Oslo Business for Peace Award Recipients
2020
Marc Benioff: Founder and CEO of Salesforce
United States
Marc Benioff is Chair, CEO, and Co-Founder of Salesforce and a pioneer of cloud computing. Salesforce is the #1 provider of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software globally. Benioff established the ‘1-1-1 model’ of corporate philanthropy, whereby a company contributes one percent of technology, equity, and employee hours back to the communities it serves. Today, Salesforce is a Fortune 500 company with 54,000 employees and 150,000 customers worldwide. He is an outspoken advocate for business leaders supporting causes such as LGBT rights, education inclusion, wealth reallocation and alleviating homelessness. Benioff is leading a revolution in the tech sector to create a more equal, fair, and sustainable way of doing business.
James Mwangi: CEO and Group Managing Director of Equity Bank
Kenya
Dr James Mwangi is one of Africa’s most renowned entrepreneurs. He is credited with democratising financial access by giving the unbanked population opportunities for broader economic participation. He has led Equity to become an integrated financial services group operating in 6 African countries with a client base of over 14 million. Dr Mwangi’s ability to merge economic theory to the practical realities of village life enabled him to revolutionise the banking industry in Africa. Today, Equity is one of the most inclusive banks in the world with clients across the socio-economic spectrum including youth and women.
Felicitas “Joji” Bautista Pantoja: Founder and CEO of Coffee for Peace
Philippines/Canada
Felicitas Pantoja has dedicated her career to building peace in conflict zones and improving the lives of marginalized groups through economic stability. Based in the Philippines, Coffee for Peace uses coffee production as a tool to address the economic, environmental and peace issues prevalent in conflict-affected communities. Today, Coffee for Peace provides sustainable livelihoods for Indigenous and migrant groups in rural areas, enabling over 880 farmers to escape poverty and build their coffee production capacity. The company’s focus is on sustainable agriculture, peace and reconciliation between religious groups, environmental protection, and entrepreneurship.
2019
Alice Laugher: CEO of Committed to Good
United Kingdom
Leading a successful global company with social responsibility and gender equality at its core, Alice Laugher is the CEO of Committed to Good (CTG), which provides employment and logistics services to development and relief programmes in fragile and conflict-affected countries. CTG runs Ebola treatment clinics in Liberia and food distribution in Afghanistan and South Sudan. The company also leads projects to monitor and assist refugees in Libya, and rebuilding government constitution in Somalia. British-born Laugher is a vocal advocate for the Sustainable Development Agenda, with a particular focus on gender equality. CTG is committed to 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.
Agbor Ashumanyi Ako: Co-Founder of GiftedMom
Cameroon
Working toward a world free of preventable maternal and infant mortality, Dr 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. Started along with Alain Nteff and Doctor Tankou Conrad in 2012, the app has significantly improved both pregnancy check-up attendance and vaccination turnouts, with a goal to see a world free of preventable maternal and infant deaths.
Hamdi Ulukaya: President and CEO of Chobani LLC
Turkey/United States
Leading the charge for ethical and responsible business, Hamdi Ulukaya is Founder and CEO of Chobani, the company behind the number one Greek yoghurt brand 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.
2018
Lori Blaker: CEO of TTi Global
United States
Lori Blaker champions inclusion and gender equality as core values at TTi Global, which is a staffing, recruiting, and consulting firm operating on five continents with over 2,000 employees. Blaker is recognised for her business performance not only in the United States but in developing economies such as India and Afghanistan. In 2016, Blaker opened a retail Automotive Service Center and Training Center in Kabul, creating much-needed job opportunities in a challenging environment. Blaker developed a special training program for local women to learn management skills in an industry they would traditionally be barred from, which is just one example of her commitment to making positive change through business.
Edgar Montenegro: Founder and CEO of Corpocampo
Colombia
Edgar Montenegro founded Corpocampo in 2003 with the aim of using food production to build sustainable communities. The Colombian Pacific Coast region has long been affected by the country’s internal conflict, leading to widespread poverty, violence, and illegal coca crop production. Montenegro wanted to improve peoples’ lives by providing a legal and reliable source of income. His company specialises in the production and distribution of acai berries and palm hearts, with all products deriving from sustainable farming practices. Corpocampo has provided jobs for over 240 female-headed households, impacting over 1,300 families.
