Closing the Gender Gap in Leadership: The Power of Mentorship and Sponsorship
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Women hold only 33.5% of leadership roles in business globally, according to a GrantThornton 2024 report, a report stressing that it is up to business leaders – men and women – to close that gap. Understanding the difference between mentorship and sponsorship – and stepping up to fill those roles – is one way to get women closer to parity.
Cunningham, a YPO member in London, describes a mentor as someone with applicable subject-matter expertise offering guidance; sponsorship is more about advocacy, especially in the rooms where decisions are made.
“A mentor is someone senior in the same area who has information they can share,” Cunningham explains. “I think that’s the relationship that we’ve seen most. A sponsor, on the other hand, is someone who is going to promote you within the organization. You can sponsor someone without ever speaking with them. It’s about what you’re saying to other people in the room.”
She continues, “For me, sponsorship and mentorship always go hand in hand, because I find once I get to know someone at a mentoring level, I get this real appreciation for the skills they have and what they have to bring. So, it’s very natural to sponsor them.”
Carreau, a YPO member from British Columbia, points out that women are over-mentored and under-sponsored. As women, she says, “We tend to put our heads down and work hard, and we don’t necessarily say, ‘look at me’ or ‘look at so and so, they deserve a promotion.’”
Before Smith, a YPO member in Nigeria, became a CEO, she had a CEO sponsor who helped accelerate her career by assigning her stretch roles and advocating for her behind closed doors.
Agreeing with Carreau, she says finding mentors is not the challenge for women. “But they haven’t been able to get many people to sponsor them. We tend to do the work, but we are not very visible,” she says.
We are in this together
While women who have broken through glass ceilings can offer the next woman leader an opportunity to follow, Smith, Carreau and Cunningham stress that male allies are essential in accelerating women’s careers.
“Even today, most leadership positions are held by men,” Carreau explains, adding that data shows that women have taken a step back in terms of promotion since the pandemic. “We’ve still got a long way to go.”
We all need to become better leaders. All of our economies need help. Our businesses need help. We need all our intellectual capital to achieve our goals.
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— Debby Carreau, CEO, Inspired HR
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Giving everyone in your organization a stake in the conversation is important, Cunningham explains. She calls it “gender allyship” with the goal of achieving mutual advocacy.
“This is an important part of my sponsorship,” Cunningham says. “I don’t want to promote women just for the sake of having women in roles and ticking a box. I see this vast amount of untapped talent that I can use to deliver on my business objectives.”
Smith emphasizes the importance of including men in the solution-building process and highlights that collaboration, not competition, is key.
“Sometimes, as women, we forget to bring the men in when we are having these conversations. Many men support and agree that women need to be brought into the room, so getting them to be part of the programs we’re developing actually helps.”
She adds that it is vital that, “We don’t see ourselves in competition with the men, but we see that there’s room to collaborate.”
Agreeing, Carreau adds, “We all need to become better leaders. All of our economies need help. Our businesses need help. We need all our intellectual capital to achieve our goals.”
Best practices for mentorship, sponsorship success
Smith’s framework for successful mentorship and sponsorship in her organization begins with creating clear goals and metrics and including them as part of your talent and DEI strategies. But Carreau cautions that mentorship does not replace performance management.
Include a variety of formats, such as one-on-one, speed mentoring, peer mentoring, even reverse mentoring, plus create a matching process, expect accountability and continuously evaluate progress and adjust as necessary.
To create a diverse workforce, Cunningham says, you need parity in three distinct areas.
“You need parity in hiring,” she says. “And then you need to promote people at the same rates.” And, she adds, “You need to not have people leave in disproportionate numbers. They’re all part of the same triangle.”
A safe space in YPO
Carreau, Cunningham and Smith, each from their different corners of the world, find a safe space at YPO to discuss topics such as this. Both Cunningham and Smith, who joined in 2016 and 2022, respectively, say they find value in YPO’s peer-to-peer learning. Carreau, a member since 2011 and YPO’s next Global Chairman who will begin her term in July 2025, says the trust, candor and vulnerability she finds at YPO are rare in traditional business environments.
Can Travel Heal the World? Intrepid CEO James Thornton Says “Yes”
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Intrepid CEO James Thornton has traveled to all seven continents and visited nearly 100 countries. You might assume space is his next frontier, but you’d be wrong. The moon is decidedly not on his travel bucket list. “Travel is about connection,” the YPO member explains. “I don’t want to go somewhere there are no people. I want to meet the locals, to hear about their culture and learn about their histories.”
Intrepid, where Thornton has held various roles since 2005 and was named CEO in 2017, launched its first trip in 1989. At the time, the only option for international travel was with large groups, directed by someone wearing the group’s T-shirt and carrying a flag for easy identification. Lodging consisted of Western chain hotels, and the hotels and tour guides indulged travelers with all the comforts of home.
Intrepid’s founders had a different idea.
“It was all about being the antithesis to traditional coach touring,” Thornton explains. Intrepid tours focus on meeting local people, trying the local food, staying in local accommodations, using local transportation, and in doing so, supporting the local economy. The average group size is 10.
Our job is to make responsible travel and sustainable experiences the mainstream of the travel industry. … We’re trying to balance commercial return while tackling some of the big issues in the world – all while giving customers fantastic experiences.
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— James Thornton, CEO, Intrepid Travel
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“We’re built so our travelers can better understand a country and its people – different races and religions,” adds Thornton. “The world needs more intrepid people.”
That first Intrepid trip was to Thailand. The company now offers more than 1,000 trips in 100 countries on all seven continents, and for Thornton, the company’s mission has never been more relevant.
“It feels like the world’s being pulled apart – social media, geopolitical differences, isolation and loneliness,” Thornton says. But he views travel – the Intrepid way – as the antidote. “I believe that the more people can experience our style of travel, the more we can have a more kind, prosperous and hopeful world.”
