It’s difficult to change a pattern you cannot see, especially when that pattern has helped make you successful.
When the first plane hit the World Trade Center on 9/11, 21-year-old Angela Wimmer was in Washington D.C., working on a congressional campaign.
As the magnitude of what was happening became clear and the room around her dissolved into fear and frantic motion, something very different happened to Wimmer.
She felt what she refers to as “the click.” The physiological event where the chaos of the external world reaches a frequency that matches your internal RPM. The static of normal life disappears, and the world becomes high definition.
While others struggled to process the crisis, Wimmer became intensely focused. She could think ahead, make decisions and act. “I could stay calm and execute a plan while the sky was filled with smoke,” she recalls. “I didn’t realize that the online state would become my only setting.”
For years, there seemed little reason to question it.
Wimmer went on to spend more than two decades leading organizations through high-stakes moments, holding C-suite and cabinet-level roles across healthcare, higher education and asset management and is now Founder, CEO at Lavess Capital. The intensity that helped her thrive in those environments became one of her greatest strengths.
Until she began to see its cost.
When competence becomes a warning sign
Wimmer calls the pattern “intensity addiction,” the subject of her forthcoming book, “The Intensity Architect.” It is not a clinical diagnosis. Rather, it is her term for a learned reliance on high-intensity states — the pull toward urgency, pressure and difficult problems that can make high achievers feel at their best.
And that makes it particularly difficult to recognize.
“Some of the warning signs are really easy to miss because they don’t look like distress,” Wimmer says. “They look like competence.” You handled the last crisis. You closed the impossible deal. You navigated the turnaround. So, you take on the next one.
One early warning sign, she says, is surprisingly simple: Normal life starts to feel dull.
A quiet Sunday afternoon feels more uncomfortable than a complicated business problem. You begin gravitating toward the biggest, most difficult challenges because that is where you feel most engaged.
The danger isn’t intensity itself. It is losing the ability to choose when to use it.
Missing the quieter signals
For Wimmer, the reckoning came during COVID-19.
Working in senior leadership for a healthcare system, she was confronting problems of extraordinary urgency: moving thousands of employees to remote work, helping medical students graduate and dealing with the realities of a hospital system under enormous strain.
She also landed in the emergency room several times with health issues of her own, but she kept going. “My health can wait,” she remembers thinking. What finally stopped her wasn’t her own health. It was her 11-year-old daughter Mallory’s.
During the pandemic, Mallory began struggling with her mental health. Looking back, Wimmer could see signs she had missed while her attention was trained on the loudest emergencies around her.
“It really took that moment with my youngest daughter for me to say, ‘If I could miss something like this, what else have I been missing?’”
Some of the warning signs are really easy to miss because they don’t look like distress, they look like competence.
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— Angela Wimmer, Founder & CEO at Lavess Capital
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That question changed the way Wimmer thought about intensity.
High-intensity leaders, she says, become exceptional at focusing on the most urgent signals. But that hard focus can come at the expense of “soft focus” like noticing the person who is becoming quieter, the colleague who is struggling or the problem that is small today but could become significant six months from now.
Look at the wake
The effects of high intensity can be just as difficult to see at work. Wimmer remembers a high-performing colleague she had recruited to join her who once casually said she was “holding on” as she tried to keep pace with Wimmer’s rapid decisions and the organization’s momentum.
Wimmer laughed it off.
Today, she wishes she had stopped and asked what her pace was costing her colleague.
Teams adapt to intense leaders, she says. They may stop bringing small problems forward. Risk-taking can decline. People become so focused on keeping pace that they spend less time thinking about their own development or the future of the business.
Her advice to CEOs is to ask directly: “What is my intensity costing you?”
The question matters because it acknowledges upfront that there may be a cost and gives the other person permission to talk about it.
Check yourself
Wimmer suggests chief executives use her three-question filter to regularly check in with themselves. Before saying “yes” to another opportunity, commitment or problem, CEOs should ask: Is this my intensity addiction talking? Is this my excitement or someone else’s? What am I not doing while I am doing this?
“These force leaders to identify the opportunity cost of another, whether it’s family, recovery, strategic thinking, developing the team or something else that isn’t currently screaming for attention,” Wimmer explains.
Start with a breath
Changing the pattern doesn’t require changing your personality.
Wimmer’s framework includes five practices: reset, rehearse, recruit, recover and repeat. But if a CEO does only one thing, she recommends starting smaller: breathe.
Wimmer practices breathing exercises throughout her day, including before Zoom calls and at bedtime. During particularly intense periods, she sits in her car and breathes before walking into her house. Then she began leaving her phone in another room.
The goal wasn’t simply to be home for dinner. It was to be at dinner listening, laughing and noticing the small things rather than mentally triaging the next day’s problems.
She also encourages leaders to think in “seasons of intensity.” A turnaround, acquisition or crisis may genuinely require extraordinary focus. Rather than pretending otherwise, recognize the season and schedule time to rest and recover before you reach the end of it.
Keep the superpower
Wimmer doesn’t want CEOs to become less intense. Far from it.
“I have not lost my intensity at all,” she says. “I really do think it’s our superpower.”
Today, she is an investor, board member, author and active YPO member. In fact, “The Intensity Architect” grew partly from a YPO wellness event where she first publicly shared Mallory’s story. The response from other members convinced her the experience wasn’t hers alone. What has changed isn’t how much she wants to accomplish. It’s how intentionally she chooses where to put her attention.
“I don’t believe in hampering our intensity at all,” Wimmer says. “I think the world needs us. We’re the people who build businesses and solve crises. But they need us to show up healthy and our best.”
The engine, in other words, isn’t the problem.
Learning to harness its power is the challenge.
The Global Business Impact Report: Why Meaningful Change Starts With Measurement
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
The 2026 Global Business Impact Report (GBIR) offers a picture of how YPO-led businesses are advancing sustainability worldwide. But measuring impact is more than seeing where an organization stands today. It also can uncover new possibilities, sharpen priorities and help chief executives determine where to go next.
“The GBIR moves us from broad statements about impact to evidence,” says Jay Tapp, Managing Director and Partner at STS Capital Partners and the YPO member who championed the report. “It gives members a practical baseline, relevant peer comparisons and clear next steps, while giving YPO credible data about the contribution of its businesses.”
The GBIR team has spent four years developing and growing the assessment, platform, benchmarking data, leaderboard and report. Since 2022, approximately 2,000 members have completed the assessment.
“YPO members lead companies with a collective global economic footprint of approximately USD7 trillion, many of which showcase world-class practices,” Tapp says. “GBIR can highlight those practices and help other member companies apply them.”
Fresh perspective on impact
The GBIR assessment surveys YPO members about areas such as climate-risk analysis, decarbonization strategies, greenhouse gas reduction targets and the integration of sustainability across the business.
After completing the assessment, members receive an impact score that reflects completeness, performance, transparency and consistency across key performance indicators (KPIs). These KPIs align with widely recognized standards from top global frameworks and regulations.
For Tapp, who has spent roughly 40 years working in manufacturing and supply chains, measurement is the natural starting point for improvement.
