, they can: • Support their own organizational development and build

capacity. • Advance service provision and improve staff skills. • Impart the learnings and knowledge gained in conjunction

with our top employees to others.

For SAP, it can: • Extend strategic social investments in key markets. • Support social innovation and teach us more about the

needs of NGOs and emerging entrepreneurs. • Energize employees who participated in a once in a lifetime

experience. As Margaret Mead so eloquently put it: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful people can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” It is our belief that the SAP Social Sabbatical can deliver on this ambition by engaging High Potentials from around the world through thoughtful and high impact assignments that leverage employee skills and expertise to help the world run better!

CSR at SAP – Social Investment to Help the World Run Better by Improving People’s Lives

SAP embraces its commitment to the communities in which we operate. We believe the private sector plays a vital role in creating a level playing field, driving innovation and building an environment that enhances education and entrepreneurship to foster economic growth.

Our approach is driven by four core principles: • Create social impact. Make strategic social investments that

have a lasting benefit on society. • Leverage our core expertise. Utilize our technology and talent

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our market and people strategy. • Engage multiple stakeholders. Drive innovation through a multi

faceted dialogue with internal and external stakeholders.

Learn more at www.sap.com

Team building at Rede Cidadã. Social Sabbatical, Brazil 2012

Advertorial.indd 1 9/4/13 5:06 PM

T H A I L A N D ’SO R G A N I CFA R M I N GM O V E M E N TTAKES OFFO r g a n i c F a r m i n g I m p r o v e s L i v e s a n d A f fo rd a b l e N u t r i t i o n in Nor thern Thai land

The linoleum floor is cold underneath

my bare feet. I must admit, though, it’s

a welcome refreshment from the hot

Thai air that hangs heavily outside. I peer

down at my feet, wishing I had taken the

time to get a pedicure before departing

on a 20-hour journey to Southeast Asia.

It’s not something I thought of back in

40-degree February weather in Wash-

ington, DC. But as I examine the oth-

ers around me, I realize that I may have

actually looked out of place with shiny,

freshly lacquered nails. The feet of the

By Amy Crumbl iss

AROUND THE WORLD


others in the room belong to people

intimate with the land, their well-worn

feet a hallmark of years of experience.

I am in the city of Chiang Mai, located in

northern Thailand, nestled at the base

of the Thai Highlands, and not far from

Laos and Myanmar. I am here to find

local partners for the John Deere Inspir-

ing Leadership program, a corporate ini-

tiative that sends high-level John Deere

employees outside their home countries

for a month to serve as pro-bono busi-

ness consultants with local NGOs, SMEs,

universities, or governmental agencies.

I have done my research—organic

farming is a nascent movement gain-

ing ground in Chiang Mai. Having es-

tablished contact with organizations

working in this space prior to arrival, I

now sit at the ECHO Asia Impact Center,

in a small kitchen that doubles as a con-

ference room. ECHO’s mission is to fight

hunger by providing seeds, research,

and resources to agricultural develop-

ment workers in Southeast Asia. These

are people who have become experts in

northern Thailand agriculture because

they have planted the seeds and tended

to the crops with their very hands. They

are proud of their hard work and the

calluses they bear. Soon the meeting is

underway and each person begins to

introduce themselves.

As each organization shares its story,

I am struck by four common themes.

Each shares a passion for the farmers,

consumers, and environment of north-

ern Thailand, and a mission to educate

the local community on the benefits of

locally sourced organic food. They are

also experts in traditional Thai farming

practices, and are committed to work-

ing together to transform the farming

By Amy Crumbl iss


culture of northern Thailand. I’m moved

by the conviction of these people and

dedication to their cause. I suddenly

realize that the infusion of the John

Deere team—my project—could have

a transformative impact on their work

and the exciting movement emerging

from Chiang Mai.

Organic Farming: Then and Now In the early 1950s, the agriculture in-

dustry changed dramatically, following

the introduction of chemical fertilizers

and insecticides. Until that time, what

we refer to today as “organic meth-

ods” were standard farming practice.

In the 1960s, as the negative effects

of chemical farming became known,

Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring spawned

a movement, advocating a return to

organic farming practices. As people

have become more interested in issues

of healthful nutrition and environmental

conservation, demand for organic foods

has only grown, expanding beyond the

United States. Organic farms around the

world have since begun to organize op-

portunities for individuals to immerse

themselves in organic farming through

the WWOOF network.