Purpose – as an outcome, not at the expense of – profit
When Thornton joined Intrepid in 2015, he was drawn to the company’s dual purpose: expanding the sustainable travel market while proving that a business could do good and still turn a profit.
“I’m on a mission to prove a business model – that profits and purpose don’t come at the expense of each other,” he says. “Business in general is becoming more aware of balancing the needs of all stakeholders. We know we need to be profitable to realize our purpose. Profitability is the output of what we do, but not the reason for what we do.”
Under Thornton’s leadership, Intrepid first earned the coveted B Corp certification in 2018. “While it is easy to measure business growth, it’s not as easy to measure impact,” Thornton says. “Hopefully we’re proving that as a purpose-led organization, we are also generating better returns.”
Thornton recognizes that much of Intrepid’s success is due to its people, and the B Corp certification helps, especially as younger generations enter the workforce and seek companies that stand for something.
“It’s no longer good enough to just earn a salary or enjoy your work,” he says. “It’s about being proud and wanting to work for companies who are doing good, and that the good they are doing is independently verified.”
A positive outcome of a pandemic
In January 2020, Intrepid was coming off four straight years of record performance and experienced its biggest monthly bookings in the firm’s history — then COVID-19 changed everything.
With no money coming, they were forced to issue refunds before suspending global operations for the first time in their 31-year history.
“It was a crisis of just huge proportions,” Thornton says. “We’d been through Gulf wars. We’ve been through SARS, bird flu, a global financial crisis. But nothing could have prepared us for the experience of having no revenue and no idea when it would return.”
Work looked different but continued. And despite the business challenges, Thornton was encouraged by the positive impacts of virtually no global travel: Being able to see the Himalayas from villages in India and Nepal for example, or marine wildlife returning to the Venice canals.
Thornton says his team knew that when travel returned, it had to look different. “We took big steps during the pandemic to start removing and reducing the carbon in our operations, on our trips and in our office,” he says. “So, when travel returned, we could encourage customers to travel in this kind of lighter impact way, so that that it might have more positive benefits.”
It’s part of what drove Intrepid to become the first tour operator with near-term science-based climate targets as set out by the Paris Agreement. It is working closely with suppliers to reduce their carbon footprint, and prioritizing accommodations that use solar or renewable power. The company has also committed to removing flights from as many of its multi-day itineraries as possible.
“Replacing flights with rail and road alternatives often results in an improved travel experience and offers travelers more opportunities to meet locals,” Thornton adds.
And when travel demand returned, Intrepid was ready to meet the growing desire of people looking for more localized experiences and purposely creating less impact from their travel.
I’m on a mission to prove a business model – that profits and purpose don’t come at the expense of each other. … We know we need to be profitable to realize our purpose. Profitability is the output of what we do, but not the reason for what we do.
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— James Thornton, CEO, Intrepid Travel
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“As a result, Intrepid did very well. Make no bones about it, we suffered for 2½ years. But we used the opportunity that we had to make sure that when travel rebounded, we could take advantage of it and recover that financial position.”
Growing the sustainable experience market
Intrepid boasts a 20% compound average growth rate, a rarity for a 35-year-old company, Thornton points out. He credits the momentum to a cultural shift — more people prioritizing experiences over possessions.
Still, he acknowledges, Intrepid is still a small player in a massive industry.
“Our job is to make responsible travel and sustainable experiences the mainstream of the travel industry,” he says. “We come to work every day to create that positive change through the joy of travel. But we know we need to be financially successful and make a profit to be sustainable. We’re trying to balance commercial return while tackling some of the big issues in the world – all while giving customers fantastic experiences.”
Thornton challenges what he calls an old-fashioned idea – that if you want to do good by the world, you need to be a nonprofit, and if you want to do well financially, you must focus exclusively on shareholder returns and profitability.
“Often there’s a perception that because we are trying to benefit local communities and are trying to do good by the world, that we’re a nonprofit,” he says. But he proposes that a strong sense of purpose isn’t just good ethics — it’s good business. Intrepid’s commercial model is essentially to generate profits that benefit shareholders and their purpose-driven activities.
The company’s customers are curious and want to connect, he says, adding, “They have a desire to get under the skin of a destination, meet different people and have different experiences.” And for him, that’s what sets Intrepid apart — it transforms not just the traveler’s experience, but the travel industry and world at large.
“Tourism works when as much money as possible stays within the destination itself,” he adds.
Leveraging Disruptive Tech: Key AI Insights from EDGE
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
When it comes to artificial intelligence (AI), the future is being written now. YPO EDGE 2025 in Barcelona brought together top minds in disruptive technology to unpack how AI — with both its opportunities and challenges — is reshaping industries, leadership and the workforce.
“The question isn’t whether change will happen,” says Stephen Ibaraki, Chair and Managing Director, REDDS Capital, and Founder, AI for Good. “It’s how we adapt and shape the world we want to create.”
Keep reading for more key takeaways:
We need to tame the AI wild west before it’s too late
AI pioneer Sir Stuart Russell, Professor of Computer Science at University of California-Berkeley, says the race toward artificial general intelligence (AGI) is outpacing our ability to ensure it remains safe, and he’s sounding the alarm.
Author of “Human Compatible” and a key AI ethics adviser to global institutions, Russell argues that large language models like ChatGPT are unpredictable, vulnerable and fundamentally flawed.
The stakes? AI systems that surpass human intelligence could become uncontrollable, leading to unintended — and possibly catastrophic — consequences. And with more than USD200 billion being poured into AGI development annually, the industry is speeding ahead without the technical guardrails needed to ensure long-term alignment with human interests.
“The only way to remain in control forever,” Russell cautions, “is if we have cast-iron technical guarantees.”
Use AI to supercharge, not replace, your business
Now for some good news: Gopi Kallayil, Chief Business Strategist of AI at Google, was optimistic on artificial intelligence’s role as a force multiplier, rather than a job killer. He’s worked with the world’s biggest brands to integrate AI into marketing and consumer experiences and says that businesses that embrace AI thoughtfully will get ahead, and fast.
