One Young World’s mission is to create a better world with more responsible and effective leadership. Through their partnership with One Young World, leading businesses build upon existing talent development strategies to enable young employees to fully engage with the company’s purpose and reach their full potential, building the next generation of C-Suite leaders with an emphasis on ethical business and sustainability.
Talent Identification
One Young World’s mission is to create a better world with more responsible and effective leadership. Through their partnership with One Young World, leading businesses build upon existing talent development strategies to enable young employees to fully engage with the organisation’s purpose and reach their full potential, building the next generation of C-Suite leaders with an emphasis on ethical business and sustainability.
Following a rigorous selection process Grant Thornton were so impressed with the calibre of applications that they sought additional funding to send an extra two delegates to the summit. Karen Higgins, Head of Sustainability, said: “We were astounded by the quality of these applications. The passion our people have for addressing societal challenges is phenomenal and we were humbled by the amount of activity there is both inside and outside of work to make a positive impact.”
Karen Higgins
Head of Sustainability
Grant Thornton
Employee Engagement
Being selected to attend One Young World is regarded as a significant honour – not only is the young leader’s contribution being recognised but they are also being given the opportunity to represent their company, often alongside senior leadership. The chance to form connections with young leaders from other international business units offers delegates the ability to gain an understanding of the global nature of their corporation as well as building their own professional network.
"From the first moment of the Opening Ceremony, I felt honoured to have been selected to sit amongst so many inspiring, innovative human beings. And to my fellow GE Ambassadors… we came into this as strangers; we’ve come out as friends."
Jordan Richardson
GE Ambassador 2019
Leadership Development
One Young World is an unrivalled leadership development program. Not only do delegates have the opportunity to develop their own ideas and collaborate with other young innovators, they are joining a network that offers mentoring, funding and media exposure in order to catalyse their impact.
“One Young World acts as an annual focal point for us to learn, recharge, reset and challenge ourselves in the social impact space. Our partnership with One Young World enables us to bring our future talent together with other current and future leaders from global and national companies, NGOs, universities and other forward-thinking organisations to empower them all to together tackle some of the biggest issues facing society today.”
Susannah Herbert
Social Impact Partnership & Engagement Officer
Reckitt
Anti-Racism
Since its inaugural Summit, One Young World, along with the Ambassador community, has been striving to challenge racism and discrimination around the world. One Young World Counsellor Desmond Tutu said: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor”. One Young World is proud to work with businesses working to dismantle structural racism and empower BIPOC employees to take on leadership roles.
Case Study
After being selected to attend the One Young World Summit in Bogota, One Young World Ambassador Olu Odubajo set out on a mission to accelerate social mobility at KPMG. He pitched to senior leadership and launched the KPMG Black Entrepreneurs Awards. He has co-lead the creation of a new reverse mentoring program where black employees mentor senior leaders in order to provide perspectives on how black colleagues experience the workplace. Inspired by Olu’s impact at KPMG the BAME reverse mentoring program has been replicated at numerous other FTSE 100 companies.
Diversity & Inclusion
One Young World is one of the world’s most diverse organisations with more than 190 countries represented. Attending One Young World renews and reaffirms young leaders’ commitment to diversity and inclusion and fosters innovative thinking around the ways in which businesses can develop their own cultures. Kofi Annan remarked at One Young World in Dublin “As the first truly global generation, you know better than anyone that cultural, religious and ethnic diversity can be a source of strength – not only a source of division.”
Case Studies
Countless One Young World Ambassadors have used their learnings from One Young World and taken action in their organisations to create more diverse and inclusive businesses.
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Sharing best practices
One Young World Partners form a powerful network, all sharing a passion for young employees and the value that they create for their organisations. As well as participating in webinars and events throughout the year, the Partner Network meet annually for a roundtable in order to share best practice and develop processes around their involvement with One Young World.
Internal Employee Networks
Each delegation sent to One Young World forms deep connections which promote further collaboration after the Summit. Often, young employees form internal networks for young employees which serve as a valuable internal talent pool committed to social change.
Our aim is to bring our younger employees together to help them reach their full potential and empower and equip our future leaders. Around 20% of our people are under 30 and we have a number of exciting programs designed to inspire and develop those in the early stages of their careers. Our Youth Network Summit and participation in the One Young World program offer unique opportunities for younger employees to connect, learn and grow.
Westpac
Graduate Recruitment
As businesses compete for the best graduate talent, One Young World is an important partner in demonstrating to graduates the extent to which a business invests in its young employees and is committed to ESG. A number of organisations include One Young World as a prize for their “graduate of the year” or to embed future graduate trainees in their company culture.
Case Study
The Unilever Future Leaders’ League (FLL) brings together some of the best and brightest university students around the world. Students are challenged to come up with ideas for building a stronger, more resilient world during these challenging times through Unilever’s Sustainable Living Brands. The winners were awarded a place at the One Young World Summit in Munich and an employment opportunity with Dove.