“If we want to improve something, we first need to understand the current state,” he says.
The real value is not simply a score or leaderboard position. It is the insight into your company and the opportunity to learn from an extraordinary community of peers. Every new participant makes that collective intelligence more valuable for everyone.”
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— Jay Tapp, Managing Director and Partner at STS Capital Partners
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Maimuna Iram, CEO of E Waste Social, typically helps other organizations with impact reporting. Completing the assessment gave her an opportunity to turn an eye toward her own company.
“I thought it would be useful to put our own organization through a similar process and get a fresh perspective on our impact,” Iram says.
The results showed that sustainability was already integrated into E Waste Social’s business.
“For us, it was useful to validate what we are doing well and identify where we can become more systematic,” she says.
Starting with small improvements
For companies looking to create meaningful impact, there is no single path. Stanley Szeto, Executive Chairman of B Corp-certified Lever Style Inc., advises chief executives who are just beginning to focus on sustainability to start with changes that can produce a quick return.
He recommends reviewing current operations for ways to reduce energy consumption, such as installing energy-efficient lighting. Although the initial cost may be higher, the investment can pay for itself in as little as six months.
“Pick the things with the quickest payback and go slowly from there,” Szeto says.
Often CEOs believe sustainability will reduce their company’s profits, costing more than it saves. But that’s a fallacy if sustainability is approached properly, Szeto says.
Iram also recommends that leaders start with optimization because that is where sustainability is often easiest to introduce in an organization.
“Before investing in new solutions, look at what you already have and ask how you can use resources better — energy, materials, people, processes and technology,” she says. “Small improvements, when consistently implemented, can create significant impact.”
Leveragingan established framework
Faryn Clark, CEO of Eclectic Array and a YPO member, says sustainability is not a new focus for her organization. It received its B Corp certification almost three years ago and has continued to improve its standards. The certification verifies that the organization is meeting high standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability. While getting B Corp certified is a rigorous process, it builds instant credibility with sustainability-conscious consumers, Clark says, and the assessment tool offers a baseline to track performance, find waste and set clear sustainability goals. Clark urges leaders to set this goal for their companies.
“Get a mentor or coach hired to support the process to help you really understand your specifics in your business and how to present it and how to improve,” Clark suggests.
A tool to improve leadership
For participating CEOs, the impact assessment gives them a structured way to evaluate their companies, compare practices with peers and learn from members who have already made progress.
“The real value is not simply a score or leaderboard position,” Tapp says. “It is the insight into your company and the opportunity to learn from an extraordinary community of peers. Every new participant makes that collective intelligence more valuable for everyone.”
Tapp believes GBIR can become one of YPO’s most purposeful and differentiated member offerings by connecting assessment with year-round learning, recognizing strong member practices and helping other companies adapt those approaches.
“It sits directly at the intersection of better leadership, stronger businesses and greater impact,” he says.
The next phase will focus on refreshing the assessment and report, strengthening benchmarking and recommendations, engaging members throughout the year, and using the data to deepen learning and peer connections.
“GBIR reflects an extraordinary collective effort by YPO staff, members, spouse/partner members, the Sustainable Business Network, the Business Network Council and outside sponsors,” Tapp says. “YPO has consistently given this work a voice and a platform, and we are deeply grateful to everyone involved.”
YPO networks are virtual, interest-based communities where members connect with peers who share their professional and personal interests. YPO members Interested in the Sustainable Business Network can explore it on YPO Connect.
How Carmen Sample Turned a Lifelong Mission to Help Others Into a Thriving Enterprise
Monday, September 21, 2026
Carmen Sample’s rise to running an enterprise of companies and properties was not exactly conventional. Nor was it exactly planned. Sample Supports was born out of necessity and from a lifelong desire and interest to support those who need it most.
Sample’s calling to help people stems from the example her parents set.
“From Vietnam vets to single moms to convicted criminals who recently got out of prison, my parents would open our doors and home to people my mom met and sponsored in Alcoholics Anonymous. I watched them provide stability and comfort to people in need,” she explains. “I think because of that I was more sensitive to struggles people were going through.”
And that desire to help deepened with age. In middle school, Sample received a humanitarian award for starting a social circle for students with disabilities. In college, Sample worked in group homes for teens in foster care and people with serious cognitive disabilities. After she married, she and her husband became a host home for a woman with fetal alcohol syndrome.
But Sample knew she could do more.
So, the licensed therapist went back to school and earned a master’s degree in social work, becoming a licensed clinical social worker. In 2010, she started Sample Supports around a philosophy of supporting the whole person, not just the disability. What began with 24/7 residential care grew into an integrated organization offering behavioral and mental health services, day programs, employment support and more. Today, the Colorado-based organization employs more than 400 people and provides constant services to more than 600 individuals.
Serving is her priority
Even though Sample Supports has grown exponentially over the past 16 years, Sample’s driving mission has remained the same: “We’re going to do whatever it takes to support people with disabilities in our community.”
This was evident from Day 1 when Sample Supports was only in the business of residential care. Within weeks of accepting one of her first clients, Sample received a call saying the young man’s day program, where he spent his days learning skills and socializing with others, was dropping him.
“He’s too hard, we can’t do it,” program administrators told her. The decision left the young man, who had a history of behavioral challenges, with nowhere to go during the day, putting his residential placement at risk. Instead of searching for a new day provider, Sample got approval from the state to add a day program to Sample Supports and hired a team, all within a matter of days.
Most business owners don’t realize what a consistent asset our workers with disabilities are. … Every industry has turnover, but the individuals we work with are some of the most loyal and consistent people you will ever find. They each have unique talents that when harnessed, can be an incredible partnership.
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— Carmen Sample, Founder of Sample Supports
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Word spread. Families who had been turned away elsewhere began coming, and the company experienced many years of rapid growth.
Sample admits it’s challenging to accommodate clients with extreme needs. “That is what we do,” she says. “Whether it is aggression, mental health needs or concerning behaviors, we find a way to make it work.”
Shifting from social worker to CEO
As Sample, a YPO member since 2017, scaled her business, she had to make the transition from full-time social worker to full-time CEO, redirecting her focus so her company could grow and serve more people in her community.
“My mindset really had to shift into being, ‘I’m no longer working with the individuals. All I do is find good social workers, support that talent and train them to be business leaders,” Sample says.
CEO Sample uses her social work training to build a culture based on systems, supports and relationships. That has helped Sample Supports buck the industry’s 60% average turnover rate.
She has also embraced female leaders, but not intentionally. “I just hired the most capable people for the job, and often they were women,” she explains.
All in the family
Both of Samples’ parents were entrepreneurs.
“I watched them work together to build businesses from the ground up and make hard decisions,” Sample says. “They never complained about a boss because they never had one. I’m glad my kids will have that memory of me, too.”
Sample gives credit to her husband, Mark, for help making the enterprise a success.
“I’m lucky to have a wonderful spouse who steps up with our four kids when I need to go into a work blackhole,” she says. “And the fact that he’s quite brilliant with investing money has been instrumental in our success.”