From personalized customer experiences to real-time decision-making, AI is already transforming industries, but Kallayil emphasized that its adoption shouldn’t be about chasing trends; instead, it should be about aligning with business strategy.
He reminded leaders that consumers are embracing these technologies faster than many corporations, and he offered this challenge: “How will you use AI to power the next phase of your company’s growth?”
Get ready for AI-powered teams and leaders
The future of work isn’t just about automation — it’s about augmentation. AI thought leader Nell Watson shared that she envisions a world where AI agents act as “co-pilots” alongside human workers, making complex decisions, conducting research and even forming their own AI-driven companies.
By 2030, she predicts the rise of “agentic corporations,” AI-powered entities that function independently, challenging the very concept of traditional business models.
But Watson also flagged the risks of algorithmic management, warning that AI-driven hiring and firing could lead to bias, burnout and ethical dilemmas.
“The key,” she says, “is to co-create AI processes with workers and stakeholders to ensure a fair and ethical transition.”
AI is here. What are you going to do about it?
The experts at EDGE 2025 made one thing clear: AI isn’t just a tool — it’s a paradigm shift. The businesses and leaders who embrace it with both ambition and responsibility will define the next era of innovation. Those who wait? They’ll be playing catch-up. Ibaraki summed it up with a final piece of advice: Stay informed, stay engaged and don’t sit on the sidelines.
The CEO’s Guide to Health, Happiness and Longevity
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Living longer isn’t the goal — living better is. Science shows that happiness and longevity aren’t just about genetics or personal willpower; they’re shaped by environment, mindset and daily habits. At YPO EDGE 2025, Arthur Brooks, Harvard professor and leading expert on human happiness, and Dan Buettner, researcher and bestselling author, shared how leaders can apply cutting-edge research on meaning and longevity to build a life — and a company — where well-being thrives. Here’s what they had to say.
Reclaiming meaning in an age of distraction
A quick glance at social media — or a conversation with a 20-something — reveals a troubling trend: rising anxiety and declining fulfillment. According to Brooks, the root cause isn’t just stress or technology overload — it’s a loss of meaning.
Brooks argues that ‘meaning’ is the foundation of happiness, built on coherence, purpose and significance. Yet, today’s over-reliance on technology is rewiring our brains, weakening the right hemisphere responsible for introspection and deep thinking. The result? A “meaning doom loop” that leaves many feeling empty.
Here are four ways Brooks suggests to reverse the happiness crisis:
Arthur Brooks at YPO EDGE 2025
Take a tech detox Constant screen time keeps the brain in a state of distraction, preventing the creative and reflective work that drives meaning. Brooks recommends setting up tech-free zones — during the first hour of the day, at meals and before bed. He also suggests an annual tech fast of one to two weeks to reset the mind.
Embrace boredom Silence and stillness activate the brain’s right hemisphere, sparking creativity and big ideas. Walking without a phone, commuting without distractions, or simply sitting with one’s thoughts can be powerful exercises in breaking the cycle of overstimulation.
Ask big questions Brooks challenges leaders to engage in deeper reflection: Why am I alive? What would I die for? These questions drive introspection, reframe priorities, and restore a sense of purpose — something modern distractions often erode.
Get small “In a world obsessed with self-importance, prioritize humility,” Brooks advises. He practices this through daily Mass, but emphasizes that meditation, time in nature or volunteering can achieve the same effect. He recalls a conversation with the Dalai Lama, who noted that seeing Earth from space instantly shifts perspective, making personal worries seem trivial.
Brooks’ message to leaders is clear: Meaning isn’t found in the noise — it’s cultivated through reflection, humility and stepping away from the digital distractions that dominate modern life.
The debate between nature and nurture is shifting. While genetics play a role in aging, emerging research confirms that lifestyle and environment have a far greater impact on long-term health.
Buettner has spent decades studying the world’s “Blue Zones” — regions where people routinely live past 100 with ease. His findings, featured in the Netflix hit “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones”, offer a compelling case for environmental design as the key to longevity. Buettner shared with the EDGE attendees how they can apply these lessons — no ice baths required.
Longevity Is 70% lifestyle
Buettner’s research shows that genetics account for only 30% of longevity. The rest is driven by environment and daily habits. Blue Zone communities share key characteristics: natural movement (instead of structured workouts), a plant-based diet, strong social connections and a clear sense of purpose.
How to build a Blue Zone anywhere
Rather than relying on willpower, Blue Zones make healthy choices the default. In Albert Lea, Minnesota, U.S.A., city planners applied these principles by adding sidewalks, community gardens and healthier food options. The result? Life expectancy increased over three years and health care costs dropped by 40%.
“We found that when you optimize people’s environment, they succeed,” says Buettner. “They unconsciously become healthier for longer — and they don’t even have to work at it.”
The takeaway for leaders is clear: Sustainable health isn’t about individual effort — it’s about designing environments where well-being happens naturally. Whether in communities or workplaces, longevity isn’t just about genes. It’s about making the right choices easy.
A Fractured World: Competing Visions of Global Power and Stability
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
The global order is in flux. President and Founder of Eurasia Group and GZERO MediaIan Bremmer and historian and economist Sir Niall Ferguson paint a picture of a world shifting away from the post-World War II framework, marked by rising economic power in the Global South, deepening geopolitical rifts, and increasing domestic instability in the West.
As the U.S. grapples with fiscal challenges and voter discontent, BRICS nations gain economic ground — yet without cohesive leadership or guaranteed investment returns. Meanwhile, China and Russia challenge Western influence, fueling a more fragmented, multipolar world. In this evolving landscape, leaders must navigate uncertainty, adapting to a future where power is increasingly decentralized and global stability is anything but assured.
