Our Supporters
The Elders are particularly grateful to the founders of the organization, Richard Branson and Peter Gabriel, whose creativity, persistence and generosity have enabled a remarkable idea to be realized. The Elders would also like to thank all those who provide financial and other support to enable them to focus fully on their mission.
Richard Branson
Virgin Unite
Sir Richard Branson is Founder and Chairman of the Virgin Group. Virgin is one of the world’s most recognised and respected brands and has expanded into many diverse sectors from air and ground travel to telecommunications, health, space travel and renewable energy through more than 200 companies worldwide, employing approximately 50,000 people in 29 countries.
In 2004, Richard established Virgin Unite, his non-profit foundation. It mobilises the talent and resources from across the Virgin Group and beyond, to tackle tough social and environmental problems in an entrepreneurial way. It is built on the belief that, the only way we can address the scale of the challenges facing the world today is by revolutionising the way businesses and the social sector work together – driving business as a force for good. Richard has been working closely with Virgin Unite to bring together the right partners to help create new global leadership models to address conflict, climate change and disease.
Richard and his close friend, Peter Gabriel, had an idea about the need for a new leadership model for our ‘global village’. Inspired by the role that elders play in traditional societies, as a source of advice, wisdom and experience, they took the idea to Nelson Mandela and were thrilled when he agreed to help bring a group of ‘global elders’ together. Founded in 2007 with the support of Virgin Unite and a great group of partners, The Elders comprises ten visionary leaders including Graça Machel, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Kofi Annan and President Carter. They work both publicly and behind the scenes, collectively and individually, in areas of conflict such as; Kenya, Cyprus, Darfur and Zimbabwe and also work on a number of global issues, such as health and gender equality.
In 2009, Richard brought together a group of the world’s top entrepreneurs to initiate the Carbon War Room. The vision is to mobilise capital, innovation, expertise and international collaboration to increase the effectiveness of climate change efforts already underway and to focus on filling any gaps. These keen entrepreneurial minds will work together to help speed and scale solutions that will deliver a low carbon economy.
Richard and Virgin Unite also support a number of initiatives that lead to economic empowerment and healthy communities. These initiatives range from; the creation of sustainable healthcare models in Africa, to supporting young entrepreneurs through the Branson School of Entrepreneurship in South Africa, to creating opportunities for disadvantaged young people in the US and the UK.
Richard is married to his wife Joan and they have two wonderful children, Holly and Sam.
Peter Gabriel
The Peter Gabriel Foundation
Peter is co-founder of the group Genesis with whom he made 7 albums. He has also recorded 11 solo albums and composed soundtracks for films including Birdy (1984); The Last Temptation of Christ (1989); and Rabbit Proof Fence (2002) as well as the Oscar-nominated song 'Down to Earth' for the film Wall-E (2008). In 1980 Peter founded WOMAD (World of Music Arts and Dance), which has presented over 150 festivals in over 40 countries.
A long time advocate for human rights, Peter coordinated and participated in Amnesty International's Human Rights Now! Tour in 1988 and also co-founded Witness.org to give cameras and computers to human rights activists around the world. In cooperation with Witness, Peter was instrumental in the launch of The Hub, dubbed 'a YouTube for Human Rights'.
Peter's business interests cover music, media and technology and include the Real World group of companies, OD2 which has now become Nokia's Music Store and Solid State Logic, the world's leading manufacturer of mixing consoles for music recording, broadcast and post-production.
Peter has received many awards for his pioneering work in the fields of music and human rights, including the Man of Peace award of the Nobel Peace Laureates, the 'Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres', BT's Digital Music Pioneer Award and Grammy awards for his music and video work. 'Sledgehammer' was voted best video of all time, and his interactive work 'Eve', won the Milia D'Or for Multimedia.
Kathy Bushkin Calvin
The United Nations Foundation
Kathy Bushkin Calvin is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the United Nations Foundation, a public charity established in 1998 by Ted Turner to address global problems through public-private partnerships. Before joining the UN Foundation, Kathy guided AOL Time Warner's philanthropic activities as President of the company's foundation and was America Online's Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer. In 1999, she was recognized as the top communications professional in the technology industry and as one of the leading women in communications and public relations. In this same year, Kathy also co-founded the Stargazer Foundation, an online tool for nonprofits.
Kathy has served as Managing Director at Hill and Knowlton and for 12 years was the Director of Editorial Administration for U.S. News & World Report. From 1976 to 1984, Kathy served as Senator Gary Hart's Press Secretary.
Kathy currently serves on the boards of the United Nations Association of the United States of America, the International Women's Media Foundation, Internews, Share our Strength, the National Women's Law Center and City Year.