Sample considers the financial success of the businesses a happy accident. “It has always been a fun side effect of work I deeply enjoy. I’m grateful my husband has been so steadfast in investing in properties in the background because my focus has always been on the operational detail and business growth.”
Part of that focus is keeping 100% control of the business, not bringing in outside investors.
“It’s been meaningful for me to build it on my own, with the team I choose to work with,” she says.
That decision has allowed Sample to scale and create on her own terms, without the pressure of investors or a board of directors.
“I ultimately call the directional shots, and I own it from start to finish,” Sample explains. “There is no way I would have been motivated to build what I did if I had to run every decision by someone else or gain outside approval.”
The YPO impact
Sample’s involvement in YPO has helped her navigate the practical challenges of being at the helm of multiple companies, from structuring loans and acquiring new businesses, to navigating uncertain economic conditions. Most importantly, she says, YPO has changed how she thinks about her role as an owner and CEO.
She strives to “work on the business, not in the business,” she explains. “YPO taught me that I have to build systems, develop teams and step out of it to gain the perspective to lead. That’s given me clarity.”
Her YPO community also pushes Sample to consider a question that can easily get lost in the demands of entrepreneurship: What kind of life is she building alongside the business?
“I can become obsessive,” Sample acknowledges. “YPO has reminded me to take a break to have fun, too.”
Her family and new hobbies help her, or as she puts it, “force her,” to keep perspective and enjoy life. For self-care, she has taken up painting murals and crocheting.
“If I’m not typing, I’m crocheting,” she jokes. “My hands are not idle.”
Inclusion as competitive advantage
Over the past 16 years, Sample has followed her heart and her head, and built something uncommon: a profitable, independently owned portfolio of businesses and properties that create meaningful employment and support for people with disabilities while demonstrating that inclusion can be a competitive advantage.
Every industry struggles to find people able to perform certain niche jobs with consistency, explains Sample, but the answer may be employing someone with disabilities.
“Most business owners don’t realize what a consistent asset our workers with disabilities are,” she says. “Every industry has turnover, but the individuals we work with are some of the most loyal and consistent people you will ever find. They each have unique talents that when harnessed, can be an incredible partnership.”
YPO taught me that I have to build systems, develop teams and step out of it to gain the perspective to lead. That’s given me clarity.
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— Carmen Sample, Founder of Sample Supports
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Sample shares the story of a young man with severe autism who has worked on their accounting team for more than a decade. “He is an integral part of what we do, and his consistency and attention to detail is something we have yet to find with anyone else.”
What’s next?
Sample is now turning to creating a foster care program and earlier intervention for young people who might otherwise fall through the cracks, including those in the underserved special needs LGBTQ+ community.
“We’re getting young adults at 18, when they’ve been through years of hardship, and we see behaviors in full force,” Sample says. Her hope is to get those individuals services sooner and faster, to address those needs throughout adolescence, before they turn 18.
Once again, Sample is determined to help. By identifying unmet needs and finding sustainable ways to address them, she continues to grow Sample Supports in unconventional ways, demonstrating that purpose and profitability do not have to be at odds.
Peace Is Negotiated: Leadership Lessons From the Front Lines of Conflict
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Deep into the Colombian jungle, Christoph von Toggenburg was on a boat, with just his driver as his companion, when he came upon hundreds of armed fighters from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) gathered among the trees.
“It was really like in the movies, Rambo-style,” he says of the scene.
Von Toggenburg had come to negotiate humanitarian access for thousands of civilians displaced by fighting between government and rebel forces.
He’d been warned that the elusive commander he needed to speak with was aggressive and dangerous. When he finally stood in front of him, the warning proved correct as the man immediately started screaming at him. “He was totally out of control, and I thought, ‘OK, now I’m going to die here.’”
But as the shouting continued, von Toggenburg realized the commander needed what he calls an “emotional debrief.” So rather than interrupt or react, he listened. After 15 minutes, the commander ran out of breath, giving von Toggenburg a chance to speak. Two hours later, the two men were sitting in the jungle drinking a beer together. The following day, emergency aid deliveries began.
Most CEOs will never have to negotiate under these conditions. But von Toggenburg built a career working in conflict zones around the world for international humanitarian organizations.
Board member of YPO’s Peace Action Network, Group Head of Human Rights and Social Impact (CSR) at Holcim Ltd., Global Leadership Fellow at the World Economic Forum, and author of “War, Love, Hope”, he believes the qualities that moved some of his most treacherous experiences forward — self-regulation, patience, humility and a willingness to listen — are equally valuable to anyone navigating conflict.
In honor of International Day of Peace, recognized worldwide on 21 September, von Toggenburg shares some of his more intrepid negotiation stories to highlight how all leaders can build trust and create progress in an increasingly polarized world.
Before you can influence, you must self-regulate
While intelligence and experience matter when coming to the negotiation table, neither is enough if you can’t manage your own reaction when emotions run high — and they usually do, says von Toggenburg.
It comes back to one very core element of negotiations: reframe the problem, reframe the issue. If we only see the problems, then we have a problem.
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— Christoph von Toggenburg
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He admits he was terrified that day in the Colombian jungle. But he knew that acting out of fear or anger would only escalate the encounter, so he held back. He’s quick to point out that this wasn’t caving in. It was restraint, not surrender. And that allowed him to remain present until a real conversation could happen.
“The key question you ask yourself as a leader is, am I going there just to win? Or am I going there to start a dialogue?” he says. “If your only mindset is, I want to win this thing, then you’re not preparing for a negotiation; you’re preparing for a battle. And the risk is then very high that you either win the battle, at whatever cost it comes, or the outcome is going to be negative, and you achieve nothing.”
Get curious about the other side
Once in the Central African Republic, von Toggenburg had to negotiate with a man they called “The Butcher” who had been leading the killing and torturing of many.
He quickly realized that a formal meeting was not going to be helpful, so he changed the setting and took The Butcher to dinner. This decision did not mean he agreed with or excused any of his actions, von Toggenburg explains. But it did give him a chance to understand the man behind the name, to find a way to connect.
“This guy was full of himself, very ego-driven,” he says. “So, I appealed more to his sense of leadership and what a great leader would and would not do. And a great leader would not kill and torture civilians.”
The next day, the torture stopped.
“You do not have to agree with someone to understand what matters to them, or to use that understanding to move closer to your goal,” he says. “You must humanize who you have in front of you.” That might mean, he adds, offering the other person a path forward that allows them to “save face” publicly.
If your only mindset is, I want to win this thing, then you’re not preparing for a negotiation, you’re preparing for a battle.
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— Christoph von Toggenburg
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In the day-to-day conflicts most leaders face, where right and wrong are rarely as stark, that idea cuts both ways: To understand the person across the table, von Toggenburg argues, you must challenge your own assumptions. What you learn might reveal common ground, or simply a better way forward.
Keep showing up
During time spent on the ground during a civil war in Nepal, von Toggenburg was approached by a man whose daughter had been kidnapped by rebels. Another young woman accused of being a spy who had been with her had already been killed.
“My immediate goal with them was not even about release. First and foremost, she needed to stay alive,” he says.