A world in flux: The geopolitical recession and power shifts
The global order is unraveling — not with a sudden collapse, but through a slow, systemic realignment. Bremmer describes today’s geopolitical landscape as a 75-year cycle in decline, where the institutions that once defined Western dominance — like the U.N., International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organization — are increasingly out of sync with the realities of power.
Russia, China, and the U.S.: A fractured triangle
Sir Niall Ferguson at YPO EDGE 2025
Russia’s failure to integrate into the West after the Cold War has led to open confrontation, with allies like North Korea and Iran adding to the disruption. Meanwhile, China’s rise has complicated expectations. While deeply embedded in the global economy, Beijing has resisted aligning with the Western-led order, fueling tensions with the U.S.
Shifting power and rising discontent
At home, U.S. voters are questioning the value of global leadership, a sentiment that has fueled the rise of populist figures like U.S. President Donald Trump. Across Europe and beyond, incumbents are losing elections as public frustration with the status quo grows. If the European Union fails to address its economic and security challenges, Bremmer warns, its stability could be at risk.
The Middle East’s new power brokers
With the U.S. playing a diminished role in the region, Gulf states like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are increasingly shaping Middle Eastern affairs — including managing the conflict in Gaza.
Bremmer’s bottom line? The post-WWII world order is crumbling, leaving behind a fragmented landscape where regional powers fill the gaps. The challenge for leaders is navigating what comes next.
The illusion of order
There is no single world order — only disorder and competing visions of dominance. That was the message for YPO members from historian Ferguson, who laid out the shifting dynamics of global power, economic influence and geopolitical fault lines.
The BRICS growth paradox
The rise of BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) has reshaped global GDP, but Ferguson cautions that economic size doesn’t always translate into investment success. In 2001, the G7 economies were nearly eight times the size of BRICS; today, that gap has shrunk to less than two on a nominal basis. Yet, for all their economic expansion, BRICS nations remain loosely aligned, often divided by trade priorities and political interests.
U.S.-EU fractures and fiscal strains
Ferguson pointed to deepening tensions between the U.S. and the EU, particularly over Ukraine. Meanwhile, within the BRICS, trade disputes could further limit their cohesion. He also warned of the U.S.’s mounting fiscal pressures, introducing Ferguson’s Law: when a great power spends more on interest than on defense, decline follows. With U.S. debt and interest payments rising, the ability to sustain global influence is under pressure.
China’s strategic rerouting
Despite talk of economic decoupling, China continues to supply the U.S. — just through new channels. Ferguson described a world where Chinese exports increasingly move through emerging markets, creating a Chimerica 2.0, where indirect trade keeps the two economies entwined.
His closing thought? The idea that we’re at the height of empire may be an illusion. History suggests we may be closer to decline than we think.
Rethinking Leadership at EDGE 2025: The Future Belongs to Those Who Adapt
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Leadership is no longer about just making decisions — it’s about rethinking power, influence and purpose in an era of uncertainty. At YPO EDGE 2025 in Barcelona, top global leaders shared what it takes to lead in today’s rapidly evolving world. Their message? The old playbook is obsolete. The future belongs to those who embrace empathy, adaptability and a commitment to real change.
Forget power; lead with empathy and grit
Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, and Zuzana Čaputová, former President of Slovakia, know firsthand the challenges of leadership in turbulent times. In a conversation moderated by international lawyer Sir Mark Vlasic, they discussed what it means to lead with integrity, especially in an era of rising political division, climate urgency and democratic fragility.
Both leaders emphasized that empathy and compassion are not weaknesses but essential qualities in leadership.
“People need to feel seen and heard, especially during crises,” Robinson says. Čaputová echoes this, highlighting the importance of self-awareness and humility in positions of power. “The most important thing is to work on ourselves — self-reflection, self-knowledge and keeping our ego in check,” she says.
They also addressed the unique struggles women face in leadership, from systemic bias to outright threats. Despite these challenges, they urged businesses and governments alike to champion gender equity and create environments where diverse leadership can thrive.
The role of business in strengthening democracy and society
Beyond politics, Robinson and Čaputová stressed that business leaders play a vital role in shaping a more sustainable and equitable world. “Businesses have the power — and the responsibility — to promote responsible practices, combat misinformation and drive meaningful social change,” Robinson argues.
They called on leaders to adopt sustainable business strategies, uphold democratic values and foster cross-sector collaboration. Čaputová warned against the rise of populist rhetoric and misinformation, urging leaders to engage critically with media and invest in protecting democratic institutions.
Balancing legacy and innovation in family business
Franco Gussalli Beretta at EDGE 2025
Few understand the balance between tradition and transformation better than James Ferragamo and Franco Gussalli Beretta. As leaders of legacy family businesses — Salvatore Ferragamo and Beretta, respectively — they shared their strategies for ensuring longevity while embracing change.
Ferragamo emphasized the importance of discipline and strategic planning in family enterprises. His family’s approach requires members to gain external experience before joining the business, ensuring fresh perspectives while maintaining the company’s core values.
“The value of a family business is that you can merge different perspectives; heritage with innovation, tradition with new ideas,” he says.
For Beretta, diversification has been key to growth. While Beretta is best known for its firearms, the company has expanded into apparel and accessories. Yet, despite its 500-year history, one thing has remained unchanged: a commitment to legacy. “Our mission is not just to run a company. It’s to be caretakers for the next generation,” he says.
The leadership playbook is being rewritten. Are you ready?
The verdict from EDGE 2025: Leadership is being redefined in real-time. The most successful leaders aren’t those who cling to old models, but those who balance vision with humility, tradition with innovation, and authority with responsibility. In an era where trust is fragile and expectations are high, leadership must be earned daily.
Leading Through Complexity: CEOs at YPO EDGE Focus on Global Shifts, Leadership and Legacy
Thursday, February 20, 2025
YPO’s final day in Barcelona delivered a powerful close to EDGE, bringing together top CEOs for conversations that cut through the noise and address the realities of leadership today. From geopolitics and democracy to luxury brands and business strategy, the day was a deep dive into the forces shaping the world and the decisions leaders must make in response.