The organic agriculture movement in

Thailand has developed on a similar

timeline. In the 1980s, Thai NGOs and

farmers became more vocal in advocat-

ing for a return to organic farming meth-

ods. The private sector has been slow to

promote organic, but each year more

and more organic stores open across

Thailand, mainly in the urban areas. Or-

ganic farming has recently made it into

the government’s national agenda for

agricultural development.

Mainstreaming Organic Farming Practices in Thai-land

Just outside of Chiang Mai, a community

called Mae Tha has long been known

for its dedication to organic farming. In

2000, a group of farmers formed the Mae

Tha Sustainable Agriculture Coopera-

tive and committed their farms to the

organic methods. This began as a small

endeavor, but has since grown to now

include 500 members. Organic farm-

ing in Mae Tha, however, did not begin

with the co-op. The farmers today take

pride in telling me about their families’

long history of organic farming. Spurred

by environmental concerns and the

health risks farmers face from the harsh

chemicals, their ancestors abandoned

chemicals and started using sustainable

methods to farm before “organic” was

mainstream.

“The farmers today take pride in telling me about their fami-lies’ long history of or-ganic farming. Spurred by environmental con-cerns and the health risks farmers face from the harsh chemicals, their ancestors aban-doned chemicals and started using sustain-able methods to farm before “organic” was mainstream.”

Ahn f rom Mae Tha Co - op.


One of the young Mae Tha farmers, Ahn,

envisioned a community-supported ag-

riculture initiative, or CSA, after being

introduced to the CSA method while on

an educational stint in the United States.

Ahn believed a CSA would expand the

market for his co-op’s produce through

direct interaction with consumers.

In 2010, the Mae Tha CSA was born.

Initially, it only served consumers out-

side of Chiang Mai, close to the Mae

Tha community, but it didn’t take long

for the farmers to set their sights on

Chiang Mai. Soon after its launch, Jeff

Rutherford, an American environmental

consultant in Thailand heard about the

Mae Tha CSA and their desire to con-

nect with consumers in Chiang Mai. Jeff,

who was studying the feasibility of CSA,

runs an experimental organic farm, Fair

Earth Farm. He and his Thai wife, Sarah,

immediately jumped in to help, serving

as liaison between the farmers and the

consumers and helping market the CSA.

The CSA has grown to include five farm-

ing families and 30 consumers. Every

Wednesday, a few Mae Tha farmers make

the hour-long drive into Chiang Mai with

their truck full of boxes of fresh, seasonal

produce. The farmers do home deliver-

ies and distribute from a local school to

sell produce boxes for around 200 Thai

Baht, or $6.50 per box. The farmers ben-

efit tremendously from the CSA. They

receive higher prices for their organic

produce than they would with chemi-

cally grown crops. They, along with their

families, are able to consume their own

produce and enjoy the health benefits

of organic food. The CSA system can

also absorb increases in labor. The more

hands they have working the fields, the

more produce they yield. In a time of

rapid urbanization, the CSA provides the

opportunity for Thais to return to the

farmland of their ancestors and make

a good living.

The success of the Mae Tha Sustain-

able Agriculture CSA is an indication

of the rising popularity of organic food

in northern Thailand—Jeff will tell you,

finding consumers is the easy part.

But the Mae Tha farmers and network

members like the Rutherfords believe

the CSA not only provides high-quality

produce to Chiang Mai, it also introduces

the greater community to the benefits

of organic food. Besides having enor-

mous health benefits, organic farming

strengthens environmental integrity,

supports the health and livelihood of

small farming families, and bolsters the

local economy.

Amplifying the Message through Pro Bono Support

To assist Jeff and the Mae Tha CSA in ac-

complishing their goal of being not only

producers, but community educators as

well, a team of John Deere employees

spent the month creating a marketing

strategy to increase the visibility of the

CSA in Chiang Mai. By pooling their col-

lective knowledge and experience in

marketing, communications, business

planning, customer service, and sales,

the John Deere team was able to finalize

a CSA logo that incorporated the prefer-

ences of the farmers, design marketing

materials, and devise a marketing and

communications strategy for 2014. As

knowledge of the Mae Tha CSA grows in

Chiang Mai, Jeff and the farmers will use

this new platform to build awareness of

the benefits of organic farming.

