Lauren Bush is the CEO, Creative Director, and Co-Founder of FEED Projects, as well as the Chairman of the Board and Co-Founder of the FEED Foundation. Lauren started her work as an Honorary Spokesperson for the World Food Programme (WFP) in 2004, when she helped to launch their Universities Fighting Hunger initiative. In 2008, she was given the Marie Claire Prix De La Moda Humanitarian Award for her work with FEED. In 2009, she was honoured as a Fortune Most Powerful Woman Entrepreneur, and in 2010 she was included on Inc.’s “30 Under 30” List and given the Accessory Council’s Humanitarian Award.
My Definition Of Success | Since I started FEED, I’ve thought of success as one day closing the doors of FEED because we have solved world hunger. But over the years, I have come to define success by my favourite quote from Minor Myers Jr, which says “Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.”
My Highlights | I think the highlights of my life and career (which are mostly one in the same) will always be tied to the meals we provide and the children we feed. That FEED has been able to provide over 84 million meals to date is something I am so proud of. We have been able to do that through the sale of bags and accessories with tangible expressions of meals given on each product. For example, the FEED 1 bag feeds one child in school for one year. And our artisan products not only feed children, but also employ artisans in the countries those meals are being given. Everyone on team FEED is proud of that!
A Key Talent | Being an entrepreneur is a difficult but exciting path to choose. I think to be successful, you have to be clear about your vision and your mission while also being open to evolving how you do things. It is this crucial balancing act that is something I am very conscious of the more years I work on FEED and something I constantly working on to improve and get better at.
Principles I Live By | If I had to choose one value to live by it would be kindness. There is a magnet on the refrigerator at FEED that says, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” Along those lines, it is very important to me to treat everyone I meet with equal respect and dignity as a human being.
Lessons I Have Learnt | The most important lesson I have learned thus far in my life and strive to continue to learn is to be confident in myself and the vision and purpose of what I strive to create and in who I want to become.
Resources I Use To Stay Inspired | I am so lucky to be surrounded by people who continually inspire me. My husband David is a huge source of encouragement, and I often go to him for business advice as well. I know that I am only as powerful as my team, so I’ve made a point to hire people at FEED who are smarter than me in various areas, and continue to bring creativity and innovation to the company. I learn a lot from them every day.
I also have learned the importance of taking time for myself to recharge. I am an avid reader and may or may not have a small addiction to Netflix.
My Future Dreams And Ambitions | My dream as the leader of FEED is that we would close our doors because we will have solved the problem of hunger.
On Inspiring Others | As described in the book Good to Great, which I highly recommend for any entrepreneur, I am a big believer in getting the right people on the bus. Team FEED is a very tight unit. We are only 11 people, but I’m continually amazed at how much we have been able to accomplish. I think we’ve been so successful because of our size, because each person really feels ownership over a specific area of the company, and has freedom to challenge the system and offer creative solutions to problems.
I Am Inspired By | I have been fortunate to have several wonderful mentors along the way, both in the non-profit world and the retail space. Muhammad Yunus defined and put a framework around the idea of “social business,” which is what FEED is. Approaching business with the ultimate intention and outcome of giving back to those in need is a powerful one. Professor Yunus is the father of this model and a personal hero of mine.
The Legacy I Would Like To Leave | I hope my legacy is one that encourages others to tackle big world problems through bite-size and innovative solutions. I also hope to have helped in the fight to end world hunger.
Mark graduated with a BCompt degree from UNISA in 1993. After some years as a commodities trader, he decided to pursue a goal of becoming an entrepreneur, which skill and strength he has applied over the past several years in spearheading Blue Label’s impressive organic and acquisitive growth and international expansion. Together with his brother […]
Lance Brown author of “The Driver of Change” is a living testament to his “Creating Opportunities” philosophy and presentations. Growing up in Mitchells Plain, a Cape Town suburb where dreams rarely stretch beyond one’s street corner, Lance dared to reach for the stars. From a small seed of a basic job as a delivery driver […]
Swaady Martin, is an Ivorian entrepreneur, prides herself as a custodian of Africa’s rich culture and history. And she preserves it with style. After an eventful, high-flying 11-year career at GE, where she held leadership positions in several divisions across the world (including acting as the Director for Sub-Saharan Africa of GE Transportation and acting-CEO […]
Elana Meyer is a former long-distance Athlete from South Africa. She won the silver medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Elana is South Africa’s fastest Marathon runner to date. My Definition Of Success | Success for Elana Meyer is to follow your heart and get others to do the same! To become the […]
Nigel Saval was motivated by his love for surfing and the pivotal role that this sport played in his life, he started the 9 Miles Project in 2013 with the vision of improving the community. The project works with the youth of Strandfontein, Bayview, San Remo and surrounding informal settlements in the Western Cape and […]
John Smit TLP was one of Rugby’s most successful players of all time. He was the captain of the South African Rugby team (with an astonishing 111 caps), leading the Springboks to World Cup glory in 2007 and was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame in 2011. He is currently the CEO of Sharks […]
Alyson McGregor is a graduate of Boston University School of Medicine and Brown University Emergency Medicine Residency. Dr. McGregor is the Director for the Division of Sex and Gender in Emergency Medicine (SGEM), formerly Women’s Health in Emergency Care, at Alpert Medical School Department of Emergency Medicine and Co-Director for SGEM Fellowship. Dr. McGregor is […]
Asha De Vos | The Legacy Project has published several key research publications on Sri Lankan blue whales, which have led to this population being designated as a species in urgent need of conservation research by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). The IWC has since invited key Sri Lankan government personnel to participate in whale […]
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