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Announcing the 2019 Oslo Business for Peace Award Recipients

 Wednesday, 20 March 2019 10:22

The 2019 Business for Peace Honourees who are delivering opportunities for women, minorities and diverse and disadvantaged groups

The Oslo Business for Peace Award is given to inspiring business leaders around the globe who have accomplished extraordinary things. The award honours ambassadors of businessworthy values, who are shaping society for the better.

The 2019 recipients are: Dr Agbor  Ashumanyi  Ako, co-founder of GiftedMom, Alice Laugher, the CEO of CTG (Committed  to Good) and Hamdi  Ulukaya, the founder and CEO of  Chobani.

These three leaders are at the helm of companies which have a broader view than just the bottom line and see business as a tool for change. As individuals, they look at the world around them and work to improve it.

“The 2019 Honourees have managed to create enterprises with a significant social impact, exemplifying outstanding business contributions to society. In a world of imbalance, they have taken the initiative to establish and grow businesses that offer opportunities to women, minorities, diverse and disadvantaged groups”, comments Business for Peace Founder, Per L. Saxegaard. “These three celebrated individuals have worked tirelessly to counteract inequalities, encouraging inclusion and democratising access to health, aid, and work. Through their businesses, they promote human rights, contribute to sustaining peace and help build environments in which human potential can flourish.”

Dr  Agbor Ashumanyi  Ako

Agbor  Ashumanyi  Ako is one of the co-founders of  GiftedMom, a digital health platform based in Cameroon that gives pregnant women and mothers across Africa access to vital health information and care.

As a digital-first platform, GiftedMom is able to expand faster than traditional health care systems and the start-up aims to reach 10 million women in the next 10 years. Started by Alain Nteff and Doctor Tankou Conrad in 2012, the platform now has over 170,000 users. 

The award-winning app has significantly improved both pregnancy check-up attendance and vaccination turnouts, with an ultimate goal to see a world free of preventable maternal and infant deaths.

Dr Agbor enthuses, “This recognition is a symbol to show that there is progress in the right direction for the company GiftedMom. It comes as a reminder of the mission ahead. Being nominated by experts from the United Nations Development Programme Business Call to Action community and selected by former Nobel Peace Prize laureates is an indication of how the work GiftedMom is doing provides a global solution to help solve today’s challenges.”

Alice Laugher

Alice Laugher is the CEO of CTG,  Committed  to Good, which provides employment and logistics services to development and relief programmes in fragile and conflict-affected countries. From running Ebola treatment clinics in Liberia, to food distribution in Afghanistan and South Sudan, monitoring and assisting refugees in Libya, and rebuilding government constitution in Somalia, the work of CTG is as diverse as our world’s issues.

 

British-born Laugher is a vocal   advocate for the Sustainable Development Agenda, with a particular focus on gender equality. She is passionate about CTG being a force for good and creating economic opportunities for women in war-torn regions through CTG’s initiative Female First, which pledges that 30% of project-related roles are represented by women by 2030. She explains: “At CTG, we’ve made empowering women through humanitarian employment in conflict-affected regions our focus. This award, this incredible recognition for our commitment, strengthens our determinations that we are moving in the right direction. I hope it will inspire business leaders, both women and men, to believe that their commitments to change and peace – no matter how small or large in scale – are the only way forward.”

Hamdi Ulukaya

Hamdi  Ulukaya  is the founder and CEO of  Chobani, the company behind the number one Greek yoghurt in America. Today,  Chobani  has over 2,000 employees in the United States, 30 percent of which are legally resettled immigrants and refugees.  Ulukaya has created a corporate culture in which everyone is welcome and has an opportunity to thrive with innovative profit-sharing and parental leave programmes.  Ulukaya  has also taken a leadership role in the global business community to encourage action from the private sector to tackle the global refugee crisis.

Turkish-born Ulukaya comments: “I’m very humbled by this honor, and I’m proud to accept it on behalf of the women and men of team Chobani. This new way of business–where companies focus on people and not just profits, try to make the world a little bit better–should be at the heart of every modern company. As CEOs we don’t need to have more, we need to do more. When we see an injustice, we need to speak out. When we have tools and resources to solve problems, we have to use them.”