Historian and economist Niall Ferguson delivered a stark assessment of the shifting world order. The notion of a single dominant power, he argues, no longer holds. The BRICS nations — Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — now surpass the G7 in global GDP share on a purchasing power parity basis, yet they remain a fractured alliance rather than a unified force.
Ferguson highlights widening rifts between the U.S. and EU, particularly over Ukraine, and warned of America’s growing debt burden. “When a great power spends more on interest than defense,” he cautions, “its power diminishes.” Meanwhile, China is recalibrating its export strategy, leveraging the Global South to maintain access to U.S. markets. Rather than a new Cold War, Ferguson suggests we are witnessing a geopolitical realignment still taking shape.
Governing in a time of division and fragility
If Ferguson focused on the macro forces shaping global power, former Irish President Mary Robinson and former Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová turned the conversation toward leadership itself. Both spoke candidly about the complexities of governing in a time of political division, climate urgency and democratic fragility. For Robinson, addressing the climate crisis requires a coalition that goes beyond governments, one that brings in business leaders and grassroots movements alike.
Čaputová, meanwhile, reflected on the personal responsibility of leadership, noting, “Power is seductive, and it’s very important to pay attention. The quality of our service in politics depends entirely on the quality of who we are as people.”
Self-awareness, she argues, is an essential leadership skill — one that helps navigate the pressures of decision-making while keeping ego in check. Both leaders acknowledge the unique challenges faced by women in leadership, from gender-based attacks to persistent biases, and called on business leaders to champion greater representation, equity and sustainability.
Balancing legacy and reinvention in leadership
Leadership plays out in both business and politics. John Galantic, CEO of Tod’s Group and former Chanel president, shared insights from decades in luxury, where legacy and reinvention must coexist. Family-owned businesses, he notes, often maintain long-term vision and authenticity better than public corporations.
Power is seductive, and it’s very important to pay attention. The quality of our service in politics depends entirely on the quality of who we are as people.
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— Zuzana Čaputová, Former Slovak President
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Success, he adds, comes from understanding people. One of his best leadership lessons came from his wife: listen more, solve less — a principle especially valuable in female-led organizations like Chanel.
Galantic also highlights the growing overlap between luxury and sports, where brands like Ferrari and AS Roma thrive on craftsmanship, performance and emotional connection. “The strongest brands,” he says, “stand for more than just transactions — they embody passion, commitment and a long-term vision.”
As EDGE wrapped up in Barcelona, these conversations underscored a central theme: leadership today demands more than expertise. It requires an ability to see the forces shaping the world, to understand the people within an organization and to make decisions that balance the immediate with the enduring. In geopolitics, in business and in society, the leaders who succeed will be those who know when to adapt, when to hold their ground and when to listen.
Power to the People: How Yariv Cohen is Shining a Light on Last-mile Communities
Thursday, February 20, 2025
Yariv Cohen is an honoree for the 2025 YPO Global Impact Award. The award focuses on YPO members making impact outside the organization that is both sustainable and scalable, affecting people, prosperity, peace or our planet.
Yariv Cohen is not in the business of wasting time. He can’t afford to; he’s working toward an ambitious goal. And while the deadline is self-imposed, the stakes are incredibly real: He is committed to bringing power to 100 million people in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030 — and five years is going to go fast.
According to Africa Energy Outlook 2022, 600 million people (43% of the continent’s population), lack access to electricity. Bridging this energy gap and connecting the poorest people on the planet to power is the premise on which Cohen, a YPO member who is one of the organization’s 2025 Global Impact Award honorees, co-founded Ignite Energy Access with his wife, Angela Homsi.
A climate tech social enterprise that operates across 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Ignite develops, finances and facilitates a decentralized and sustainable infrastructure of solutions for deep-rural communities — those commonly referred to as “last mile.” This includes clean cooking solutions and innovative solar-powered electricity, irrigation systems and internet access.
“Whether I know what I’m doing or not will be determined if I connected 100 million people. That’s my goal. Everything else is a failure for me.
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— Yariv Cohen, CEO and Co-Founder Ignite Energy Access
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Since Cohen, who serves as CEO, first launched Ignite in 2014, more than 2.5 million people have been impacted by the company’s efforts, thanks to more than 3,500 agents on the ground helping to produce 13.5 megawatts of electricity.
From barriers to breakthroughs
Cohen was working on a global carbon emissions reduction project when he visited Rwanda 12 years ago.
“I saw the people on the streets, the families without power. They had kerosene, but they couldn’t even bring water in at night and the kids couldn’t study,” he remembers. “We looked at it and said, ‘Why is it like this?’”
For Cohen, a serial entrepreneur in the tech space, this served as a call to action. With a career spanning impact investing and thought leadership, he has collaborated with global corporations, governments and multilateral organizations to drive meaningful progress in climate and energy solutions.
“Every place has its complexities. So doing impact business embedded within communities is not easy,” Cohen says of launching Ignite. “But Africa is just the same as everywhere else I’ve worked, and I’ve worked in 20 countries.”
He knew addressing the daily challenges of these remote and underserved communities would require strategic foresight and an unwavering commitment to extreme affordability. So, he got to work, remaining hands-on in the development of Ignite’s proprietary technologies.
Without stable electricity, people in sub-Saharan Africa often rely on temporary solutions such as unreliable battery-operated torches or dangerous kerosene, whose fumes can cause respiratory problems. Both solutions are inadequate and costly, leaving families with limited funds for essentials such as education and food.
Ignite tackled this challenge by creating affordable solar home systems, allowing their customers to reduce their energy expenses by as much as 75%. Affordable and consistent energy in homes, of course, includes lighting, but it also includes a way to charge mobile phones and power small-scale appliances, opening up more opportunities for entrepreneurship and self-sufficiency. To date, they’ve helped save USD61 million on energy expenditures.
