MENU menu

2009 Skoll Awards Ceremony

Video Description

Skoll Awardes at the 2009 Skoll World Forum receiving their awards: Bart Weetjens of APOPO; Soraya Salti of INJAZ Al-Arab, JA Worldwide; Jordan Kassalow of VisionSpring; Paul Van Zyl and Juan Mendez of ICTJ; Martin von Hildebrand of Fundacion Gaia Amazonas; Wendy Kopp of Teach for All; Pooran Desai and Sue Riddlestone of BioRegional Development Group; Gary White of Water.org; Munqeth Mehyar, Nader Khateeb and Gidon Bromberg of Ecopeace/Friends of the Earth Middle East.

Speakers

  • founder, APOPO
    Bart is a Zen priest and celebrated social entrepreneur. In 1995 he founded the organisation APOPO, which saves human lives from disaster and disease by training HeroRATs. Based on the shared vision that inner wellbeing is a prerequisite to do sustainably well in society, he joined The Wellbeing Project in 2015, to shift the culture in the field of social change to a more caring and compassionate one. In 2017 he co-founded lagrandeterre.org, a permaculture/wellbeing center in the French Ardennes. Bart has been elected an ASHOKA fellow and a SCHWAB fellow to the World Economic Forum. He won the Skoll Award for social Entrepreneurship in 2009. Bart holds a Masters in Product Design from Antwerp University, Belgium.
  • Chair, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
    Dr. Rajendra Kumar Pachauri is the Chair of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the scientific intergovernmental body that provides decision makers and the public with an objective source of information about climate change. He is also Director General of TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute), an independent research organisation providing knowledge on energy, environment, forestry, biotechnology, and the conservation of natural resources. He is active in several international forums dealing with the subject of climate change and its policy dimensions. He was awarded the second-highest civilian award in India, the ‘Padma Vibhushan’ and received the ‘Officier De La Légion D’Honneur’ from the Government of France in 2006.
  • CEO and Co-founder, Water.org
    Gary White is an observer, an innovator, and a problem-solver. As a passionate, problem-solver he has created solutions that have empowered millions of people in need with access to safe water and sanitation. Gary is the CEO and co-founder of Water.org and WaterEquity. He brings 30 years of experience in sustainable innovation in water and sanitation. As a nonprofit organization Water.org focuses on financing, harnesses philanthropy to correct market failures, empowering people in the developing world to gain access to safe water and sanitation. Water.org is the resulting organization of the July 2009 merger between WaterPartners, co-founded by Gary in 1990, and H2O Africa, co-founded by actor Matt Damon. He developed Water.org’s WaterCredit Initiative, creating new financing options for families living in poverty to meet their water and sanitation needs. He also developed WaterEquity, an asset manager that raises and invests capital in water and sanitation enterprises serving the water and sanitation needs of people living in poverty. Gary is a leading advisor in the water and sanitation space, counseling organizations such as the Skoll Foundation, MasterCard Foundation, PepsiCo Foundation, IKEA Foundation, Caterpillar Foundation, and the Clinton Global Initiative on responses to the global water crisis. He is also a founding board member of the Millennium Water Alliance and Water Advocates. Named to TIME magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people, Gary has been awarded the Forbes 400 Lifetime Achievement Award for Social Entrepreneurship, named to the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Water, and selected as Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur and a Skoll Foundation Social Entrepreneur. Gary’s educational credentials include three degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Missouri University of Science & Technology.