The negotiations lasted more than a year. Von Toggenburg found himself returning to the mountains again and again, insisting on seeing the woman in person to confirm she was alive.
“The important thing on this journey was to keep the stamina and keep on showing up,” he says.
Not reaching an agreement after the first, second, third or fourth meeting did not mean it was impossible. Each encounter, von Toggenburg explains, kept the channel open and allowed trust to build until she was eventually released and returned to her family.
The same principle can apply in the boardroom. Leaders might not always be met with enthusiasm or agreement when introducing a new plan or idea. They must have patience and build trust and alignment along the way to their end goal.
“Peace is always a process, and it’s an ongoing process,” von Toggenburg says. “People must be brought along on the journey.”
Make room for an imperfect win
Of course, a stalled negotiation can make leaders fixate on everything that has not happened: the agreements not reached, the positions unchanged, the outcomes not achieved. Von Toggenburg argues this is precisely when leaders need to stay open-minded.
“It comes back to one very core element of negotiations: reframe the problem, reframe the issue,” he says. “If we only see the problems, then we have a problem.”
Reframing does not mean pretending the problem is smaller than it is. It means looking for what has moved, and what might still be possible.
“Maybe it’s not 100% of my goal, maybe it’s 70% of my goal, but 70% is better than 0%, you know?” he says.
Sometimes, progress is simply preserving the possibility of more progress.
“Sometimes, the fact that the channel stays open is a sign for hope,” he says. “And as a leader, you become the creator of that hope.”
In our polarized world where people often exchange opinions rather than engage in dialogue, leaders cannot promise that every conflict will be resolved. They can, however, listen to someone with whom they disagree, come back when the previous conversation stalls, take a small victory when that’s all that’s available. And, perhaps most importantly, make sure there can still be another conversation tomorrow.
For von Toggenburg, that is what peace looks like in practice.
YPO networks are virtual, interest-based communities where members connect with peers who share their professional and personal interests. YPO members Interested in the Peace Action Network can explore it on YPO Connect.
The Deal You Didn’t Come For: How GBS Creates Unexpected Opportunity
Friday, September 11, 2026
Ran Sharon and Melvin Jones arrived at the YPO Global Business Summit looking for investment. But a chance encounter at the Deal Tank led to an entirely unexpected partnership — and a lesson in why the greatest value of GBS may be in the opportunity you never saw coming.
Walking the floor at YPO’s 2025 Global Business Summit in Los Angeles, you could be forgiven for taking little interest in the object displayed at Clariter CEO Ran Sharon’s Deal Tank presentation. It’s a small glass container, two-thirds filled with what looks like water and a small piece of plastic floating beneath the surface.
But for chemical engineers like Proconics CEO Melvin Jones, we’re assured that this really is exciting stuff.
What may look to the rest of us like a piece of Lego floating in a fish tank is, to Jones, considerably more interesting. The object inside is a piece of computer circuitry, running smoothly while fully submerged. The clear liquid surrounding it is not water. It’s a new form of cooling oil manufactured by Clariter from recycled plastic.
Jones stops for a closer look. The two men get talking. They soon discover common ground beyond a mutual interest in the technology in front of them. Clariter’s proof-of-concept facility is in South Africa, where Jones’ engineering projects company, Proconics, is also based.
Both men have come to Los Angeles with business investment firmly in mind. Sharon is at GBS seeking capital to support Clariter’s international expansion. Jones, too, has arrived looking for investment.
Instead, this chance conversation unfolding beside a fish tank is about to lead both men somewhere else: into an unconventional strategic partnership between their two companies that neither had predicted.
Speaking the same language
Eight months later, watching Sharon and Jones bouncing off one another during our Zoom call, it’s easy to understand why both they and their businesses have clicked so well. The banter starts almost as soon as Jones joins the call. “I cannot believe it, but Melvin is dressed up,” Sharon jokes, taking in Jones’ suit.
“It happens, Ran, it happens,” Jones shoots back.
Jones then brings us up to speed. In the months since GBS, their encounter has developed into a unique collaboration between their two companies, with Proconics supporting Clariter’s proof-of-concept facility in South Africa.
Clariter has spent more than 20 years developing proprietary technology that transforms hard-to-recycle plastic waste into high-value oils, waxes and solvents to replace traditional fossil-based petrochemicals. But presenting the company posed a practical challenge: How do you showcase something like that on the floor of a business summit?
There is a filter on character and credibility that lets you shortcut to having the proper conversations quickly.
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— Melvin Jones, Proconics CEO
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“I cannot bring my 150,000-square-foot facility to GBS,” Sharon says. “So, I got a small fish tank.”
The makeshift display did its job. It caught Jones’ attention, but the conversation soon moved beyond cooling oil. “We had a click between us,” Sharon recalls. Despite having only just met, the two began talking openly about how their businesses could support each other.
And those conversations soon turned into something tangible. Sharon opened up Clariter to Jones in a way that went far beyond a conventional business pitch. That openness extended to Clariter’s facility in South Africa. Jones visited the plant, brought in his team and began creating detailed 3D views of the facility, allowing engineers to zoom in on technical drawings down to individual pipes.
The aim is to give the facility what Jones calls “a new lease of life” through further experimentation, while exploring opportunities to deploy the technology across sub- Saharan Africa.
Character and credibility
The speed with which the relationship developed reflects something distinctive about doing business at a YPO event like GBS. As Jones describes it, there is already a degree of trust in place: a “filter on character and credibility” that “lets you shortcut to having the proper conversations quickly.”
Sharon puts it rather more bluntly. When two members meet through YPO, he says, there is less need for the usual posturing that can accompany a new business relationship. “It’s two YPOers,” he says. “No bull.”
That trust helps explain the openness that followed. When members of Sharon’s own team questioned why they were sharing so much with their new partners, his response was simple: “Why not?”
Plan for possibilities
Both men arrived in Los Angeles with clear objectives. But their experience illustrates the value of GBS beyond the deals you came for. Sharon’s advice is simple: Come with a clear aim but remain open to the people and possibilities around you. “I think the networking is a big part of the success of GBS,” he says.
Jones agrees. Looking back, he says he would approach GBS with a more open mind about where the opportunities might come from.
Like Sharon, he also pitched at the Deal Tank. “I was looking for USD5 million to do a proof of concept on a stranded gas conversion plant,” he recalls. “Ran made top 20. I was trying to make top 20 with my slide deck as well, but I didn’t have a water bath and a computer chip,” he jokes. “So, I wasn’t as impressive.”
He points to the event’s speed dating and roundtable sessions, where his focus on raising money meant “you weren’t talking about a lot of things that you could be talking about.”
This is where the conversation turns to the upcoming GBS in Istanbul. Sharon won’t be there this time. Clariter, however, will still have a presence. “I’ll have an ambassador in Turkey,” he points out. “His name is Melvin Jones.”
It’s perhaps the clearest indication yet of how far this relationship has come. Less than a year after meeting beside a fish tank in Los Angeles, Sharon now trusts Jones to speak for Clariter at the next GBS.