Another challenge: 85% of Ignite’s customers are smallholder farmers who rely on fields of cassava, beans and sorghum to generate income and feed their families. But the irrigation methods featured rainwater and expensive, pollutant diesel pumps.
Cohen and his team created solar-based irrigation systems designed for easy deployment and mobility. These systems, which serve entire collectives of farmers, ensure constant irrigation across fields, increasing yields by 300% and harvesting seasons by up to 50%. Now the systems produce 17 million liters of water daily.
By reducing their client’s dependency on fossil fuels, Ignite has significantly cut air pollution, improved public health and mitigated 812,390 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
That last statistic is especially critical because the communities he works with contribute the least to global emissions yet are disproportionately hurt by the consequences. Ignite’s solutions are helping these communities become more resilient and self-sustaining.
Not just power – but a path forward
It’s easy to measure Ignite’s success by staggering statistics like hundreds of thousands of greenhouse gases saved. But it’s the more human numbers that truly tell the story of the company’s unique impact, and that will ensure its mission is successful long into the future.
To start, Ignite hires locally: 98% of its employees work where they live, translating to more than 3,500 local jobs created. Local employees can work their way up and are an active part of maintaining the various systems’ capabilities.
Cohen says they work with a community’s chief, mayor or village elder – whoever can help Ignite find those willing to work and make their lives, the lives of their families and communities better.
“The best part of our business is going to the families and connecting their homes and seeing the children smile,” he says. “Our installation guys have the best job in the world. You go into a dark house and watch it become a happy home.
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— Yariv Cohen, CEO and Co-Founder Ignite Energy Access
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Beyond lighting up homes and an increase in agricultural productivity, Ignite provides families with solar-powered internet connectivity, unlocking educational and economic opportunities that can uplift entire communities and foster economic growth.
“Our mission is clear, and because everybody in the governments we work with has family in a rural area, that benefits our cause,” he says. “They can see the impact of what we do closely, so we have a lot of goodwill and support.”
Cohen understands that every community is different, so every solution is too.
Ignite recently partnered with global organization We Care Solar, to deploy solar kits in 60 health clinics in rural Sierra Leone. With almost 70% of maternal deaths globally occurring in sub-Saharan Africa, the kits provide medical teams with light and vital medical equipment to improve conditions for women during pregnancy and labor.
For Cohen, countless faces and life-changing stories stay with him, but his local employees benefit the most from Ignite’s mission — and rightly so.
“The best part of our business is going to the families and connecting their homes and seeing the children smile,” he says. “Our installation guys have the best job in the world. You go into a dark house and watch it become a happy home.”
Mission meets momentum
For Cohen, setting up Ignite as a for-profit business was key to ensuring he could meet his 2030 goal.
“We have a big goal and big sense of urgency. So we need to be able to mobilize a lot of people quickly,” he says. “For me, it’s not purpose or profit; it’s purpose AND profit. It’s not just that this can work, it’s that it can work better.”
Ignite Energy Access actually started as a YPO Rwanda Action Forum project and now is an internationally recognized company known for its results-based financing model and public-private partnerships with governments and international agencies that allow them to drive large-scale impact.
In April 2024, Ignite acquired Nigerian clean-tech startup Oolu, which expanded its reach into West Africa, increasing its capacity to serve 800,000 additional people. In January 2025, Ignite signed an agreement to acquire ENGIE Energy Access, which will eventually more than double the company’s impact across the continent.
“This accomplishment goes far beyond electrification. It’s about creating opportunities, improving education and health care, supporting gender equality, and fostering economic growth in the communities we serve,” Cohen says of the acquisitions. “It underscores our mission to transform lives and drive sustainable development through clean energy.”
Time isn’t slowing down, and the problem isn’t getting smaller, yet Cohen’s commitment isn’t wavering.
“I think once you start doing mission-driven businesses, you never go back, because, why would you? You just start. And then you do,” he says. “Whether I know what I’m doing or not will be determined if I connected 100 million people. That’s my goal. Everything else is a failure for me.”
Room to Read’s Geetha Murali is Turning Pages and Transforming Lives
Thursday, February 20, 2025
Geetha Murali is an honoree for the 2025 YPO Global Impact Award. The award focuses on YPO members making impact outside the organization that is both sustainable and scalable, affecting people, prosperity, peace or our planet.
Education is the most effective tool for addressing the world’s challenges — Geetha Murali lives her life by this belief.
As Chief Executive Officer of Room to Read, a global nonprofit dedicated to childhood literacy and gender equality, Murali doesn’t just preach the power of learning — she’s living proof of it.
In the pursuit of education, her mother, the oldest of seven in Chennai, India, resisted marriage at age 13 — a practice common in her family at the time — and chose a career in nursing. She, in turn, invested in and inspired her younger sisters to also live free from the limitations of generations past. Her mother’s career then brought her to the United States, where she got married — when she wanted to — and raised Murali with a love of learning and the life skills she’d need for success, no matter the path.
“Knowing that her decision is the reason I have the choices I do is a real driving force in my work,” says Murali, YPO member and one of the organization’s 2025 Global Impact Award honorees. “It was one woman’s decision at one moment that changed the trajectory of my whole family. I’m very proud to be her ripple effect.”
Reaching every child
Room to Read’s goal is to be the catalyst for millions of success stories just like Murali and her mother.
The organization was founded in 2000 with a simple but ambitious goal: Give children in communities facing deep educational, economic and gender inequities a real chance to learn and thrive. The organization has benefited more than 50 million children across 28 countries including India, Tanzania, the United States and Indonesia.
Room to Read’s literacy programming combines the science of reading with the magic of loving to read to help children become independent readers and lifelong learners, while its gender equality programming supports adolescents, particularly girls, to develop life skills that help them overcome gender inequality, with a focus on family and community engagement as well as mentorship.