Sir Martin Naughton: Founder of Glen Dimplex Group
Ireland
Sir Martin Naughton has grown Glen Dimplex Group from seven employees in 1973 to becoming Ireland’s largest privately-owned manufacturing business and one of the world’s leading manufacturers of domestic appliances. During the turbulent years of the Northern Ireland conflict, Naughton promoted and supported business on both sides of the border, including negotiating cross-border trade. Naughton also played a significant role in establishing a corporate department on renewable and low-carbon solutions for heating, cooling, and ventilation, taking an active role in tackling climate change.
2017
Durreen Shahnaz: Founder of Impact Investment Exchange
Bangladesh/Singapore
Durreen Shahnaz’s vision and philosophy for a more inclusive and conscious form of capitalism stands strong. Impact investing is one of the fastest growing industries, and Shahnaz receives the Award for her work in spearheading the transformation of the way financial and capital markets work, focusing on purpose and maximising impact. Her work in Impact Investment Exchange (IIX), the world’s first stock exchange dedicated to social enterprises – which she founded in 2009, has positively impacted 10 million lives to date.
Harley Seyedin: President of Allelon Energy Partners and American Chamber of Commerce South China
Iran/United States
Dr Harley Seyedin is an Iranian immigrant to USA, who has spent his life building a multi-national electricity and low carbon infrastructure development business. He serves as President of the American Chamber of Commerce in South China, with over 2,000 members and counting.
Murad Al-Katib: President and CEO of AGT Food
Canada
Murad Al-Katib, son of Turkish immigrants to Canada, receives the Award for his entrepreneurship in leading the way in sustainable agriculture and contributing to feeding millions of refugee families in the Syrian crisis. AGT Food and Ingredients is one of the world’s largest lentil companies, handling about a quarter of the global supply, and works closely with United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Elon Musk: Co-Founder and CEO of Tesla and SolarCity
South Africa/United States
Elon Musk receives the Award for his leadership of the sustainable way forward in the automotive industry, and for his showcasing of how businesses can help confront and solve the world’s most demanding and complex problems. The battery technology of Tesla has recently been successfully combined with solar energy in his company SolarCity, one of USA’s largest providers of solar systems.
2016
Sarah Beydoun: Founder of Sarah’s Bag
Lebanon
Sarah Beydoun is the founder and creative director of Sarah’s Bag. This internationally successful company has a business model that includes social rehabilitation for underprivileged women who learn valuable skills and earn an income as well as a sense of dignity and empowerment. By following her passion – both for fashion and women at risk – Ms Beydoun has created a robust business despite the difficult circumstances in the region.
Tore Lærdal: Executive Chair of Laerdal Medical
Norway
Tore Lærdal is the Executive Chairman of Laerdal Medical, the global leader in resuscitation training and therapy products. Laerdal Global Health is a non-profit affiliate of Laerdal Medical, which provides affordable products to help save lives from birth in poor countries. Lærdal is an example of how linking business to a wider, social purpose can create exceptional results – for both business and society.
Jennifer Nkuene Riria: Group CEO of Kenya Women Holding
Kenya
Dr Jennifer Riria is Group CEO of Kenya Women Holding and has led Kenya Women Microfinance Bank (KWFT) for over two decades. KWFT grants loans to marginalised women and their families, serving over 1.5 million women and disbursing over US$ 2.3 billion over a period of 20 years. Through her important work, Dr Riria brings economic empowerment to marginalised women, contributing to build peace even during times of conflict.
2015
Paul Polman: CEO of Unilever
The Netherlands
Former CEO of Unilever and Co-Founder of IMAGINE, Polman is a leading voice in sustainability. Under Polman’s leadership, Unilever set out an ambitious vision to double its corporate size while reducing its overall environmental footprint and increasing its positive social impact. Some 48 percent of Unilever’s agricultural raw materials were sustainably sourced by the end of 2013.
Poman Lo: Group Managing Director of Regal Hotels International
China
Poman Lo is a Hong Kong-based businesswoman and Group Managing Director of Regal Hotels International. Lo created Century Innovative Technology Limited, an edu-tainment company featuring interactive games and multimedia. CIT produces the animated series “Bodhi and his friends”, designed to inspire moral development in children. Lo’s goal is to provide equal access to quality education so that children are empowered through knowledge.