And Jones? This time, he plans to cast the net even wider. He’ll still arrive ready to talk business, but he’s deliberately leaving more room for the conversations and opportunities he can’t anticipate.
“I prepared presentations and pitches for Los Angeles,” he says. “I’m going to Turkey to participate in the roundtables, in the networking sessions, to be talking to as many people as I can about as many things as I can.”
That’s not to say he’ll arrive empty-handed. Jones is considering taking along a pitch for his Proconics Earth project, as he puts it, “just to break the ice.”
Sharon immediately jumps back in. “Melvin, I’ll coach you for being in the top 20,” he says, and our interview briefly gives way to an impromptu Deal Tank strategy session.
Ultimately, the return from GBS shouldn’t be measured “only by numbers,” Sharon tells us. “We made a deal,” he says. “But it’s not a regular deal, and it’s definitely not the deal that I intended.”
Much of that value, Jones believes, comes back to the environment GBS creates between YPO members: the character, credibility and openness that allow those conversations to get somewhere meaningful quickly. Or, as he puts it a little more succinctly: “It shortcuts a lot of the bull.”
YPO members: Ran Sharon and Melvin Jones joined us for the 2025 YPO Global Business Summit in LA. If you’d like to make meaningful connections, explore unexpected opportunities and see where the conversations can lead, register for the 2026 YPO Global Business Summit here.
The Adaptability Advantage: Leaders Share Takeaways From YPO’s Retail CEO Summit
Friday, August 21, 2026
In business today, one fact is undeniable: Uncertainty is the only certainty.
That is especially true in retail, where disruption has become the norm. Artificial intelligence (AI), shifting consumer expectations, geopolitical tensions, supply chain volatility and new commerce channels are reshaping the industry at an unprecedented pace.
Those themes echoed throughout YPO’s 2026 Retail CEO Summit, when 160 chief executives from 29 countries came together to explore the latest tools, trends and best practices in the omnichannel retail space.
“Uncertainty is now constant, not episodic,” says Anthony Amiel, CEO at the Amiel Group. “We’re adapting by shortening decision cycles, investing more in data visibility and staying closer to the customer. Inventory discipline and supply chain agility are also critical.”
Lessons for CEOs across industries
Today’s disruptive environment isn’t tied to a single issue, nor is it limited to a single industry. Retail leaders are navigating a rapidly changing landscape, but they are not alone. The insights shared at the summit offer valuable lessons for CEOs across industries.
“Retail is a leading indicator of change,” says Amiel, a YPO member. “The key lessons are agility, customer-centricity and the ability to operate with incomplete information while still moving forward decisively.”
Retail is a leading indicator of change. The key lessons are agility, customer-centricity and the ability to operate with incomplete information while still moving forward decisively.
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— Anthony Amiel, CEO, Amiel Group
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For Christine Assouad, CEO of Meeting Point SAL and former chair of the YPO Retail Network, that uncertainty is creating a world that is “more exciting than difficult,” she shares. “Today we have tools, options and possibilities we never had before, and that creates tremendous potential for growth and reinvention.”
At her company, Assouad has a simple rule of thumb: “When everyone is slowing down, that’s often when we choose to move faster. During moments of crisis or uncertainty, when many businesses become more cautious, we look for ways to invest, accelerate and grow.”
Speed and adaptability matter
Throughout the summit, speakers urged leaders to embrace this strategy: speed and adaptability over perfection. The leaders outperforming their competitors aren’t simply moving faster; they’re making better decisions about when to move. They test, learn and iterate quickly rather than waiting for perfect information, but they also resist the temptation to scale ideas before they’re ready.
“It’s important to make sure that what you’re making more efficient, and scaling, is actually what you want to scale,” says Bruce Wang, CEO at MICROJIG. “Rapidly rolling out or pushing an initiative but losing the soul and the character of the business can be detrimental, so it’s important to keep that at the heart and spirit.”
AI is a tool, not a replacement for humans
Artificial intelligence was another recurring topic throughout the summit, with conversations focused less on automation and more on better decision-making.
“Where I see the greatest impact of AI is in helping us make better decisions with large amounts of data,” says Assouad. “It’s helping us decide where to open our next location, strengthen loyalty programs and better understand customer behavior.”
Amiel believes AI will increasingly become embedded throughout retail operations while enhancing, not replacing, human judgment.
“Going forward, I see AI becoming deeply embedded in daily operations, from personalization to operational efficiency, while people remain central to creativity and relationship-building,” he says.
Customer engagement looks different
That creativity and human element is critical as the retail industry reinvents how it engages customers. “I think retail will be strong and do well as long as we create the right experiences for the users and give them something compelling to experience and connect with the right buying models,” says Wang.
Creating those experiences, however, looks very different than it did just a few years ago. Consumers no longer discover brands through a single storefront or marketing campaign. They find them through communities, creators, partnerships, social platforms and content that naturally fit into their daily lives.
“In retail, we are exploring different ways to talk about the brand and connect with customers beyond traditional channels,” Assouad says. “Collaborations, in particular, are becoming more and more impactful because they allow brands to reach new audiences in a more authentic and engaging way.”
When everyone is slowing down, that’s often when we choose to move faster. During moments of crisis or uncertainty, when many businesses become more cautious, we look for ways to invest, accelerate and grow.
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— Christine Assouad, CEO of Meeting Point SAL
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For Assouad, learning about Shopify and the company’s evolution from traditional websites to social commerce, and now toward agentic commerce, was a powerful reminder that the way customers discover, engage with and purchase from brands is changing very quickly.
“For retail leaders, this means we cannot think of digital commerce as a separate channel anymore,” she says. “It is becoming more integrated, more intelligent, and more embedded in the customer’s daily life. That shift will definitely influence how we think about our customer journey, our digital strategy, and the future of retail growth.”
Amiel agrees.
“Discovery is happening everywhere — on social and on content- and community-driven platforms. The focus is on meeting customers where they are and creating authentic engagement rather than just transactions,” he says.
The power of connection
The annual YPO Retail CEO Summit gives leaders facing similar challenges the chance to connect, exchange ideas and discover practical solutions they can apply in their own businesses,
“Events like these are incredibly valuable because you are surrounded by 160 like-minded leaders who are all focused on growth, retail and the future of our industry,” Assouad says.
The summit brought together industry leaders including Royalmount’s visionary developer Andrew Lutfy; Harley Finkelstein, President of Shopify; and David Bensadoun, CEO of ALDO Group, giving participants the opportunity to learn how they are navigating disruption.
“We learn so much, and there is a strong emphasis on practical business values,” Wang shares.
Beyond the insights and networking, Assouad says the summit created something even more valuable — space for reflection.
“It allows you to step back from the day-to-day, think about your business, think about your life, and ask yourself where you want to be tomorrow,” she says. “The energy in the room, the connections you make, and the people you meet all inspire you to become better — as a leader, as a business owner and as a person.”
YPO members interested in attending the 2027 Retail CEO Summit in Paris can join the waitlist here.
Join fellow peers in the YPO Retail Network and experience targeted learning programs, industry-specific insights, and international summits focused on retail innovation, e-commerce and sustainability.