Murali, who earned her Ph.D. in South Asian politics and whose career spans leadership roles in both the corporate and nonprofit sectors, first connected with the organization through Erin Ganju, a former YPO member from California and the Co-Founder and then CEO of Room to Read. She joined the organization in 2009 and was appointed CEO in 2018 and now leads a global team of 1,200 staff across 60 offices, overseeing operations, fundraising and the nonprofit’s growing influence in policy and education reform.
Rooted in community, designed for impact
Room to Read’s success stems from being deeply embedded in the communities it serves. Ninety percent of its staff are local leaders and educators who directly implement programs, ensuring solutions are contextually relevant and culturally effective from Pakistan to the Philippines.
“We don’t take lightly the fact that we are asking families to trust in our work and to educate their children when they have other choices,” Murali explains. “Many times, it’s not that they don’t want what’s best for their children, but that they’re trying to assess what’s in the best interest overall. Because if a young woman has to walk a very long distance to go to school, she may not be safe, or if there are many children at home and they need income, they’re thinking about feeding them. So, they’re always balancing quite difficult choices.”
Understanding these realities, Room to Read works closely with families and communities to create educational opportunities that make sense for them.
“Our core identity is that we’re direct implementers. Our community-based staff deliver our programs along with local stakeholders, gathering ongoing feedback and measuring outcomes,” she says. “We are co-designing with the communities, and our teams are always looking at how to evolve our delivery to meet the need.”
Sometimes, the evolution of the delivery, quite literally, has to be reimagined.
When the pandemic hit, 1.6 billion children globally were out of school. Most of Room to Read’s programs were embedded in schools, so they had to rethink how to reach children – and fast.
“I’m always surprised I’m advocating for this; it seems so obvious that children need the skills to make choices, stay in school and to invest in themselves, their families and their communities.
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— Geetha Murali, CEO Room to Read
The organization’s mentors continued sessions remotely via phone when they couldn’t in person, and Murali recounts how Room to Read staff got creative delivering learning materials by radio, television, boat and, even, camel.
“We were immediately able to look at the need, look at the local infrastructure and find ways to keep children learning at a time when there were so many other things at the forefront of what society was focused on,” she remembers. “We were using everything available to us to support the children.”
The result? Ninety-five percent of the girls in their programs returned to the classroom when schools reopened — despite the increased risks of child marriage, labor exploitation and other pressures that pulled girls away from education during that time.
“We had to make sure that we were keeping that human connectivity in place,” she says.
Systemic Success
Being in communities is just one part of Room to Read’s success. Scaling impact means working with governments, public school systems and other nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to create lasting reform.
In 2023 the organization trained more than 72,500 teachers and librarians, as well as more than 4,800 government officials in literacy-related topics and more than 150 government officials in gender and girls’ education to build skills that support productive education systems. In many countries, Room to Read is the only NGO invited to join national advisory committees shaping curriculum, gender policies and library standards.
“We describe ourselves as simultaneously local, regional and global,” Murali says. “When you run programs in multiple locations, you have opportunities for learning across different regions of the world, as well as the opportunity to share your findings with the sector.”
And all this work? It’s working: Evaluations show that children in Room to Read’s Literacy Program don’t just read — they outperform. They read twice as many words per minute as their peers and answer twice as many comprehension questions correctly. More importantly, they’re building lifelong reading habits.
For their girls’ education program, the results are just as powerful: In a recent global survey of five-year alumnae, 79% had either been enrolled in higher education and/or were employed. Many go on to become mentors in the program themselves — proof that the ripple effect is very real.
Scaling for the future
Room to Read has expanded at a pace that few nonprofits achieve. In just the past four years, they’ve served as many children as they did in their first 20 years. And Murali’s goals for Room to Read all involve benefitting more children, faster. That means continuing their systemic work with schools and governments, but they aren’t stopping there.
The organization has expanded its multimedia efforts, including publishing 4,600 original and adapted children’s books in 57 languages. That’s on top of the 42 million books they have distributed globally and the 3,000 children’s book titles available in 41 languages via their digital library, Literary Cloud.
“It was one woman’s decision at one moment that changed the trajectory of my whole family. I’m very proud to be her ripple effect.
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— Room to Read CEO Geetha Murali on her mother’s impact
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In 2023 the organization released the first nonprofit-led animation and live-action film project, “She Creates Change,” to promote gender equality through the stories of young women around the world.
It’s all about meeting children where they are, while ensuring that education remains a global priority.
“I’m always surprised I’m advocating for this; it seems so obvious that children need the skills to make choices, stay in school and to invest in themselves, their families and their communities,” Murali says. “But we’re committed to ensuring that the urgency around education continues to be at the forefront of what the world thinks about when it thinks about creating positive change. This work is an imperative need for the next generation to thrive.”
Engineering Change: How Nooshin Behroyan is Rethinking Energy from the Ground Up
Thursday, February 20, 2025
Nooshin Behroyan is the winner of our 2025 YPO Global Impact Award. The award focuses on YPO members making impact outside the organization that is both sustainable and scalable, affecting people, prosperity, peace or our planet.
Lasting impact isn’t just what you do — it’s how you do it.
This philosophy was instilled in YPO’s 2025 Global Impact winner, Nooshin Behroyan early in her career, thanks to an architecture professor at the University of California-Berkeley.
“He taught us that when you build something, you’re scarring the Earth,” she recalls. “We must ensure that any impact we make is thoughtfully integrated into the environment—seamless, intentional and in harmony with nature.”
This philosophy drives her now as founder and CEO of Paxon Energy and Infrastructure — one of just 7% of women CEOs in the energy sector.
In an industry steeped in tradition, Paxon is future-oriented. Under Behroyan’s leadership, the consulting management firm focuses on improving critical infrastructure in the oil, gas and utility industries and has become the ninth fastest-growing company in the U.S., advancing both its mission to curb methane pollution for the energy sector and her impact as a trailblazing force in the industry.