Fortunately, Fair Earth Farm and Mae Tha

are not alone in their endeavor to pro-


mote local, organic farming to the com-

munity. The John Deere team was also

able to support Food4Thought and

ECHO Asia Impact Center. Their impact

on the community is already being felt,

and will certainly provide an important

capacity infusion that will propel excep-

tional momentum for Thailand’s organic

farming movement.

The day before leaving Thailand, I had

visited Jeff and Sarah’s organic farm just

outside Chiang Mai. On the way there,

watching the bustling streets turn into

small country roads winding through

fields of rice paddy, it was easy to un-

derstand why these organizations are

so passionate about protecting the land

and the livelihoods of farmers.

Looking out over the rice paddies peace-

fully waving in the breeze, the sweet

aroma of wild orchids tingeing the air,

Jeff points out the many small plots of

land around his farm. “There’s no way to

reverse the changes chemical use has

caused in the agriculture industry, but

farmers are following in the footsteps of

Mae Tha and making a return to organic

agriculture, which provides a viable way

for these families and so many others to

continue farming their land just as their

ancestors before them did.”

There are no thousand-acre commercial

farms here, just families whose land has

been passed down through generations.

These fearless farmers, who aren’t

afraid to get their hands and feet dirty, know that their dedication and perseverance in main-streaming organic farm-ing in Thailand will have a significant impact, not only on their fami-lies, but generations to come. Theirs is a legacy worth protecting. Making sure there’s enough food, fiber and infrastructure

for our rapidly growing world – it’s what we’re all about at John Deere. We take pride in knowing that our hard work and commitment support the development of technology and equipment to make a lasting impact on the world – now and for generations to come.

JohnDeere.com

THE MOST IMPORTANT WORK WE CAN DO IS

RIGHT NOW.

John Deere’s I nspir ing Leadership team in Chiang Mai .


S p o n s o r e d C o n t e n t

Making sure there’s enough food, fiber and infrastructure for our rapidly growing world – it’s what we’re all about at John Deere. We take pride in knowing that our hard work and commitment support the development of technology and equipment to make a lasting impact on the world – now and for generations to come.

JohnDeere.com

THE MOST IMPORTANT WORK WE CAN DO IS

RIGHT NOW.

S M A R T AG R I C U LT U R E D R I V E S E CO N O M I C O P P O R T U N I T Y I N M O R O CCO


S M A R T AG R I C U LT U R E D R I V E S E CO N O M I C O P P O R T U N I T Y I N M O R O CCO

By Jai lan Adly

Morocco is not just a country—it’s a brand. From

the moment you arrive in Morocco it is hard not

to get swept away by its mystique. Old imperial

cities entice travelers with gorgeous riads and

aroma filled souks. You don’t need to travel to

Morocco to indulge in the experience—over

the past ten years Morocco has permeated the

global consciousness. From Moroccan inspired

cuisine at Williams Sonoma to hand-woven rugs

at West Elm, Moroccan products have popped

up across the luxury goods market. This shift is a

byproduct of the entrepreneurial spirit that has

gained traction not only in the hallways of the

Ministries, but in the alleyways of the old Medinas

as well. Moroccans are working hard to keep the

momentum going.

Since the ‘Arab Spring’ began nearly three years

AROUND THE WORLD

Ol ives, argan oi l , and other

produc ts : A growing

oppor tunit y

Olive t rees near the k asbah of Ait Benhaddou.


ago, leaders have been forced from

power in Libya, Yemen, Tunisia, and

twice in Egypt. Syria is embroiled in a vi-

olent civil war and almost every country

in North Africa and the Middle East has

witnessed at least some protest or upris-

ing. Yet, Morocco, while it has seen some

domestic discontent, has remained rela-

tively quiet. Former Secretary of State

Hilary Clinton exemplified Morocco as

a “leader and model” for the region,

praising the monarchy’s clean political

transition and step-by-step restructur-

ings. Rarely prone to the same type of

sectarian discontent recently seen in

the rest of the region, the people are

firmly loyal to their monarchy, but not

complacent or accepting of the status

quo—they expect progress and liber-

alization with time.