  • EcoPeace co-director, EcoPeace Middle East
    Gidon Bromberg is the co-founder and 26-year Israeli Director of EcoPeace Middle East. EcoPeace is a unique regional organization that brings together Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli environmentalists to promote sustainable development and advance peace efforts in the Middle East. Mr. Bromberg has written extensively on the relationship between water issues and Middle East peace and has presented before the UN Security Council, UN Climate Summit, US Congress, European Parliament and other international forums. Mr. Bromberg, an attorney by profession, is an alumnus of Monash University in Australia, Washington College of Law at American University and Yale University's World Fellows program. EcoPeace Middle East received the Skoll Award in 2009
  • Founder And Chairman Emeritus, Jeff Skoll Group
    Founder and Chairman Emeritus Jeff Skoll is an entrepreneur devoted to creating a sustainable world of peace and prosperity. Over the last 17 years, he has crafted an innovative portfolio of philanthropic and commercial enterprises, each a distinctive catalyst for changing the trajectory of issues that most affect the survival and thriving of humanity. This portfolio includes the Skoll Foundation, Skoll Global Threats Fund, Participant Media, and Capricorn Investment Group—all coordinated under the Jeff Skoll Group umbrella. The Skoll entrepreneurial approach is unique: driving large-scale, permanent social impact by investing in a range of efforts that integrate powerful stories, data, capital markets, technology, partnerships, and organized learning networks. Operating independently from one another yet deeply connected through a shared vision, Skoll organizations galvanize public will, influence policy, and mobilize resources to accelerate the pace and depth of change. Jeff was the first full-time employee and President of eBay, where he experienced firsthand the power of combining entrepreneurship, technology, and trust in people. His work today embodies those fundamental lessons. All of Jeff’s organizations rely on the premise that people are fundamentally good, and that given the opportunity to do the right thing, they will.
  • Co-Founder, VisionSpring
    Jordan Kassalow is an eye doctor, social entrepreneur, and author. He is the founder of VisionSpring, the co-founder of EYElliance, and a Partner at Drs. Farkas, Kassalow, Resnick, & Associates. Jordan also founded the Global Health Policy Program at the Council on Foreign Relations and co-founded Scojo New York. Prior to his position at the Council, he served as Director of the River Blindness Division at Helen Keller International. Jordan is a fellow of Draper Richards Kaplan, Skoll, Ashoka, and is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute. He was named one of Schwab Foundation’s 2012 Social Entrepreneurs, was the inaugural winner of the John P. McNulty Prize, and was recognized in Forbes Impact 30. VisionSpring has been internationally recognized by the Skoll Foundation, the Aspen Institute, and the World Bank; is a three-time winner of Fast-Company's Social Capitalist Award; and a winner of Duke University’s Enterprising Social Innovation Award. Additionally, he co-authored Dare to Matter: Your Path to Making a Difference Now. Jordan is a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He earned a Doctor of Optometry from the New England College of Optometry (NECO), received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from NECO in 2016, and a Fellowship in Preventive Ophthalmology and Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins.
  • A native of Argentina, Juan Méndez came of age during a time of great upheaval in Latin America. As a result of his legal and advocacy work, he was arrested, tortured and exiled. He refused to be broken and dedicated his life to pioneering ways to protect human rights. Juan joined ICTJ as president in 2004. Paul van Zyl, a native of apartheid-era South Africa, committed to working against intolerance at a young age. He helped draft legislation to establish the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission and was hired by Archbishop Tutu as its Executive Secretary. Paul co-founded ICTJ in 2001.
  • Musician / Singer,
    Kate Victoria "KT" Tunstall is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist from St Andrews, Scotland. She broke into the public eye with a 2004 live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Later... with Jools Holland. She has enjoyed commercial and critical success since, picking up three nominations before winning a BRIT Award, and a Grammy Award nomination. She is also the recipient of an Ivor Novello Award. She has released three studio albums internationally: Eye to the Telescope (2004), Drastic Fantastic (2007) and Tiger Suit (2010).
  • Founder & General Director, Gaia Amazonas
    Martin von Hildebrand, PhD in Ethnology, Director and Founder of Gaia Amazon Foundation. He has dedicated his life since 1970 to the defense and promotion of the rights of the Indigenous Peoples and to the conservation of the rain forest in the Colombian Amazon. Thanks to his constant commitment, the Indigenous People, that in the 70´s were still being exploited in rubber camps and had no rights, are now owners of 26 million hectares of Amazon Forest, have set up in half this territory their own governmental system officially recognized by the State as Public Entities and are managing their social and environmental programs with national funding. In addition to many accolades for the breath of his accomplishment, Hildebrand received Colombia's National Environmental Prize in 1999, the Swedish Right Livelihood Award in 1999, the Skoll Foundation's Social Entrepreneur Award in 2009 and the World Economic Forum Social Entrepreneur Award in 2009.