Zahi Khouri: Founder of Palestinian National Beverage Company
Palestine
Zahi Khouri and his family escaped the war of 1948 in Palestine. After the signing of the Oslo Accords, he and a group of diaspora business leaders took on the challenge of rebuilding Palestine’s economy. After raising funds, he returned and established Padico Holding and the Paltel telecommunications company. In 1995 he started the Palestinian National Beverage Company, which produces and sells Coca-Cola products in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Khouri now funds the Zahi Khouri Fellowship Program, providing Palestinian-American students the experience of professional development in Palestine in the fields of education, youth and women’s empowerment, and economic development.
Merrill Joseph Fernando: Founder of Dilmah Tea
Sri Lanka
After completing his formal education with the then-equivalent of high school, Fernando moved to Colombo to train as a tea taster. He recognised the labour involved in traditional tea growing tea, combined with profits going into the wrong pockets, meant that the Ceylon tea industry and its two million dependents would not have a future unless things changed. Fernando founded Dilmah, his own sustainable tea brand. Now sold globally, 10 percent of the pre‐tax profit is used to fund the work of his MJF Charitable Foundation, which emphasises empowerment of the differently abled people.
Juan Andrés Cano: CEO of Semilla and Founder of Peace Startup
Colombia
Juan Andrés Cano is CEO of Semilla, an ethics consultancy firm, and Value4Chain, a technological platform dedicated to sustainability management for businesses. Value4Chain helps to identify gaps and opportunities in managing ethics, compliance, and corporate governance, as well as generating social and environmental value, human rights, and peace. Cano is also Founder of PeaceStartup, an initiative of Value4Chain and Business & Human Rights (Spain). PeaceStartup focuses on creating sustainable solutions to the challenges of peacebuilding for businesses and entrepreneurs, using information and communication technologies.
2014
Selima Ahmad: Vice Chair of the Nitol-Niloy Group
Bangladesh
Selima Ahmad is the Vice Chairperson of the Nitol-Niloy Group. With her understanding of the plight of women in a male dominated, poverty afflicted society, she focuses on developing entrepreneurial talent. By organising financial and marketing resources, Nitol-Niloy enables women to overcome hurdles and expand their business beyond the micro threshold.
Ouided Bouchamaoui: President of the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade, and Handicrafts
Tunisia
Ouided Bouchamaoui is the President of The Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA). Bouchamaoui works to help Tunisia pull through its challenges by pushing for national reconciliation, by protecting both enterprises and employment policy, and assisting the urgent need to restore security. In Bouchamaoui’s opinion, these conditions are fundamental for promoting social peace and prosperity. Bouchamaoui won the Nobel Peace Prize the following year for UTICA’s efforts.
Sir Richard Branson: Founder and Owner of Virgin Group
United Kingdom
Sir Richard Branson is the founder and owner of Virgin Group. Branson uses his reputation to influence important issues also outside business. He is a signatory of the non-profit Global Zero campaign for the elimination of nuclear weapons. He has taken a strong stand against climate change scepticism, and created The Elders, a gathering of independent global leaders working together for peace and human rights.
Kesha Kumari Damini: President of National Micro-Entrepreneurs Federation
Nepal
Kesha Kumari Damini is the President of National Micro-Entrepreneurs Federation, with over 60,000 micro entrepreneurs. Though Damini came from the most disadvantaged of Dalit communities in Nepal, her leadership and success have inspired many to become entrepreneurs, explore self-employment opportunities and overcome discrimination.
Adnan Kassar: Chair of Fransabank
Lebanon
Adnan Kassar is Chairman of Fransabank. Kassar has been a driver of growth and development in Lebanon for many decades, often in the absence of political stability and security. Through motivating the private sector, his work has contributed to the prosperity of the country and its attractiveness to foreign investors, thus maintaining and securing the livelihood of Lebanese citizens.
Marilyn Carlson Nelson: Chair and former CEO of Carlson
United States
Marilyn Carlson Nelson is the Chair and former CEO of Carlson. Nelson’s pace-setting approach to responsible business focuses on engaging in dialogue with stakeholders about local causes and global issues. Across a range of challenges her approach contributes to peace through the creation of shared value. Notably, she is a strong advocate for the abolition of sexual exploitation of children.