Putting the question before the business
Behroyan’s success comes from never shying away from questions — or calling out problems. Early in her career as a LEED architect, she questioned a structural engineer’s decision on a job site, only to be told, it wasn’t her call. So, she got a master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from the University of California, Davis. Now, she can make those calls.
Behroyan dedicated her master’s thesis to oil and gas injection well leaks. “I became really interested in the things that aren’t visible to the naked eye. You might not see it, but it exists and has the potential to cause significant harm,” she says.
She built a reputation as a sought-after engineer and helped establish the leaks management program under the pipeline safety enhancement initiative for Northern California before homing in on her next big question: How do energy companies accurately measure the amount of methane they are emitting into the atmosphere, and why is it important?
At that time, she recalls, everyone was focused on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and no one was talking about methane, though it has 80 times the detrimental warming power. Methane is the main component of natural gas.
Behroyan met with California utility executives and made her case: Soon, this measurement would be critical — EPA fines critical. She proposed a project, and they gave her the green light for USD36 million. She then incorporated Paxon in 2016.
“Building a business wasn’t so much on my mind, because as an environmental engineer I was simply driven to do what was right for the industry,” she says. “I wanted to solve another problem I had identified.”
Turning setbacks into strategy
Six months into the project, Behroyan lost the contract. A larger company came in while she was still building and questioned her credentials and persuaded the executives they needed a bigger company that could easily throw thousands of people at this problem.
“A challenge isn’t really a challenge if you can change course, and this was one of those important shifts,” Behroyan recalls.
The setback gave her time to think more on the problem, and she realized it would be disastrous if oil and gas companies came in and said exactly how much methane they were emitting into the atmosphere. “That’s when I reverse-engineered an idea: We could help clients report how much energy they were recovering that otherwise gets wasted.”
Paxon offers a better solution with cross compression, a process that captures and repurposes methane. By compressing and storing the gas, and then converting it into liquid natural gas, Paxon’s technology captures 99% of methane that would otherwise escape. This reduces emissions and creates renewable energy — liquid natural gas — feeding it back into the supply chain. The company’s custom-designed mobile compressors also help companies transfer gas safely during maintenance, preventing unnecessary leaks, improving efficiency and cutting costs.
In 2023 alone, Paxon recovered more than 850,000 tons of methane, the equivalent of powering 4 million homes in the United States for a full year.
Behroyan compares her team’s work to surgeons within the energy industry. “We come in and identify the problem, build the solutions and solve the hardest challenges faced by the industry,” she says, citing projects as tailored as helping companies meet their ESG goals and as broad as sectionalizing the grid in Northen California, a move that helped prevent long outages for wildfire mitigation measures.
“We stay ahead of the curve and address issues ahead of time,” she says. “If there is the slightest mistake or if things are missed by the pipeline owners or electrical operators, it could cause a catastrophic event. Ultimately the work we do saves lives.”
Leading on her own terms
As a young, Iranian single mother in an industry dominated by century-old, white-male-led companies, Behroyan couldn’t afford to lead like everyone else. She built Paxon differently — self-funded, profitable from day one, and people-first in its approach.
“I think the No. 1 marker of success for me is: How are our employees doing? How are they developing their careers?” she says. “That’s just as important as other metrics. If people retire with us, or they leave for bigger roles, I’ve done my job right.”
Behroyan knows firsthand how barriers to entry stifle innovation. While talent has nothing to do with race or gender, she admits opportunity often does.
Nooshin says she knows part of her company’s success stems from the fact that she brought forth her ideas within a sector that had diversity budget to spend. “That gave me a shot. Otherwise, billion-dollar companies will always work with billion-dollar companies, and you don’t get new solutions.”
She’s spent years advocating for women in business, including serving as board president for the National Association of Women Business Owners, but she’s most proud of building a company where female engineers, inspectors and veterans feel empowered to ask tough questions and challenge norms.
Finding the balance between progress and practicality
While big tech and renewables steal the spotlight, Behroyan has made it her mission to make a case for the industry that keeps it all running — natural gas. As conversations around energy transition dominate headlines, she argues that we can’t afford to demonize the backbone of every city, town and business.
“One thing that’s not going to change is the growing demand for energy,” she says. “Natural gas is the cheapest form of energy, and if we were to eliminate it overnight, how would that be equitable? Not everyone can afford an electric car or an induction stove. We have to be realistic about how we transition.”
“We must ensure that any impact we make is thoughtfully integrated into the environment — seamless, intentional and in harmony with nature.
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— Nooshin Behroyan, Founder and CEO of Paxon Energy and Infrastructure
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She points to the gap between ambition and reality: Renewables are essential, but right now they account for just 21% of the U.S. energy generation supply. Meanwhile, energy consumption is surging, fueled by the rise of data centers, cloud computing and our always-online culture.
“Take a household today versus a decade ago, with additional tablets and TVs and internet use — we are consuming a lot more energy now,” she says. “And big tech needs power. We have an exponentially growing energy demand via data centers.”
Beyond running Paxon, Behroyan is using her platform to shift the conversation. Paxon works alongside the U.S government, Public Utility Commission and other regulatory agencies to create meaningful procedural change for the energy industry. She speaks on global stages, writes op-eds, and pushes for innovation within existing energy systems while renewables scale up to meet future demand. But to make real progress, she says, the energy sector needs fresh talent, the kind often lured by the public relations machine of Silicon Valley.
Citing the significant amount of state, federal and international funding available for energy projects, she says, “We need to attract bright minds who want to make a real impact. Tech is exciting, but none of it happens without energy.”
Behroyan sees a future where energy innovation isn’t just about what’s new — it’s about making what we have work smarter, cleaner and better for everyone, and she’s doing her part to make it happen.
“I know by the time I am done with the industry, I will have left it in a better place than I found it.”
