Community
December 01 2002
by Craig CohonIn a nutshell, what is Globalegacy?
Globalegacy is an international multisector initiative designed to help entrepreneurs in low-income communities bring their business ideas to fruition. It's beyond micro-credit. It's beyond charity. It's about bringing the resources of business - and other partners - to help deliver profitable, sustainable enterprises. East London has been selected for the first operations, which will start in March.
How can companies get involved?
Cash investment is one way. But we're also interested in unleashing the skills of people in large companies. We've therefore been working with HR directors to develop a community-based leadership development programme, which aims to help high-flying professionals to develop leadership skills, build character and bring meaning and ethics to their careers. The first two 'externs' are from Cadbury Schweppes. As from March, they'll be working with a cross-sector team of 20 people to help aspiring entrepreneurs make a reality of their business ideas.
Who's on board so far?
The companies that have invested in Globalegacy include McDonald's, Cadbury Schweppes, Vodafone, Coca- Cola, Freshfields, and BP. Each is committed to investing money, people, and ideas into the initiative. We're also working with the DTI, the Corporation of London, the London Development Agency, London Business School and a wide range of community organisations. It's a genuine collaborative partnership that starts in low-income communities, for low-income communities.
Is this notion of 'collaborative partnership' behind your idea of a respectable revolution?
No one company, organisation, individual or country can actually make massive impact on their own any more. Globalegacy is an alliance of likeminded individuals and organisations out there who are tired of only being able to tweak the system. They realise that they need to come together with a common voice to build scale into the process of socially responsible business.
I get the impression that this idea of 'building scale' is important to you.
The whole CSR industry is continuing to position itself as 'small is beautiful', but business does not think small in any other space. In large businesses, people think about sustainable business units, not about individual 'projects'. The kind of business ventures set to grow out of the alliance will represent systemic, long-term business propositions.
This is some step change?
Sure it is! The alliance aims to move CSR to being a fun place to be, a place of aspiration. We're calling on CSR leaders to be bold, to lead. There's an important provision though - we have to find solutions together. So be big and bold, but do it together.
Craig Cohon is executive director of Globalegacy, which he set up in September 2000.
By trade, Craig is a marketing and operations expert. He spent most of his career with Coca- Cola, where he started out as territory sales manager in southern Florida. Within four years, he'd become Coca-Cola's first general manager in Russia.
In 1999, Craig was promoted to deputy president of Coca-Cola's Northwest Europe Division, a $2 billion operating unit with responsibilities for corporate strategic leadership in Great Britain, Ireland, France and Belgium. In 2000, Craig became strategic consultant to Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum. In 2000, he was named one of the top 100 "Millennium Global Leaders for Tomorrow" by the World Economic Forum.
He lives in London with his wife and their two children. Key contact details
website: www.globalegacy.com
email: craig@globalegacy.com
tel: 020 7025 8085