About the Award

The Oslo Business for Peace Award is given out annually to exemplary business leaders who apply their business energy ethically and responsibly, creating economic and societal value. Winners are selected by an independent committee of Nobel Prize winners in Peace and in Economics after a global nomination process through the International Chamber of Commerce, United Nations Global Compact, United Nations Development Programme, and Principles for Responsible Investment. The Award Committee consists of Ouided Bouchamaoui (Tunisia), Leymah Gbowee (Liberia), Finn Kydland (Norway), and Eric Maskin (USA). The committee evaluated the nominees on the criteria of being a role model to society and their peers, having earned trust by stakeholders, and standing out as an advocate.

Award Ceremony

The three winners received the Award in a ceremony at Oslo City Hall on 15 May 2019 as part of the annual Business for Peace Summit.

2019 Summit Programme Announced

Friday, 15 March 2019 15:48

Business for Peace is pleased to share the programme for the 2019 Summit: Navigating in a World of Imbalance. The Summit aims to provide businessworthy leaders with the knowledge, inspiration, actions and the networks necessary to effectively create social impact through their work.

The Summit will explore different perspectives of imbalances and which role technology and investment can play, all with the objective to identify tangible actions for business leaders. Through deeper understanding of the challenges and through cross-sector conversations, the Summit will offer insight and actionable ideas for how business leaders and investors can play a greater role in driving an inclusive and prosperous future for all.

The Summit takes place 14-15 May 2019 in Oslo, Norway. View the full Summit programme and For invite-only events, you can submit a Request to Attend form as well. The Award Ceremony is open to all members of the public.

Tune in to the 2019 Oslo Business for Peace Award Announcement

 Thursday, 14 March 2019 20:01

On March 20, we will announce who will receive the 2019 Oslo Business for Peace Award. Following a global nomination process through our partners, the International Chamber of Commerce, Principles for Responsible Investment, UN Development Programme, and UN Global Compact, our Award Committee of Nobel Laureates has made its selection.

Hear from Raymond Johansen, Governing Mayor of Oslo, Per Saxegaard, Board Chair of Business for Peace, and Fiona Reynolds, CEO of Principles for Responsible Investment, as they share the news.

Tune into our livestream on 20 March at 9:00 CET for the announcement. 

#Future of Talks: The Future of Business Leadership

 Saturday, 09 March 2019 20:47

This year, Business for Peace has launched an afterwork series with MESH in Oslo. Following our first events, The Future of Cities and The Future of Climate Leadership we’re happy to announce our third afterwork talk, The Future of Business Leadership. During this conversation, we will discuss the growing need for conventional thinking about business leadership to change. We’ll cover how globalisation, climate change, and consumer demands for transparency are all shifting the landscape for businesses, prompting leaders to consider not only profits, but also people and the planet.

To ensure a sustainable and inclusive future, we need ethical leadership from all facets of society to work together, but how are today’s purpose-driven business leaders approaching this landscape? And what will bold business leadership look like in the future?

Speakers:

  • Susan Hagerty Bonsak, Business Executive Officer at Nespresso Norway

  • Tore Lærdal, Executive Chairman at Lærdal Medical and Business for Peace Award Honouree

  • Tharald Nustad, Founder of Nordic Impact and impact investing ecosystems Katapult Accelerator and Katapult Future Fest

  • Stine Lise Hattestad Bratsberg (moderator), CEO of Pure Consulting and a former Olympic gold medalist in freestyle skiing 

The event is free to attend (you’ll just have to pay for anything you purchase from the bar) but please RSVP to let us know you’ll be joining us.

Schedule

17:30-18:00 Doors open, come mingle and get settled
18:00-19:00 Talk and discussion
19:00-late Stay for a drink and continue the conversation

It’s the third event in the new #FutureOf talk series presented by Business for Peace Foundation and MESH. Come hear brief talks from each of our guest speakers, then stay for a discussion and Q&A. We’ll also be announcing the winners of the 2019 Oslo Business for Peace Award.

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