How MedAsian CEO Michael Ma Turned a Dental Crisis into a Public-Private Win
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
Some challenges are too large for governments, businesses or nonprofits to solve alone. China’s growing dental health crisis among senior citizens is one of them.
With an aging population and widespread oral health issues, millions of older Chinese face declining nutrition, reduced social engagement and diminished quality of life. Traditional approaches through public health campaigns and corporate philanthropy have struggled to address the scale of the problem.
MedAsian, a Hong Kong-founded healthcare advisory company, took a different approach. Rather than treating the issue as a medical problem alone, it built an ecosystem of partners capable of addressing clinical, social and public trust barriers at the same time.
Working alongside the Shanghai Elderly Foundation and global oral care solutions leader Straumann Group, MedAsian launched the Smile Ambassadors initiative, a public-private partnership designed to improve awareness of dental implantology, expand access to care and ultimately improve the lives of senior citizens.
The result is a case study in how leaders can align government priorities, commercial interests and public needs to create measurable social impact.
An overlooked epidemic
According to MedAsian, 86% of China’s senior citizens suffer from untreated oral health issues. Tooth loss is particularly prevalent among older adults.
“People between 60 to 74, 80.5% of them have lost teeth,” notes YPO member Michael Ma, CEO of MedAsian.
Among those aged 65 to 74, many have already lost six or seven teeth, while “4.5% of them are totally without teeth,” he adds.
While dental implants have become increasingly common in developed markets, adoption in China remains limited to wealthier populations. Many seniors rely on removable dentures that often reduce comfort and quality of life.
“Before 2023, implantology was not as popular as it is today in China,” says Ma. “Only a few people, especially in the rich sector, approached implantology. Mostly the elderly use the removable retainer.”
For many seniors, the consequences extend beyond oral health. Difficulty eating affects nutrition. Missing teeth reduce confidence. Social isolation often follows.
While the technology exists to solve the problem, access, awareness and trust historically have not.
Building a supportive ecosystem
MedAsian recognized that no single organization could bridge those gaps alone. Rather than launching a standalone corporate initiative, the company focused on assembling complementary partners.
The Shanghai Elderly Foundation provided access to a vast network of seniors and the credibility that comes with public-sector involvement. Straumann Group contributed clinical expertise, technology and funding. MedAsian acted as the architect, connecting stakeholders and coordinating execution.
Success required aligning multiple interests. Government and commercial organizations plus the public’s unmet medical needs create what Ma calls “a very powerful triangle to build up the better living conditions of the people.”
That triangle became the foundation of the Smile Ambassadors initiative.
Beginning in early 2024, MedAsian consulted with government officials, positioning the program as a pilot aligned with Shanghai’s broader public health objectives.
Understanding the rules of the game
One of the most significant lessons from the initiative was the importance of understanding China’s policy environment. According to Ma, entrepreneurs often underestimate the role the government plays in shaping public acceptance and market adoption.
Winning government support was not easy because of, what Ma calls, “the distance” between commerce and government. He needed to convince the government to give him a chance.
It’s a win-win. The government wins the people’s goodwill. For the commercial entity, they win the brands. … You must align your commercial vision with the political ambition.
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— Michael Ma, CEO of MedAsian
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The process required significant discussions, approvals and stakeholder alignment. “It took us almost six to eight months to get everything ready,” he says.
Yet those efforts ultimately created a framework that allowed public trust and private innovation to reinforce one another rather than operate separately.
For Ma, the lesson for business leaders is straightforward. “You must align your commercial vision with government ambition,” he says.
That does not mean abandoning commercial goals but rather identifying where business objectives and public policy priorities intersect. “As a businessperson, how can you help them achieve their ambition? This will help you achieve your commercial ambition,” Ma explains.
Bringing care directly to communities
Once the partnership framework was established, each organization moved quickly to play their part. Straumann mobilized funding and specialist clinicians. The Shanghai Elderly Foundation activated its extensive community network. Volunteers engaged directly with seniors, addressing skepticism and building confidence in the program.
The outreach effort extended across Shanghai through consultations, educational events, screenings and awareness campaigns. “We discussed how implantology could help senior people live better, improve their quality of life,” says Ma.
The initiative went beyond clinical treatment. Educational workshops helped seniors understand modern dental solutions. Community events created opportunities for engagement. Local consultations connected residents directly with professionals. And MedAsian set out to reach seniors in hard-to-reach communities. “We even organized some crews for the senior people on boats on the Huangpu River in Shanghai,” Ma recalls.
The objective was not simply to provide treatment but to create familiarity with implantology and encourage informed decision-making.
Measuring impact beyond dentistry
The Smile Ambassadors initiative produced impressive operational results. By late 2024, the program had conducted thousands of screenings and provided restorative treatments to hundreds of seniors. Community nurses received specialized training to continue oral health education at the neighborhood level.
Do things that are more fitting to the local context and the local rules of the game.
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— Michael Ma. MedAsia CEO
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Yet the most meaningful outcomes were often personal rather than statistical. Data showed substantial improvements in nutritional intake and social participation among treated seniors. Individuals who had struggled with eating, speaking or socializing regained confidence and independence.
The approach generated benefits for every participant. Government agencies advanced healthy aging objectives. Seniors gained access to education and care. Straumann strengthened awareness of implantology and its technology. MedAsian demonstrated the value of coordinated healthcare ecosystems.
As Ma puts it, “It’s a win-win. The government wins the people’s goodwill. For the commercial entity, they win the brands.”
The key was creating value for all stakeholders rather than asking any one participant to shoulder the responsibility alone.
Scaling the model nationally
Shanghai’s success provides a powerful proof of concept, but replicating the model across China presents new challenges.
“China is such a vast country,” says Ma. “From north, south, east, west, and tier one, tier two, tier three, tier five, there is a huge difference.”
Tier systems are unofficially used to classify cities in China based on GDP and population to assess their development and economic potential. MedAsian is now working with broader government stakeholders to expand awareness and access nationwide. The company is also developing training and education centers in lower-tier cities where modern dental services remain less accessible.
“Our mission for this year is to go national,” Ma says.
The ambition reflects broader demographic realities. China’s senior population continues to grow rapidly, increasing demand for healthcare solutions that support healthy aging and quality of life. For MedAsian, the goal is not merely to replicate a program but to scale an ecosystem.
The leadership lesson
The Smile Ambassadors initiative offers a powerful lesson for leaders confronting large-scale social challenges. Complex problems rarely yield to isolated interventions. They require innovative thinking, stakeholder alignment and patience to build trust across organizational boundaries.
MedAsian’s achievement was not simply restoring hundreds of smiles. It was creating a framework through which public institutions, private enterprises, healthcare professionals and community organizations could collaborate around a shared mission.
The initiative demonstrates that meaningful change often begins not with a breakthrough technology or a large donation, but with thoughtful architecture.
As Ma advises entrepreneurs looking to create impact in China, success depends on understanding local realities and adapting accordingly. “Be more creative as an entrepreneur,” he says. “Do things that are more fitting to the local context and the local rules of the game.”