Ray Chambers
The MCJ Amelior Foundation
Ray Chambers is co-founder of Wesray Capital Corporation and began his philanthropic and humanitarian work around the same time as establishing the company. He first became involved in philanthropy through the Boys and Girls Clubs in Newark, New Jersey where he applied his commitment and resources to revitalizing the Club's facilities and expanding the services they provide to at-risk youth and their families. In 1983, Ray established the Amelior Foundation, which provided further funding for social and economic welfare projects in Newark. His contributions earned him the title of "philanthropic godfather to the devastated city of Newark" by New York Magazine in 2007.
In 1989, Ray closed Wesray Capital and dedicated himself full-time to philanthropy. In 1990, President George H. Bush asked him to chair the Points of Light Foundation - a national effort to encourage people and resources into volunteer service. Ray also co-founded the National Mentoring Partnership, which grew to more than 3 million. In 1997, he joined General Colin Powell to establish America's Promise: The Alliance for Youth, a cross-sector alliance that recruits volunteers and private support and to change the lives of millions of young Americans.
Internationally, Ray has co-founded and is chair of the Millennium Promise Alliance, and is also co-chair of Malaria No More, which engages individuals, organisations and corporations to provide bed nets and other interventions to stop the spread of this devastating disease.
Randy Newcomb
Humanity United
Randy Newcomb is President and CEO of Humanity United, a leading private donor in the field of international human rights. Humanity United seeks to build peace and advance human freedom in the corners of the globe where these ideals are challenged most. Dr. Newcomb oversees Humanity United’s international grant-making portfolio, as well as its direct advocacy and policy activities, and leads the organization’s long-term strategy. He speaks and writes frequently on international human rights issues and has appeared as an expert commentator for such media outlets as CNN, ABC News, and National Public Radio.
Previously, Dr. Newcomb was vice president of Omidyar Network, a philanthropic investment firm co-founded by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his spouse, Pam Omidyar. Prior to Omidyar Network, Dr. Newcomb for 14 years led Golden Gate Community Inc., a community development agency based in San Francisco. Dr. Newcomb has been a fellow of the Center for Social Innovation at the Stanford University and an international development fellow of the University of Bath, England. He holds a doctoral degree from the University of San Francisco and master's degrees in development economics and cross-cultural studies from the University of Bath, England.
Jean Oelwang
Virgin Unite
Jean is the CEO of Virgin Unite, which works with the Virgin businesses and other partners to address social and environmental issues. Its achievements since 2003 include the establishment of a school of entrepreneurship for young people in Johannesburg, sustainable transport solutions to improve access to health care in rural areas and the incubation of global initiatives such as The Elders.
In her previous life, Jean helped to lead successful mobile phone start-ups in South Africa, Colombia, Bulgaria, Singapore, Hong Kong and the US, and was joint Managing Director of Virgin Mobile in Australia. She has also been involved in the social and environmental sectors, having worked for the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife in Australia, and in numerous volunteer roles, including a stint as a VISTA volunteer working with homeless teens in Chicago.
Pam Omidyar
Humanity United
Pam Omidyar is Founder and Chair of Humanity United, a foundation committed to building a world where slavery and mass atrocities are no longer possible. Established in 2005, Humanity United supports efforts to empower communities to rebuild security and justice, and address the root causes of conflicts to build lasting peace.
Pam is also a co-founder of Omidyar Network with her husband, eBay founder Pierre Omidyar. Omidyar Network funds both businesses and non-profit organizations to create opportunity for people around the world to improve their lives and make powerful, lasting contributions to their communities.
In 2001 Pam founded HopeLab, a nonprofit organization that combines rigorous research with innovative solutions to improve the health and quality of life of young people with chronic illness. HopeLab released 'Re-Mission', a video game designed for and with input from adolescents and young adults with cancer, in 2006. Trial results show that playing the game improves key health-related outcomes for young cancer patients. HopeLab is now developing new interventions to address obesity, sickle cell disease, autism and major depressive disorder in young people.
Pam also serves as a board member of Tufts University's Tisch College of Public Service and USA for UNHCR.
Sally Osberg
Skoll Foundation
Sally Osberg has led entrepreneurial organizations and been an agent for social change throughout her career. As President and CEO of the Skoll Foundation, she partners with founder and chairman Jeff Skoll and heads the organization’s team in identifying and supporting innovators pioneering scalable solutions to global challenges. She is a well-known proponent of thought leadership, research, and alliances that advance the work of social entrepreneurs solving the world’s most pressing problems.