Over the past 3 years, King Mohammed

VI introduced a number of major politi-

cal reforms, including a new constitu-

tion—a step towards greater account-

ability and democracy. Additionally,

the revisions of the Mudawana laws in

2004 have been praised for their pro-

gressive view on women’s rights and

gender equality. Many believe Morocco

has the potential to be the first nation

in the region to adopt a European-style

constitutional monarchy, for which the

King provides a sense of tradition and

political continuity, but lacks absolute

authority.

Yet, it is almost impossible to compare

one country to any other, especially in

a region that is rich in differences of re-

ligion, history, geography, and ethnicity.

Morocco’s vicinity to both Europe and

the Middle East has certainly influenced

its political and cultural evolution. Mo-

rocco is so close to Europe, Spain is vis-

ible from across the Strait of Gibralter;

over the past decades, the now-friendly

neighbors have both ruled and been

ruled by one another. Perhaps more

importantly, Morocco remained under

direct French colonial control until 1956

and remains under France’s sphere of in-

fluence today—French, which is widely

spoken throughout the country, is con-

sidered the country’s unofficial lingua

franca. It’s a country with deep ties to

Europe, the Middle East and Africa, but

manages to not be pigeonholed into any

three. It is just uniquely Morocco.

Beyond its political stability, and rich

history and culture, Morocco presents

enormous opportunities for business

development. For decades, Morocco’s

indigenous products, like saffron and

argan oil, have risen in popularity in

Western markets. In a 2013 Global Com-

petitiveness Report, the World Economic

Forum ranked Morocco as the best eco-

nomic performer in North Africa, citing

the country’s political stability as the

primary driver of its movement up the

ranks. Additionally, the country’s econ-

omy has grown steadily—4.9% in 2011

and 2.9% in 2012—in spite of the Arab

Spring and the global financial reces-

sion.

“It’s a country with deep ties to Europe, the Mid-dle East, and Africa, but manages to not be pi-geonholed into any of the three. It is just uniquely Morocco.”


One of Morocco’s biggest economic

drivers is agricultural development. As a

Director of MBAs Without Borders, I have

worked to use pro bono talent, including

IBM employees and MBA graduates to

enhance the capacity of local agribusi-

nesses and organizations.

Leveraging Morocco’s Agribusiness FrontierAccording to the World Bank, Morocco’s

agriculture sector employs nearly 40%

of the country’s workforce and gener-

ates 15% of its total GDP. Morocco’s

geographic diversity yields an incred-

ible variety of crops, but traditional ag-

ricultural practices have led to massive

amounts of irreversible soil erosion. In

2008, the country introduced the Plan

Maroc Vert (Green Morocco Plan), an

agricultural strategy to bring opportu-

nities to small and large-scale farmers by

transforming the agriculture sector into

a stable source of growth and economic

development.

Morocco sources a number of products

unique to the region, including saffron,

“the golden spice of Morocco,” and argan

oil, nicknamed “liquid gold.” Argan oil,

which comes from a species of tree that

is endemic to southwestern Morocco,

is a naturally rich skin moisturizer that

has spiked in popularity in the past five

years. Last year alone saw the debut of

588 new argan oil hair products—up

from 29 in 2008. According to govern-

ment data, Morocco’s exports of argan

oil have more than doubled in the past

five years to more than 700 tons, which,

priced at $30 a liter wholesale, has a tre-

mendous impact on the local economy.

As with any dramatic increase in popu-

larity of a product, however, comes the

risk of unsustainable production prac-

tices, imitation, and exploitation.

In 2010, PYXERA Global led an IBM Cor-

porate Service Corps (CSC) team to Aga-

dir, Morocco to work with AMIGHA, an

inter-professional association composed

of organizations focused on protecting

the geographical status of the argan

brand. In the spring and fall of 2012,

two different IBM CSC teams worked

with the Ministry of Agriculture in Rabat,

which as part of Plan Maroc Vert, has

been working to provide appropriate

advisory services to farmers and profes-

sional associations in regards to all parts

of the agricultural value chain.

This month, MBAs Without Borders

(MWB), in collaboration with Volunteers

for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA),

deployed an MWB Advisor to Morocco to

provide targeted volunteer technical as-

sistance to Moroccan agribusinesses in

the area of marketing development for

products that have potential for export

to the United States. Jeni Wang, an MWB

Advisor, will work with SICOPA (Société

industrielle des conserves d’olives et


produits alimentaires) to promote posi-

tive backwards linkage to smallholder

farmers for export-oriented agribusi-

nesses to expand their activities.

