Celebrating Leaders Creating a World of Impact
YPO has expanded this award program and scaled it across our 14 defined regions around the globe with nominations being submitted by the YPO community. In each region, five finalists were selected and then from this group, a regional honoree was named. Of these 14 regional honorees, one is named the annual winner.
2020 YPO Global Impact Award Winner Selected!
Congratulations to Rodrigo Baggio, President and Founder of Recode, has been named the YPO Global Impact Award winner. Recode creates and disseminates entrepreneurship training and the use of digital tools to support facilitators in low income communities and its youth to reprogram their realities. Over the past 25 years, Recode has established a presence in nine countries with 1,150 centers of digital empowerment, impacting 1.7 million young individuals (14 to 29 years old) worldwide!
2020 Global Impact Award Regional Honorees
Discover how our regional honorees made impact by clicking on their photos below.
JAMIN ARVIG
Mid-America
Jamin Arvig is the Founder and CEO of WaterFilters.net, which was built on the premise that every person should have access to affordable clean water and air. Through a "Water Filters for Charity" initiative, the company donates a portion of online sales to provide clean, safe drinking water for people in developing nations through charity: water.
Watch Jamin Arvig's impact video
Read how Jamin Arvig is creating impact
RODRIGO BAGGIO
Latin America
Rodrigo Baggio is the President of Recode, the first non-profit organization to fight the digital divide in Latin America. For the past 25 years, Recode has established a presence in nine countries and 1,150 "centers of digital empowerment," with an estimated 1,281 educators and 1.7 million young individuals (from 14 to 29 years old) impacted worldwide.
Watch Rodrigo Baggio's impact video
Read how Rodrigo Baggio is creating impact
YANN BORGSTEDT
Europe
Yann Borgstedt is the Founder of The Womanity Foundation, an enterprising organization at the intersection of venture philanthropy and social investment dedicated to a world where men and women have equal rights and opportunities. Since 2005, Womanity has reached more than 5 million people, supported 16 social ventures through its WomenChangeMakers program and provided more than 35,000 girls with quality education and vocational training in Afghanistan.
Watch Yann Borgstedt's impact video
Read how Yann Borgstedt is creating impact
JIM ESTILL
Canada
Jim Estill, CEO of Danby Appliance, provided refuge to families fleeing from the civil war in Syria. He spent CAD1.5 million of his own money to relocate 50 families to his home city of Guelph, Ontario, under the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program, which allows private citizens to settle refugees in Canada if they commit to covering the expenses of the new arrivals for the first year.
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Read how Jim Estill is creating impact
ALIA EYRES
Southeast Asia
Alia Eyres is the CEO of Mother's Choice, a local charity serving the many children without families and pregnant teenagers in Hong Kong. Over the past three decades, Mother's Choice has helped more than 51,000 pregnant girls, cared for over 3,600 babies, assisted with more than 1,400 adoptions and provided over 510,000 students, parents and teachers with relationship and sexuality education.
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Read how Alia Eyres is creating impact
WILLY FOOTE
Northeastern U.S.
Willy Foote is Founder and CEO of Root Capital, a nonprofit that invests in the growth of agricultural enterprises so they can transform rural communities. Root Capital has loaned more than USD1.4 billion to 700+ agricultural businesses in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, and provided training to 1,500 enterprises. Through this work, Root Capital has improved incomes and opportunities for 6 million people in the world's most remote, marginalized areas.
Watch Willy Foote's impact video
Read how Willy Foote is creating impact
SIMON GRIFFITHS
Australia/New Zealand
Simon Griffiths is the Co-Founder and Head Honcho of Who Gives a Crap, which makes all of their products with environmentally friendly paper products and donates half of its profits to build toilets to the millions of people without access in developing communities. To date, Who Gives a Crap has donated USD2.5 million to improve access to hygiene, water and basic sanitation in developing countries, and saved a tremendous amount of trees, water and energy.
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Read how Simon Griffiths is creating impact
SUNIL LALVANI
Middle East & North Africa
Sunil Lalvani is the CEO and Founder of Project Maji (Swahili for water), which is bringing sustainable access to clean water across rural sub-Saharan Africa through the power of solar technology. The nonprofit foundation currently serves more than 50,000 people with 60 million liters of clean water per year.
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Read how Sunil Lalvani is creating impact
ROBERTO MILK
Pacific U.S.
Roberto Milk is CEO of NOVICA, which was founded with a dream to create a better world for artisans, because a better world for artisans is a better world for all. NOVICA impacts the world by purchasing handmade products directly from global artisans. To date, NOVICA has sent more than USD95 million to artisans around the world.
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Read how Roberto Milk is creating impact
CODY NATH
Western U.S.
Cody Nath is the CEO of Refined Technologies (RTI). His company is a committed partner of World Vision, a humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide. Over the past three years, RTI has partnered with World Vision to bring clean water to approximately 110,000 Hondurans. Cody also is a founder of CrossWalk Center, a centralized, safe re-entry hub for citizens re-entering life in Houston after incarceration.
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Read how Cody Nath is creating impact
PATRICIA NZOLANTIMA
Africa
Patricia Nzolantima is the founder and CEO of the International Working Ladies Group, which helps women utilize their full potential, emancipate themselves and use their leadership to bring positive changes. Out of that work, she also created the Working Ladies WIA Hub, the first female accelerator in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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Read how Patricia Nzolantima is creating impact
GV PRASAD
South Asia
GV Prasad is CEO of Dr. Reddy's, an integrated pharmaceutical company with the belief that "Good Health Can't Wait" inspires them to delve deep into understanding the needs of patients and do all that it takes to fulfill them. The Dr. Reddy's Foundation develops and tests innovative solutions to address complex social problems and leverages partnerships to scale up impact.
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Read how GV Prasad is creating impact
BUDDY TEASTER
Southeast U.S. and Caribbean
Buddy Teaster is the CEO of Soles4Souls, which creates sustainable jobs and provides relief through the distribution of shoes and textiles around the world. Since 2006, the organization kept 51 million pounds of shoes and clothing out of landfills and instead created opportunities for people in need around the globe.
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Read how Buddy Teaster is creating impact
TERESA YANG
North Asia
Teresa Yang is recognized for her sustainable work as Vice Chairman of Esquel, a textile and apparel manufacturing company that embraces a vision of "Making a Difference." Ethics, environment, exploration, excellence and education form the foundation of the company's culture and approach. About 55,000 people work for Esquel, producing more than 100 million garments annually.
Watch Teresa Yang's impact video
Read how Teresa Yang is creating impact