Currently, Sally serves on the boards of the Skoll Foundation, the Skoll Global Threats Fund, the Oracle Education Foundation and the Palestine-based Partners for Sustainable Development. She was founding Executive Director of Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose, guiding that institution to international recognition for its cutting edge work in the museum field, and formerly active as a director on the boards of the American Association of Museums, the American Leadership Forum, and Women and Philanthropy, among others. Sally has received the John Gardner Leadership Award from the American Leadership Forum, been inducted into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame, and been named by the San Jose Mercury News as one of the “Millenium 100” for her role in shaping and leading Silicon Valley.
Amy Robbins
The Nduna Foundation
Ms. Robbins is the Founder of The Nduna Foundation, which focuses its efforts and investments in conflict and post-conflict countries in Africa, working to improve nutrition and food security; supporting those who work diligently to treat and eliminate pediatric HIV/AIDS; advancing all efforts to secure universal human rights; supporting conservation and wildlife restoration efforts in the US and in Africa; and encouraging and empowering others. Ms. Robbins recently received Unicef's Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award for her support and transformative leadership in countries such as Niger, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Darfur, Somalia and Zimbabwe.
Ms. Robbins has also co-invested with in-country business partners in local production of life-saving nutritional supplements. Additionally, Ms. Robbins co-founded the Mercury Fund for Emergency Response to provide Unicef with a readily accessible pool of dedicated resources in the critical early stages of humanitarian crises and emergencies. She serves on the Boards of Human Rights Watch, The Elders, WITNESS, The US Fund for Unicef, The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Millennium Promise, KIPP Academy Charter Schools, The Allen-Stevenson School and Teach for All. She is also actively involved with the Robin Hood Foundation, The Acumen Fund, International Medical Corps, and The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, among others.
Prior to this, Ms. Robbins worked in Corporate Banking and then as a Founder and COO of the multi-strategy NY-based hedge fund, Glenview Capital.
Shannon Sedgwick Davis
The Bridgeway Foundation
Shannon Sedgwick Davis is a partner at Bridgeway Foundation, the charitable giving arm of Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc. The Houston-based investment firm commits one-half of its annual profits towards philanthropic endeavors that focus on eliminating genocide as well as the promotion of peace, reconciliation, and human rights around the world.
Shannon has been a passionate advocate for social justice and international human rights her entire professional career. She previously served as vice-president of Geneva Global, an organization that invests in Third World communities, and as Director of Public Affairs at International Justice Mission, a human-rights organization in Washington, D.C. that focuses on ending slavery, forced prostitution, and illegal land seizures in the developing world. During her tenure at International Justice Mission, Shannon organized the 2002 Olympics' Sex Trafficking Briefing. Shannon's work was featured in the Emmy award winning Dateline segment, "Children for sale." Shannon has spent a significant amount of time traveling abroad working to fight human trafficking and mass atrocities.
Shannon is a member of a number of non-profit boards working both within the US and abroad.
Jeff Skoll
The Skoll Foundation
Jeff Skoll creates businesses that result in positive social change. As eBay's founding President, he helped generate entrepreneurial opportunities for millions of individuals around the world. He also launched the eBay Foundation with pre-IPO stock.
In 1999, he created the Skoll Foundation, which supports social entrepreneurs whose innovations are poised to achieve large-scale impact. The Foundation reflects Jeff's belief that, to bring about a more peaceful and prosperous global community, we must deploy the most innovative solutions on critical challenges like health, environmental sustainability, economic and social equity, human rights, institutional responsibility, and peace and security.
The Foundation co-hosts with the Saïd Business School at Oxford the annual Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship. The Forum convenes 800 social entrepreneurs, thought leaders, policy makers, philanthropists and students to learn, problem solve and build community.
In 2004, Jeff founded Participant Productions (now Participant Media) to create entertainment content that would have a long-term benefit to society. Among other films, Participant has produced Good Night and Good Luck, An Inconvenient Truth, Darfur Now, The Kite Runner, Charlie Wilson's War, Chicago 10, The Visitor and The Soloist.
In April 2009, Skoll founded the Skoll Urgent Threats Fund and named Dr. Larry Brilliant president of the new organisation. The fund addresses urgent challenges confronting humanity and the planet, including climate change, water scarcity, pandemics, nuclear proliferation and Middle East conflict.
Shashi Ruia
Shashi Ruia is the Chairman of Essar Global Limited and widely recognised for his significant role in promoting India's industrial growth and the expansion of the nation's infrastructure sectors. Together with his brother, Ravi, Shashi turned a small family construction business into a diversified conglomerate with assets spanning the manufacturing and services sectors.
Shashi Ruia has served on the managing committee of the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was the Chairman of the Indo-US Joint Business Council, and is the former President of the Indian National Ship Owners Association.
Shashi is proud of the fact that he has been a mentor and guide to several of India's young entrepreneurs and that his family of 30,000 people makes a significant contribution to nation building.