Pioneering Social Enterprise Jeni will not be the first MWB Advisor to

use her business skills for good in Moroc-

co. For nearly two years, Triin Visnapuu

has served as an MWB Advisor in Mar-

rakech, Morocco where she works with

the woman’s cooperative, Al Kawtar and

the social enterprise, Al Nour.

Both organizations produce traditional

embroideries handmade by disabled

women in the community. The orga-

nizations provide the women with the

opportunity to earn a living, while also

enabling them to enroll in the state so-

cial security system, ensuring they will

receive a pension after they retire. Al

Kawtar and Al Nour not only exemplify

Morocco’s entrepreneurial spirit, but

also the relatively new notion in Mo-

rocco that enterprise can be founded

in social benefit. In particular, women

cooperatives make up a significant por-

tion of the argan oil industry since, tra-

ditionally, women have produced the

precious oil. Social enterprises have

the opportunity to give marginalized

groups, like disabled women, the abil-

ity to generate an income and maintain

their independence through agricultural

and handicraft cooperatives.

Morocco’s sustained upward economic

trajectory rests in its ability to continue

to create an environment that enables

Morocco’s enterprises to thrive and in-

novate. While Morocco’s poverty rates

have dropped dramatically by close to

half over the past decade, the country’s

leadership continues to attempt to find

a path to sustainable economic growth

and stability. The country’s affordable

advanced education system leads to

highly educated and ambitious gradu-

ates, but a lack of viable opportunities

has, ironically, left the highest educated

individuals as the hardest to employ. De-

veloping a more modern and competi-

tive agriculture sector is vital in rectify-

ing the disconnect between Morocco’s

agriculture sector and its growing pop-

ulation of educated individuals brim-

ming with entrepreneurial spirit. And,

although Morocco has a long way to go

before it achieves the sound economic

and political stability it envisions for its

future, there is still great potential for it

to serve as a model for other nations in

the region that are facing demands for

change by their people.

While some countries have struggled to culti-vate new enterprise as a source of growth, the entrepreneurial spirit of the Moroccan people is strong. The fusion of enterprise and social outcomes, paired with the economic frontier of smart agricultural devel-opment, will only make Morocco’s economic fu-ture more robust.

PepsiCo is a global food and beverage leader with net revenues of more than $65 billion and a product portfolio that includes 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in annual retail sales. Our main businesses – Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola – make hundreds of enjoyable foods and beverages that are loved throughout the world. We are guided by Performance with Purpose, our promise to succeed in the long-term by providing a wide range of foods and beverages for local tastes and needs; �nding innovative ways to cut costs and minimize our impact on the environment through energy and water conservation and reducing packaging volume; providing a great workplace for PepsiCo employees; and respecting, supporting and investing in the local communities where we operate.

www.pepsico.com

The PepsiCorps India team visit a rooftop rainwater harvesting system in Bhorugram, Rajasthan, India.

Through PepsiCorps, PepsiCo employees apply their skills to tackle societal challenges while gaining on-the-ground insights, and develop business and leadership skills that make a positive impact.

“At PepsiCo, we are proud of our commitment to global citizenship and to developing resilient leaders who can advance our vision of Performance with Purpose. That’s why we founded our ICV program, PepsiCorps, which helps our employees become inspiring future leaders dedicated to helping communities around the world address critical societal issues such as a�ordable nutrition, clean water, and sustainable agriculture.” - Sue Tsokris, Vice President Global Citizenship & Sustainability

M oroccan women process seeds in an argan cooperat ive.


S p o n s o r e d C o n t e n t

PepsiCo is a global food and beverage leader with net revenues of more than $65 billion and a product portfolio that includes 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in annual retail sales. Our main businesses – Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola – make hundreds of enjoyable foods and beverages that are loved throughout the world. We are guided by Performance with Purpose, our promise to succeed in the long-term by providing a wide range of foods and beverages for local tastes and needs; �nding innovative ways to cut costs and minimize our impact on the environment through energy and water conservation and reducing packaging volume; providing a great workplace for PepsiCo employees; and respecting, supporting and investing in the local communities where we operate.

www.pepsico.com

The PepsiCorps India team visit a rooftop rainwater harvesting system in Bhorugram, Rajasthan, India.

