I am honored to say that I was part of the founding class of Young Global Leaders (YGLs) for the World Economic Forum, and I was honored to be invited to attend the first and inaugural meeting of the Clinton Global Initiatives, now known around the world as CGI.
Inspired by President Clinton and his key aides Doug Band, Mary Morrison and others, CGI has now grown into a global powerhouse that literally clogs traffic with the best of them (think the UN) in one of the most powerful cities in the world — New York City. And so goes the ritual; China for the World Economic Forum “Summer Davos” meeting, following by CGI, and dashing back and forth to the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) meeting in Washington, D.C. during the same week.
CGI is more than a meeting. Literally hundreds of billions of dollars, and countless goodwill, has been organized and re-mobilized to help solve a range of problems in the world; from poverty, to the environment, to health, good governance, to the future of philanthropy and overall leadership — leaders have come together to make compelling and inspiring CGI commitments. Operation HOPE made a first year commitment to launch Operation HOPE, South Africa, and not only did we meet it, but we exceeded it. And more is to come — with one or two important new CGI commitments this week. Stand by for more.
A special thank you to Mary Hagerty, our global chief of financial literacy, and Jena Roscoe, our chief of government relations and public policy, for staffing me and providing support for these meetings. Thank you to President Clinton’s team, led by Bob Harrison, CEO of CGI, for organizing once again a first class annual meeting.
And it goes without saying — a special thank you to my friend former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who was featured in my now bestselling business book for 2010 — LOVE LEADERSHIP: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass). President Clinton IS making a difference in our world.
The best is yet to come.
John Hope Bryant is a thought leader, the founder, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE and Bryant Group Companies, Inc., author of Inc. Magazine/CEO READ bestselling business book LOVE LEADERSHIP: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass), and a Member of the U.S. President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability.