Knowledge@Wharton

What's Hot

Ones You Might Have Missed...

Special Section

Brazil: Balancing on the Brink?

Knowledge@Wharton Dec 24 - Jan 06

Room to Read's John Wood: Bringing the Power of Education to Children around the World
After a trek in the Himalayas brought him face-to-face with extreme poverty and illiteracy, John Wood left his position as a director of business development at Microsoft to found Room to Read, an award-winning international education organization. Under his leadership, more than 1.7 million children in the developing world now have access to enhanced educational opportunities. Room to Read to date has opened 725 schools and 7,000 bilingual libraries, and funded more than 7,000 scholarships for girls. Wood talked with Knowledge@Wharton about the launch of Room to Read, the book he wrote called Leaving Microsoft to Change the World and his personal definition of success.

Coca-Cola's John Brock: Sustainability Is No Longer 'Niche'
John Brock has come a long way since his first jobs working in his uncle's dime store and, later, at a paper mill in Moss Point, Miss. Today, he is chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises, the world's largest marketer, producer and distributor of Coca-Cola products. Brock has more than 25 years of experience in the beverage sales industry. In 2003, he was named CEO of Interbrew, headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. In 2006, he joined Coca-Cola Enterprises where he was appointed chairman in April 2008. Brock talked with Knowledge@Wharton about Coke's philosophy on selling soda in schools, helping the environment and recruiting teens to become devoted customers.

YouthAIDS' Kate Roberts: Using Marketing Skills and Media to Keep Young People Alive
Kate Roberts is the founder and director of YouthAIDS and Five & Alive, two marketing programs implemented by Population Services International (PSI), where she is a vice president. Founded in 2001, YouthAIDS is a global education and prevention initiative that uses pop culture, music, theater, movies and sports to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. The program reaches 600 million young people in more than 60 countries with life-saving products and services. In 2002, YouthAIDS partnered with MTV to produce the "Staying Alive" concert, a $3 million event broadcast worldwide and featured on all major news channels. Roberts spoke with Knowledge@Wharton about cause-related marketing, the Indian film industry and an event in Africa that changed her life, among other topics.

Seth Goldman: Brewing Organic Tea with a Mission-based Business Model
In 1998, social entrepreneur Seth Goldman founded Honest Tea, the nation's best-selling and fastest-growing organic bottled tea company, with a business professor from the Yale School of Management. Honest Tea sources from organic and fair trade tea estates, and has partnered with community development groups ranging from the Crow Reservation in Montana to organizations in South Africa and Guatemala. Goldman talked with Knowlege@Wharton about carving out space in the competitive beverage market, helping consumers embrace organics and how tea became the catalyst for following his life's passion.

The World Wildlife Fund's Carter Roberts: How to Connect the Dots between Corporate America and Conservation
From a childhood spent exploring the woods near his home, to a career spent protecting habitats in the far corners of the earth, Carter Roberts -- president and CEO of the non-profit World Wildlife Fund -- has fostered a connection to the natural world. His job is as diverse as the ecosystems he visits. One day he may be negotiating with the president of a corporation, and the next he is sitting on a dirt floor talking with villagers about the importance of saving tigers.He spoke with Knowledge@Wharton about his passion for nature, why companies should care about preserving natural resources, and the value of story-telling.