In Shanghai, that philosophy transformed a dental health crisis into a model of collaborative innovation.
In the Age of AI, Leadership Won’t Happen by Accident
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
As artificial intelligence reshapes the entry-level job, we can no longer rely on the traditional apprenticeship model to develop future leaders.
Twenty-five years ago, if you dreamed of one day becoming a CEO, your early jobs consisted of work you probably didn’t particularly enjoy: building spreadsheets, poring over legal cases, combing through research, staying late to create presentations. It was repetitive and often tedious work, but it was also formative; the opportunity many future leaders needed to learn the fundamentals of business.
Today, artificial intelligence (AI) can complete much of that foundational work in a matter of minutes – a huge efficiency gain for chief executives across industries, to be sure. But it also raises an important question: If AI removes the work that once taught judgment, resilience and business instincts, where will tomorrow’s leaders learn those skills?
The question today’s leaders must grapple with isn’t simply what happens to entry-level jobs. It’s what happens to an organization’s leadership pipeline when the first rung of the career ladder is being rewritten.
Future leaders can’t afford to learn passively
YPO member Peggy Choi knows firsthand the value of the traditional apprenticeship model. Before founding tokenization company Craftt and enterprise AI deployment company Anthora.AI, she spent years at Goldman Sachs and Silver Lake, experiences she credits with building the skills that shaped her career. Today, she believes AI is forcing the next generation to develop those same qualities far more intentionally.
“It’s no longer an option to passively learn on the job,” she says. “You have got to be very proactive in developing yourself from the start.”
So how do entry-level employees build up that industry and institutional knowledge without the years of the hands-on “grunt” work of the past?
“I do worry a lot,” admits Choi. “If you haven’t done the work, it’s almost impossible to know what to look for.”
She doesn’t have a clear answer, but until organizations rethink how they develop early-career talent, she believes much of the responsibility falls on individuals. Rather than absorbing judgment through repetition, future leaders must actively seek it — learning not only how to use AI, but how to question it. That means understanding where the technology excels, where it falls short, and when human judgment should take precedence.
It’s no longer an option to be passively learning on the job. You have got to be very proactive in developing yourself from the start.
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— Peggy Choi, Founder, Craftt
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And the work itself is already beginning to evolve. Rather than spending their early careers completing every task manually, Choi believes young professionals will increasingly be expected to improve the systems doing the work.
“We need our employees to start to train the models,” she says. “A big part of our work becomes training and benchmarking and evaluating.”
In many ways, she says, learning to manage AI isn’t all that different from learning to manage people. Both require clear direction, evaluating performance and knowing when to intervene. The technology might do the work, but humans will remain responsible for improving it and, above all, applying good judgment.
Organizations must build intentionally
“There is a risk that we are creating a huge leadership gap right now,” warns YPO member Gregor Fiabane on the impact of AI on entry-level jobs.
As Managing Partner at Korn Ferry, Fiabane has spent his career helping organizations identify, develop and succession-plan future leaders. From his perspective, the challenge is making sure organizations replace what is being removed.
“Organizations must intentionally redesign their development models,” he says. “The traditional apprentice model may no longer happen, but leadership development remains deeply human.”
Fiabane believes companies can no longer assume leadership capability will naturally emerge over time. Instead, organizations must create the experiences that repetitive work once provided. That doesn’t mean recreating busywork. Rather, it’s all about giving early-career professionals the opportunities to develop judgment through mentorship, coaching, rotational experiences, stretch assignments and leadership exposure — all things AI can’t automate.
Ironically, this makes AI more of an opportunity than a challenge in his eyes: By eliminating administrative tasks, organizations can now expose young professionals to more strategic work earlier in their careers.
Organizations must intentionally redesign their development models. The traditional apprentice model may no longer happen, but leadership development remains deeply human.
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— Gregor Fiabane, Managing Partner, Korn Ferry
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“AI may really accelerate the learning,” he points out. Yet he doesn’t believe the qualities that define great CEOs are changing nearly as much as the path to becoming one.
“Critical thinking is becoming much more important,” he says, adding that vision, strategy, judgment and the ability to rally people around a common purpose are leadership fundamentals that will remain consistent.
Choi believes that if organizations and future leaders embrace the challenge, AI has the potential to return leadership to its most human work. By automating more of the operational execution, leaders may ultimately have more time to focus on judgment, relationships, culture and developing people. “We’ll have a lot more time to really be in touch with the core,” she says. “We’ll think a lot more about humans, what we enjoy doing and how we create those experiences.”
How YPO’s Global Business Summit Helped Fuel Growth for NOVICA and Handmade.com
Tuesday, August 11, 2026
For NOVICA CEO Roberto Milk, YPO’s Global Business Summit (GBS) wasn’t just another conference. He arrived with a compelling investment proposition, and he left with more than 50 qualified leads, closed a USD500,000 tranche of Novica’s active USD6 million investment round and began term sheet discussions for a new strategic partnership — giving the company momentum to expand its impact.
The seeds of NOVICA were planted by Roberto Milk’s grandmother, a Peruvian artist whose work revealed both the beauty of handmade craft and the barriers preventing craftspeople from receiving fair value for it, inspiring a 25-year mission to help artisans connect with consumers on fairer terms.
These artisans, crafting everything from handwoven textiles to ceramics, often saw their work sold at enormous markups while they received little in return. As Milk explains, “An artist that sells an item for USD10, might see it retail for USD150.” Artists were “rarely empowered,” he says. Middlemen kept them “hidden in the corners,” leaving them with little negotiating power and little recognition for their work. For Milk, the conclusion was simple: “Talented artists around the world are not getting a fair shake.”
Milk founded NOVICA with a mission to rewrite the rules of global commerce, helping talented artisans receive fair value for their work.
Making that ambition a reality takes more than a great idea. It requires the right relationships at the right time. Milk found many of those through YPO’s GBS, where conversations that began over a few days quickly developed into investment opportunities, strategic partnerships and lasting business relationships.
The accelerator
Milk has been a YPO member for more than a decade and credits the organization with playing an important role throughout NOVICA’s journey. And if YPO builds relationships, Milk says, GBS accelerates them.
Attending GBS in Los Angeles, he found an event unlike any other business conference he had experienced. “It’s an accelerator in some ways of your YPO relationships,” he says. Rather than simply introducing members to one another, the summit created an environment where trusted relationships quickly turned into meaningful business conversations. “The amount of follow-up was light years beyond any conference that I’ve ever been to.”
At GBS, Milk introduced peers both to NOVICA and its new fast-growing subsidiary, Handmade.com. “Someone who invests in NOVICA gets both,” he explains. For investors, the proposition combined the stability of an established business with the potential of an AI-driven growth company, offering what Milk describes as “the long trajectory of NOVICA” alongside “the fast-growth startup of Handmade.com.”
Talented artists around the world are not getting a fair shake.
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— Roberto Milk, CEO of NOVICA and Handmade.com
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Milk took his investment proposition to GBS’s Deal Tank, where entrepreneurs present their businesses to an audience of experienced founders and investors for feedback, introductions and potential investment. Deal Tank opened the door, Milk says. But one of his biggest surprises came elsewhere.