Through PepsiCorps, PepsiCo employees apply their skills to tackle societal challenges while gaining on-the-ground insights, and develop business and leadership skills that make a positive impact.

“At PepsiCo, we are proud of our commitment to global citizenship and to developing resilient leaders who can advance our vision of Performance with Purpose. That’s why we founded our ICV program, PepsiCorps, which helps our employees become inspiring future leaders dedicated to helping communities around the world address critical societal issues such as a�ordable nutrition, clean water, and sustainable agriculture.” - Sue Tsokris, Vice President Global Citizenship & Sustainability

IBMer Matt Berr y Takes on Corporate Ser vice Corps, Smar ter Cit ies Chal lenge, and What I t Means to Bui ld a Smar ter Planet

I B M O P E N S A W O R L D O F P O S S I B I L I T Y

By Matt Berr y

AROUND THE WORLD

Matt Berr y chasing adventure in Tanzania .


Similar to my first trip to Tanzania

through IBM’s Corporate Service Corps,

and perhaps even more so, I returned

from my IBM Smarter Cities Challenge

assignment in Nigeria with a deep ap-

preciation for how people from different

cultures and mindsets interact, the im-

portance of teaming and leadership, and

the ability to solve a very difficult prob-

lem with only the resources at hand.

One of the best things I came away with,

especially from my time in Tanzania, was

a new network of IBM friends. We have

all stayed in touch, even five years later.

We get together on a video conference

twice a year to catch up and share sto-

ries. I’ve visited a few of my teammates,

and they’ve come to stay with me and

my family.

To this very day, I apply many of the

lessons I learned during both these as-

signments to my work, and the skills I

developed along the way have definitely

helped me advance my career at IBM.

I’ve already applied so much of these

learnings to my job at IBM and I truly

look back at my experience and see it as

an intensive global MBA course. That’s

how much I was challenged, and that’s

how much I got out of it.

I also learned some very basic things

that apply to my mobile marketing job.

While in a meeting with some local IBM

colleagues in Nigeria, someone pulled

out 4 mobile phones. The reason? He

told me that the network providers

aren’t reliable so when one provider

goes down (sometimes 24 hours at a

time), they pick up their next phone. A

light bulb went on over my head—back

to the basics, Matt.

At IBM, we’ve been marketing some

complex mobile solutions. Little insights

like this made me realize that we need to

think simpler when marketing in emerg-

ing countries like Nigeria. Rather than

marketing solutions to build the cool-

est and newest applications, we need to

help the telecommunications providers

build and manage reliable networks. The

company that can guarantee 24/7 cov-

erage can blow away the competition.

Small things like that can have a huge

impact.

One of my biggest takeaways from my

Lagos assignment that I already apply

to my everyday work is the power of

combining people with different skills to

work on a project. In the past, I would as-

sign a project to the team member who

I thought had the most experience with

something similar to the task at hand.

I realized, however, it can often be more

beneficial to offer those with limited

knowledge of the topic or situation an

opportunity to solve the problem with

their own unique approach. I learned

this when the finance person on our

team had to create a section of our pre-

sentation for the Lagos government. He

admitted that he had never done any-

thing like it and wasn’t comfortable. But,

he brought a totally fresh perspective

By Matt Berr y

“I returned with a deep appreciation for how people from different cultures and mindsets interact, the importance of teaming and lead-ership, and the ability to solve a very difficult problem with only the resources at hand.”


to it—something the rest of us would

never thought of—and it was great. As

a result, I’ve been trying to pair differ-

ent members of my team on projects

to encourage fresh thinking. When you

give someone a chance to step out of

their daily responsibilities, and provide

a new perspective, amazing things can

happen.

Both of my assignments to Africa truly

changed my mindset and my life. I’ll

never look at the world or my work

the same way again. I treat people dif-

ferently, and they respond differently.

There are days when I find myself day

dreaming about the people I met, the

places I’ve seen, and the experiences

I’ve had during these two very special

assignments.

It’s amazing what can happen in a few weeks in a foreign place, with colleagues you don’t

know but come to trust. IBM opens up a world of possibility, empow-ering its leadership to freely make decisions, try things, fail, try again, and ultimately succeed as a team. It’s an incred-ible rush.

Matt Berr y on the road in Arusha.


S p o n s o r e d C o n t e n t@MBAsWB facebook.com/MBAsWithoutBorders

Tanzania

NigeriaNepal

A M

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