  • Chair and Jordanian Director, EcoPeace Middle East
    Munqeth Mehyar received a degree in Regional Planning and Architecture from the University of Louisiana, USA in 1981, upon which he became the planning engineer for South Amman. Being a committed sportsman, he was the project manager for the German Balsam International Sports Company, and then the Middle East Manager of the Athlete Sports Contracting Company. He serves on the Board of Directors of both the Jordan Sports Federation for the Handicapped, and the Jordan Royal Ecological Diving Society. Mr. Mehyar was awarded a medal from Al Houssain Distinguished Giving for his charitable activities. Further to being co-founder of EcoPeace Middle East, Mr. Mehyar is also the Founder and Director of the Jordan Society for Sustainable Development, an environmental NGO based in Amman.
  • Former Palestinian Director, EcoPeace Middle East
    Nader Al-Khateeb served as Chief Engineer for the Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Beit Sahour Water Authority from 1984 to 1993, where he was responsible for planning and fundraising, as well as operations and maintenance of the distribution network. After returning from leave to acquire his M.Sc. degree, he also became the Project Manager for their drainage and sewerage project. From 1994 to 1997, Mr. Al-Khateeb was a senior water resource engineer with the UNDP's Water Resources Action Program, working as a consultant in the effort to formulate and establish the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA). He then became associated with the PWA itself, coordinating a host of water and wastewater projects.
  • Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer, The Conduit
    Paul van Zyl grew up in South Africa during the apartheid era. He served as the Executive Secretary of South Africa’s post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Shortly after, Paul co-founded the International Centre for Transitional Justice, an international human rights organization that works in over 40 countries that have endured massive human rights violations under repression and conflict. He also received the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship and was chosen as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and served on its Global Agenda Council on Fragile States.Paul also received an Honorary Doctorate in Law from the University of Santa Clara. Paul is also the co-founder and CEO of Maiyet, an ethical luxury fashion brand that cultivates traditional design and culture by partnering with global artisans. Maiyet has recently evolved into The Maiyet Collective, which currently brings together the largest collection of sustainable luxury and positive impact brands in the world. Featuring over 50+ new and emerging brands on a rotational basis, The Collective provides a retail showcase for small to medium sized sustainable brands, as part of a community of like-minded partners who share a similar philosophy and mission. Paul co-founded The Conduit in 2016. The Conduit serves as a home for those committed to improving the world by harnessing the power of creativity and entrepreneurship. Located in a 40,000 sq. ft. building in the heart of London, The Conduit connects thinkers, leaders and innovators in various fields to force impact for the greater good. The Conduit opened in Summer 2018. Paul was also announced one of London Tech Week’s 30 Change Makers in 2018, as well as recognised as one of the Evening Standards 1000 most influential people in London 2019. Mr. van Zyl also sits on the Swarovski Foundation Board, as well as the British Doc Society Board.
  • Pooran studied at Oxford and Cambridge Universities before co-founding Bioregional with his wife Sue Riddlestone. He now is CEO of Oneplanet.com, a platform which is making collaboration on sustainability easy.
  • Past President and CEO, Individual
    As the first President and CEO of the Skoll Foundation, Sally Osberg helped build it into the leading philanthropy in the field of social entrepreneurship. During her tenure, the Foundation supported more than 100 entrepreneurial organizations driving equilibrium change on many of the world’s most pressing problems and developed innovative platforms for connecting civil society, government and private sector leaders with societal problem solvers. Among these platforms are the annual Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship, the Skoll Centre at Oxford University’s Said Business School, and the Sundance Institute’s “Stories of Change” initiative. In 2015, Sally and Roger Martin published Getting Beyond Better: How Social Entrepreneurship Works, which articulates a theoretical framework for social entrepreneurship and distills lessons for practitioners, academics and impact investors. Her thought pieces have appeared in leading social impact and business journals and books; in 2015, she and Roger Martin were honored by Thinkers 50 for their intellectual leadership in the field of social enterprise. Prior to joining Jeff Skoll and the Skoll Foundation, Sally served as the founding Executive Director for Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose, a pioneering institution in the field. Sally currently serves as the Chair of the Camfed (the Campaign for Female Education in Africa) USA Foundation, on the Philanthropy Advisory Council of the Royal Bank of Canada, on the Advisory Council of the Elders, and as a board director of the Social Progress Imperative and the Palestine-based Partners for Sustainable Development. She is also an Associate Fellow of the Said Business School of Oxford University. She received her M.A. in English and American Literature from the Claremont Graduate School and her B.A. in English from Scripps College, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Born in Boston, Sally grew up on the east coast but has spent most of her adult life in California. She now lives outside Philadelphia, in Wayne, Pa., within walking distance of her two grandchildren.