“Something that I didn’t expect is how powerful and enjoyable the Needs & Leads sessions were,” he says. Rather than simply exchanging business cards, Milk found members actively looking for ways to help one another.
Beyond new introductions, GBS also changed the nature of existing relationships. Milk found himself discussing opportunities with members he had known for years but had never spoken to about business. The structured format gave them permission to put real needs on the table. As he explains, “People who know us, they’re like, ‘Oh, I didn’t know you were raising money!'”
Results soon followed. Milk left GBS with more than 50 qualified leads, while also helping fellow members’ businesses by personally making around 40 to 50 introductions. GBS also helped NOVICA complete a USD500,000 tranche of its active USD6 million investment round, as well as sparking term sheet discussions for a new USD5 million strategic partnership.
The mission evolves
To fulfill its mission, NOVICA partners directly with artisans through a worldwide network of Artisan Empowerment Hubs, where products are photographed and cataloged before being introduced to international markets. Acting as what Milk describes as a “concierge service for artists to get online,” the hubs also provide no-interest microcredit, allowing artisans to borrow against their products — something he says has proved to be “a game changer for many artists.” NOVICA has connected thousands of craftspeople with customers around the world, returning more than USD140 million directly to artisans and their communities.
Recognizing the model didn’t work well for artists living far from its hubs, Milk created Handmade.com. The new platform removes many of the traditional barriers to reaching customers, allowing artists to onboard using AI, photographing products from their own workshops while the technology removes backgrounds and generates product descriptions in any language.
Handmade isn’t a departure from NOVICA’s mission — it’s the next step in making it universally accessible, Milk explains. The ambition remains the same, just on a larger scale.
The lasting impact
With Handmade.com extending NOVICA’s reach beyond the limits of its Artisan Empowerment Hubs, Milk’s ambition remains unchanged: to ensure that talented artisans everywhere have the opportunity to build sustainable businesses and reach customers anywhere. GBS has helped accelerate that journey, providing the relationships and momentum to take the mission further.
Beyond creating economic opportunities for artisans, NOVICA’s model generates a wider impact, Milk explains, from preserving traditional craftsmanship and empowering women to improving educational outcomes within local communities. He believes this broader purpose is part of the company’s appeal. “I think that resonates with a lot of people,” he adds. “They like to be able to invest in companies that can grow and also that can have a positive impact.”
NOVICA’s work was also recognized when Milk was honored with a regional 2020 YPO Global Impact Award. “We have a fast-growth company that’s investable, but also that’s deeply impacting people’s lives,” Milk says.
We’re all busy. You know what? It’s worth it.
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— Roberto Milk, CEO of NOVICA and Handmade.com
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Yet, while the recognition was meaningful, it is the relationships formed through YPO that Milk believes have had the greatest long-term impact. “These amazing relationships have led to so many important decisions and important steps for us as a company and me personally,” he says.
His advice to fellow YPO members is to make the time for GBS. For Milk, the greatest challenge wasn’t deciding whether GBS was worthwhile — it was making the time to attend in the first place. “I’m a roll-up-your-sleeves entrepreneur who is always busy,” he says. Looking back, however, making that time was one of the best decisions he could have made.
“GBS for us has been the most incredible experience ever from a conference standpoint… by far the most meaningful YPO in-person experience that I’ve ever been to,” Milk says. “We’re all busy. You know what? It’s worth it.”
YPO members can join the GBS 2026 in Istanbul by registering here.
Making Their Mark: YPO Members Among This Year’s EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Finalists
Tuesday, August 4, 2026
Great entrepreneurs don’t just build successful businesses — they change the way people live. Meet the six entrepreneurs from the YPO community who represented their respective countries on the global stage at EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2026 doing exactly that. From improving healthcare outcomes and expanding access to education, to transforming pet nutrition, urban mobility and global technology, these innovators are tackling real-world challenges with bold ideas, unquenchable ambition and lasting impact.
Raising the Standard for Pet Nutrition: Isaac Langleben & Jacqueline Prehogan | Canada
When Isaac Langleben and Jacqueline Prehogan first adopted their rescue dogs, they were surprised by the lack of ingredient transparency in pet food across the industry. That realization led them to found Open Farm in 2014 with a mission to combine premium pet nutrition with responsible sourcing and ingredient traceability. Today, the Certified B Corporation reaches pet owners and their furry companions through more than 8,500 retail locations worldwide. Learn more about theEY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Canada winners’ journey here.
A Legacy of Learning: Ari de Sá Neto | Brazil
Founder and CEO of Arco Educação, Ari de Sá Neto has spent his career expanding access to high-quality education across Brazil. Building on a family legacy that began when his grandfather founded a school in 1944, which his father later transformed into a national benchmark, de Sá Neto created Arco Educação to bring evidence-based learning tools to schools nationwide. Today, their integrated solutions reach more than 4 million students, and 141,000 teachers across 12,000 schools. Recognized as EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Brazil for 2026, de Sá Neto is now leading Arco’s next chapter with a USD220 million investment to develop Latin America’s first operating system for schools.
Broader Access to Better Healthcare: Chin Wei Jia | Singapore
Group CEO of Health Management International (HMI), Chin Wei Jia has spent over two decades helping HMI expand access to quality, patient-centered care across Southeast Asia. Since joining the organization in 2002, she has overseen its evolution into an integrated healthcare network spanning Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, combining hospitals, specialist centers, primary care, diagnostics and telehealth. Today, HMI supports more than 3 million patient visits annually. Singapore’s finalist at EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2026, Wei Jia continues to champion digital innovation, regional partnerships and connected care that helps patients receive the right care at the right time.
From One Village Computer to Millions of Global Users: Dušan Šenkypl | Czech Republic
Dušan Šenkypl’s entrepreneurial journey began as a teenager in socialist Czechoslovakia, when a quest to buy his village’s first computer inspired him to start a small business. He went on to build Czechia’s first internet banking platform before moving to the United States to launch another IT company that developed products for more than 200 million users. Today, as co-founder and partner of Pale Fire Capital and CEO of Groupon, he helps build and scale global technology businesses. Under his leadership, Groupon returned to profitability, while Pale Fire has supported the growth of companies including Rouvy, itrinity and Mubi. Read more about the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2026 for Czech Republic.
Rethinking Urban Mobility: Charles Richard Oentomo | Indonesia
Charles Richard Oentomo founded Centrepark in 2009 after recognizing the potential to transform one of Indonesia’s most routine everyday services. Under his leadership, the company has evolved from a traditional parking operator into a technology-driven business that helps property owners manage their assets more effectively while making parking simpler and more convenient for millions of people. Today, Centrepark operates in more than 700 locations across 60 cities and employs over 5,000 people. Read more about Indonesia’s EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2026 finalists.
YPO is proud to collaborate with EY, its Strategic Learning Advisor, to help global leaders drive innovation, accelerate growth and create long-term value. Learn from the successes of thousands of the world’s fastest-growing entrepreneurs and realize your ambition faster.