2013
Margaret Mussoi L. Groff: CFO of ITAIPU Binacional
Brazil
Margaret Mussoi L. Groff is the former Chief Financial Officer of ITAIPU Binacional, the world’s largest hydropower station in terms of power generation. She engaged in motivating female employees to seek professional development which resulted in an increase of female managers from 10 to 21 percent in nine years, in ITAIPU Binacional. Groff has also established ITAIPU’s policy and guidelines for gender equality based on the UN Global Compact Women’s Empowerment Principles Leadership Group, contributing to more gender-equal societies.
Connie Hasemann: Founder and CEO of Telehandelshuset
Denmark
Connie Hasemann, Founder and former CEO of Telehandelshuset AS, is a strong advocate for social change through sustainable business. With a mission to prove that disabled people are a valuable labour resource on equal standing with others, Hasemann established what is now one of the leading social enterprises in Denmark. Hasemann has developed a business model that demonstrates a new concept of comprehensive rehabilitation of disabled people, where the outcome is employment. This business model is both scalable and adaptable across sectors and national borders.
Dean Cycon: Founder of Dean’s Beans Organic Coffee Company
United States
Dean Cycon is the founder and owner of Dean’s Beans Organic Coffee Company, with more than 30 years on development issues in indigenous communities, including coffee-producing villages around the world. Cycon created Dean’s Beans to prove that businesses can promote positive economic, social, and environmental change in developing countries, while being profitable at the same time. The company designs and funds people-centred development projects in coffee-producing areas in partnership with growers. Dean’s Beans returns a percentage of its profits to the growers as a “social equity premium.” Cycon is also a co-founder of Cooperative Coffees, the world’s first fair trade roaster’s cooperative.
Nadia Al-Sakkaf: Chief Editor of Yemen Times
Yemen
Dr Nadia Al-Sakkaf was the first female Chief Editor of Yemen Times. This is the country’s first and most widely read independent English-language newspaper, a leading voice in Yemen on issues of development, media, gender, and politics. During the May 2011 leadership crisis in Yemen, Al-Sakkaf and her organisation were vital in reporting the news and putting the political situation in context for international readers. Under Al-Sakkaf’s leadership, the Yemen Times has also created several publications – including publications to advocate for women’s participation in politics, such as Breaking the Stereotype, a book on Yemeni women’s experience as political candidates in elections. She went on to become Yemen’s first female Minister when she became the Minister of Information in 2014.
2012
Ibrahim Abouleish: Founder of SEKEM
Egypt
The late Dr Ibrahim Abouleish was the founder of the comprehensive development initiative SEKEM. During a journey through Egypt in 1975, Dr Abouleish was overwhelmed by his country’s overpopulation, and its pollution, particularly from the use of chemical pesticides. SEKEM has been a leader in developing and spreading biodynamic farming methods in Egypt. The organisation’s commitment regarding innovative development has led to widespread use of biodynamic methods in pest control and to the improvement of yields. Dr Abouleish then commenced a three-fold project allowing him to contribute to community-building, humanity, and healing the Earth.
Eduardo Eurnekian: President of Corporacion America
Argentina
Eduardo Eurnekian is president of Corporacion America. Eurnekian has a strong commitment to peace and reconciliation and is a prominent advocate of ethical business practices. He advocates genuine restoration and reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia, with the consolidation of bilateral relations between the two countries. When diversifying into other sectors of the Argentinian economy, he sold all of his media holdings, in order not to have privileged access to the media, “in a manner that would imply unfair competition with other companies.”
Vladas Lasas: CEO of Skubios siuntos UAB Kaunas and UPS Lithuania
Lithuania
Dr Vladas Lasas, CEO and Founder of Skubios siuntos UAB Kaunas & UPS/Lithuania, is a business leader who is helping drive awareness of how technology, cooperation and synergy can provide important solutions to pressing, global problems. He is Co-Founder of the Carbon War Room, the global non-profit initiative by entrepreneurs to implement market-driven solutions to climate change. His numerous involvement and initiatives all have as a common goal to bring together resources from several fields and disciplines.
David MacLennan: President and COO of Cargill, Inc.
