David is one of the co-founders at Sanergy. David has worked at Ignia Fund in Mexico and at Endeavor. He was the Deputy Chair for Poverty Alleviation at the Clinton Global Initiative in 2005-2006, and taught in China for two years. David holds an MBA from MIT Sloan and a BA with distinction from Yale University.
David Auerbach Definition Of Success| Success is our mission: build healthy, prosperous communities in urban slums by making hygienic sanitation accessible and affordable for all, forever.
What Drives Me | At Sanergy, we have developed an incredible model and team which is just beginning to have a transformative impact. Providing the very best support and leadership to our team and our community drives me above all.
The Difference Between good And Great | We hire people who not only believe that Sanergy is on the cusp of transformative change, but are also absolutely convinced that they have the skills, determination and poise to ensure that we get there. Those who are great at what they do always hold that conviction.
My Key Talent | Listening. I love stories and naturally learning about people’s lives. This is hugely helpful for my role at Sanergy where I am just as likely to be speaking with our field officers who work closely with our entrepreneurs as l am with funders from the US and Europe. Each stakeholder holds a piece to the larger puzzle that we are trying to solve and so being able to listen, absorb and implement their ideas, insights and concerns is critical for our success
Principles We Live By | At Sanergy, we developed 5 core values that certainly embody how I try to live my life:
i. Relentless pursuit of excellence
ii. Pragmatic innovation
iii. Collaboration among our team and customers
iv. Enduring value for our customers
v. Authenticity in all that we do
Lessons I Have Learnt | When you’re trying to change the status quo, there will always be resistance. But persistence, patience and pragmatism will win. You have to keep knocking on doors to get them to open.
Performing At My Peak | I wish I was always performing at my peak! But, I would say that we have a great management team and we make a point of meeting regularly on strategy and operational reviews. This helps me focus my time and energy to perform as well as I can at what I am best at.
Resources I Use To Stay Inspired | I read long articles in magazines like The New Yorker and The Atlantic Monthly, and listen to stories on the radio program called This American Life. They do a great job of making me think about larger issues in life and often from angles I had never thought of.
I Find This Quote By Rainer Maria Rilke To Be Incredibly Inspiring |
“Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves … Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.”
So much of the time, I don’t have the answers at that moment, and must recognize that that is part of the journey.
Inspiring Others | Increasingly and incredibly, those people come to us. With all teammates, we look for people who think they can make Sanergy great, not solely want to be part of something great.
John Klukas was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. After receiving his B.A. in Psychology from the University of Minnesota, his interest in pursuing photography brought him first to Bangkok, Thailand and presently to New York City. Klukas works primarily in fashion photography and his work has appeared in a range of art and editorial publications […]
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Michael Jordaan, Venture Capitalist and wine enthusiast stepped down as CEO of First National Bank, one of SA’s largest banks with a customer base of nearly nine million, in August 2013 to pursue his passion for entrepreneurship. With more than 20 years’ experience in the financial services sector and nearly a decade at the helm […]
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Tessa Plen is a highly accomplished global change-agent for growth and development of individuals, companies and products. She has worked in senior positions at blue-chip multinationals like Colgate Palmolive (associate Director of Innovation) and Unilever in South Africa, Paris, London, Sydney and New York before recently returning to South Africa. She has implemented growth and […]
Linda Olagunju is the Managing Director at DLO Energy Resources & Founder of the Renewable Energy Forum South Africa. She holds an LLB from the University of Cape Town and an LLM in International Commercial Law with a specialisation in Oil and Gas Law from the University of Aberdeen. Linda was part of the team […]
Chloe Howard was born with a clubfoot. This meant enduring much corrective surgery and not growing up walking and running freely with her peers. From a young age, Chloe learnt to deal with physical and emotional suffering. Her parents wisely instilled in her the belief that she was born special and that God has a […]
Francois Steyn is a South African and Natal Sharks Rugby player who holds the record for being the youngest player to win a World Cup after helping the Springboks beat England in the 2007 final in France. He is notorious for his long-distance kicking ability and in a 2009 Super 14 match against the Brumbies […]
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