  • Senior Vice President of Middle East/North Africa for Junior Achievement Worldwide, INJAZ al-Arab
    Soraya Salti was Senior Vice President of Middle East/North Africa for Junior Achievement Worldwide, INJAZ Al-Arab. Her efforts had led to the expansion of INJAZ to 15 countries, in the most successful private public sector partnership in education reaching more than 1 million youth, in the region with the world’s highest youth unemployment. She won the 2006 Schwab Social Entrepreneur award for Jordan, became a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum and was the first Arab woman to win the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship. The Skoll Foundation mourns the loss of Soraya Salti, founder of INJAZ al-Arab. In 2015, Soraya and her sister, Jumana, both died tragically and unexpectedly.
  • Sue Riddlestone is Chief Executive of Bioregional, and a Skoll, Schwab and Ashoka award-winning social entrepreneur. Sue co-founded Bioregional in 1994, who initiated the iconic BedZED eco-village in London, where Sue lives and where Bioregional has its headquarters. Sue and the team work with partners to create homes, communities and eco-products and services which enable us to live a good life with a sustainable carbon footprint, within in the natural limits of our one planet.    To further scale their work, Bioregional systematised their approach to create a sustainability framework called One Planet Living which has been used in over $30billion of real-estate development. As well as by municipalities, cities, organisations and companies around the world from Mexico to China, the USA and Australia.    For system change, Sue draws on the work of Bioregional and partners to change policy and industry practice from zero carbon policy to eco-towns. Sue was a London Sustainable Development Commissioner from 2002-2014.  Sue was actively involved in creating the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with a formal role as UN NGO focal point for Sustainable Consumption and Production, where Sue and the team succeeded in securing text and targets for the SDGs, particularly for Goal 12. Sue is a founding board member of global social entrepreneur network Catalyst 2030 and chairs the work to foster partnerships with governments and recognition of social entrepreneurs at the UN and national level. In 2013 Sue was awarded one of the UK’s highest honours, an OBE, for her work on sustainable business and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.  
  • CEO & Co-Founder, Teach for All
    Wendy Kopp is CEO and Co-founder of Teach For All, a global network of independent organizations that are developing collective leadership to ensure all children have the opportunity to fulfill their potential. Wendy founded Teach For America in 1989 to marshal the energy of her generation against educational inequity in the United States. Today, more than 6,000 Teach For America corps members—outstanding recent college graduates and professionals of all academic disciplines—are in the midst of two-year teaching commitments in over 50 urban and rural regions, and Teach For America has proven to be an unparalleled source of long-term leadership for expanding opportunity for children. After leading Teach For America’s growth and development for 24 years, in 2013, Wendy transitioned out of the role of CEO. Wendy led the development of Teach For All to be responsive to the initiative of inspiring social entrepreneurs around the world who were determined to adapt this approach in their own countries. Currently, the Teach For All network is comprised of partner organizations in 59 countries on six continents, including its founding partners Teach For America and the U.K.’s Teach First. Wendy has been recognized as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People and is the recipient of numerous honorary degrees and awards for public service. She is the author of A Chance to Make History: What Works and What Doesn’t in Providing an Excellent Education for All (2011) and One Day, All Children: The Unlikely Triumph of Teach For America and What I Learned Along the Way (2000). She holds a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University, where she participated in the undergraduate program of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Wendy resides in New York City with her husband Richard Barth and their four children.