United States
David MacLennan is the President and Chief Operating Officer at Cargill, Inc. Under MacLennan’s guidance, Cargill has developed management systems and policies to ensure environmental compliance, prevent pollution and continually improve performance on criteria relevant to their business and operations. The group’s commitment in this area has led the way for others, in showing that it is possible to have a proven social responsibility record, while being a leader in profitability and growth. The Ethical Guiding Principles developed for the group, under MacLennan’s stewardship, can serve as a guideline for all businesses.
Reginald A. Mengi: Founder and Chair of IPP Group
Tanzania
The late Reginald A. Mengi was the founder and chairman of the IPP Group. Coming from humble beginnings, Mengi’s company today ranks amongst the largest private companies in Tanzania. Mengi consistently advocated the need for business to actively engage with communities and take responsibility for their development. He promoted initiatives that assist the disadvantaged and fostered national unity as a leading advocate for peaceful coexistence. He indiscriminately contributed to all religious faiths and helped finance the construction of schools. The examples of social responsibility set by Mengi are widely emulated in the Tanzanian business community.
Latifur Rahman: Chair and CEO of Transcom Group
Bangladesh
The late Latifur Rahman was the Chairman and CEO of the Transcom Group. The group’s growth was committed to ethical and responsible business practices that serve as a guideline for other businesses in the region. Rahman was renowned for his leadership as well as his guidance and integrity, ethical standards and business acumen. He served as Chair of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry for several terms and served two three-years terms in the International Chamber of Commerce.
2010
Ratan Tata: Chair of Tata Group
India
Ratan Tata is Chair of the Tata Group, India’s largest conglomerate. His personal view is that the Group’s sense of social responsibility does not collide with the creation of shareholder value. Tata donates on average eight to fourteen per cent of its net profits every year through dedicated philanthropic programmes.
Stef Wertheimer: Founder of Iscar Metalworking Company
Israel
Stef Wertheimer is the founder and honorary chair of Iscar Metalworking Company, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of carbide cutting tools. He employs an integrated workforce of Arabs, Jews, and Christians. In his company, employees work side by side towards a common goal, shedding the stereotypes so prevalent in the Middle East. Wertheimer believes in the importance of quality technical education as a basis for a better society. To this end, he has initiated the Arab-Jewish Executive Development programme, bringing together Jews and Arabs in intensive courses on entrepreneurship.
Sir Francis Yeoh: Managing Director of YTL Corporation Berhad
Malaysia
Sir Francis Yeoh is managing director of the YTL Corporation Berhad, Malaysia’s leading integrated infrastructure conglomerate. He believes that a sustainable business means one which can thrive in the long term and that true sustainability has four equal components: social, economic, environmental, and cultural.
Roberto Servitje Sendra: Chair of Grupo Bimbo
Mexico
Roberto Sendra is Chair of Grupo Bimbo, a multinational banking enterprise. Early in its development, he stated that the group’s goal was to be “altamente productiva y plenamente humana” – highly productive and truly humane.
Grupo Bimbo has a significant social responsibility programme, which is tightly related to health, the environment, society, and the wellbeing of its workers. Grupo Bimbo has set a leading example through its efforts to recycle and to reduce water consumption while supporting a major reforestation campaign in Mexico.
Venkataramani Srivathsan: Managing Director of Nigerian Operations at Olam
Nigeria
Venkataramani Srivathsan is the managing director of Nigerian operations at Olam International, a leading global supply chain management company for agricultural products and food ingredients. He has created the rice extension farming and out-grower programme in collaboration with farmers’ organisations and NGOs. This programme has allowed Olam Nigeria to increase overall returns to rice farmers through enhanced productivity, improved quality and guaranteed buy-back of crops.
Emily Cummins: Inventor
United Kingdom
Emily Cummins is an inventor who designs products to improve the quality of life in developing countries. She designed and created a multi-bucket water system to transport water effectively across southern Africa. Her sustainable fridge uses solar heat to provide refrigeration cheaply and easily. Her product’s design is publicly available and the refrigerators serve the everyday refrigeration needs of countless families across southern Africa.
William Rosenzweig: Managing Director of Physic Ventures
United States
William Rosenzweig is the managing director of Physic Ventures, whose purpose is to invest in companies which create value through delivering innovative solutions for sustainability, preventing disease, promoting consumer-driven health. Physic Ventures connects experienced enterprises with companies in developing countries to create an ultimate benefit which goes far beyond bottom-line considerations.
2009
Anders Dahlvig: CEO of IKEA
Sweden
Anders Dahlvig started working for IKEA in 1984 and served as CEO from 1999-2009. Under Anders Dahlvig’s leadership, IKEA placed sustainability at the heart of its product development and supply strategy.
“The IKEA Way of Purchasing Home Furnishing Products” is a code of conduct which defines what suppliers can expect from IKEA and what IKEA requires from its suppliers in terms of legal requirements, working conditions, the active prevention of child labour, environmental protection, and forestry management.”
Mohamed Ibrahim: Founder and Chair of Mo Ibrahim Foundation
Sudan/United Kingdom
Dr Mohamed “Mo” Ibrahim is a Sudanese-born British mobile communications entrepreneur. He is currently on the board of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, and is a member of the Africa Regional Advisory Board of London Business School.
In 2006, his foundation launched the Prize for Achievement in African Leadership. The prize is awarded to African heads of state who deliver security, education, health, and economic development to their constituents, and who democratically transfer power to their successor.
Mohammed Jameel: President of Abdul Latif Jameel Co. Ltd.
Saudi Arabia
Mohammed Jameel is President of Abdul Latif Jameel Co. Ltd. Jameel has developed several community programmes which promote job opportunities for thousands of young Saudi men and women each year. Jameel has been the driving force behind the Grameen Jameel Pan Arab Initiative, which aims to reduce poverty through micro credit. In addition, he opened the first Bab Riza Jameel (Gateway to Prosperity) Centre, creating employment opportunities for women. The centre also offers financial support for start-ups and loans for vocational training in both the public and private sector.
Jeffrey R. Immelt: Chair and CEO of General Electric
United States
Jeffrey Immelt is Chair of the board and CEO of the conglomerate General Electric since 2000. Under Mr Immelt’s leadership, GE implemented a new initiative, “ecomagination,” to ramp up development of clean technologies and lighten the company’s environmental footprint. GE committed itself in 2005 to double its research-and-development investments in eco-friendlier technologies from 2004 to 2010, more than ten times the 2005 federal US R&D budget for solar and wind combined.
Josephine Okot: Founder and Managing Director of Victoria Seeds
Uganda
Josephine Okot is the Founder and Managing Director of Victoria Seeds, a full line seed company in Uganda. She founded Victoria Seeds for the purpose of delivering quality seeds to “small holder” farmers who produce over 90% of agricultural output in Uganda. Okot’s goal is to reverse the decline in agricultural productivity in Uganda and other countries of the region where Victoria Seeds exports.
Jiang Jianqing: Chair of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China
China
Jianqing has served as Governor of the Shanghai Bank and the Pudong Subsidiary Bank before becoming the Head of the Investment and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) Under the leadership of Mr. Jianqing, the ICBC became the first Chinese bank in the country’s domestic banking to introduce and apply the notion of “Green Credit”, strictly constraining credit inputs for heavily polluting and/or high energy-consuming corporations. For the ICBC, the environmental protection compliance serves as the ultimate determinant to reject or accept any projects and business entities requesting loans.
Zhengrong Shi: Founder, Chair, and CEO of Suntech Power
China/Australia
The Chinese-Australian solar scientist Dr Zhengrong Shi is the founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Suntech Power, one of the leading solar energy companies and the largest solar module manufacturer in the world. When he decided to start his own company in 2001, he was acutely aware of the growing need for renewable energy and he wanted to be part of the solution. He is considered to be one of the world’s leaders in the development and commercialisation of renewable energy technology. Dr Shi guided Suntech into designing and providing low-cost solar generators to let even the disadvantaged be able to afford clean energy.
Note:
Arif Masood Naqvi received the Oslo Business for Peace Award in 2013, as the Founder and Group Chief Executive of the Abraaj Group. In 2020, the Business for Peace Award Committee revoked his Award. The revocation was decided following a review process conducted by an independent Commission. Business for Peace Honourees are awarded for both their past and future endeavours, including being a role model to society and their peers. The Award Committee found that Mr Naqvi no longer met the role model criteria of the Award.