Leveraging Your Influence as a Force for Good: Part 1

Bali Cliff overlooking Bali Cliff beach at Necker Island.

Last month, Amber Kelleher-Andrews, CEO of Kelleher International, had the exciting opportunity to once again partner with Richard Branson’s Virgin Unite to host a special leadership gathering on Necker Island. With this year’s Leadership Gatherings, the conference consisted of four days and five nights during which numerous inspirational speakers and workshops asked world leaders and business executives to leverage their influence as a force for good.

Richard Branson has long been a leading force in philanthropic movements across the world, and his charity Virgin Unite is especially focused on uniting great people and entrepreneurial ideas that focus on putting people and the planet alongside profit. The acclaimed founder of Virgin Group and his employees created the foundation in 2004 with the intention of creating sustainable change. Virgin Unite works on multiple philanthropic fronts to help businesses become a driving force for good, as well as focusing on how leaders can change notions of “business as usual” to create meaningful and effective change. Because Richard Branson and his company the Virgin Group cover the overhead for Virgin Unite, all of the donations and proceeds from events like the Necker Island Leadership conference go directly to the forefront of Virgin’s philanthropic endeavors, where they are most needed.

“These gatherings have become incredible incubators of brilliant ideas in magical settings. I’m honoured to host entrepreneurs who have the vision to see the potential of a better world.” – Richard Branson

One of the main intentions of the Leadership Gatherings on Necker Island is to bring together the most influential individuals on the planet to discuss ways that they can use their influence to make the world a better place, as well as how responsible businesses can be a major force for good throughout the globe.

Amber Kelleher-Andrews’ matchmaking expertise and Virgin Unite’s philanthropic efforts have something in common: they are each specifically aimed at bettering people’s lives. We not only work to find ways to improve the lives of our clients, but we also want to share the love with everyone. In a recent interview with European CEO Magazine, Amber states that, “At any given time we have so many successful clients on our books and a wealth of people who really want to channel that into something that feels more satisfying, so philanthropy has emerged as a major opportunity for us.”

Leveraging the firm’s position as a professional contact for the world’s most influential leaders, Kelleher International is asking clients to follow Virgin Unite’s lead when it comes to philanthropy. Amber Kelleher-Andrews and Virgin Unite intend to host another Leadership Gathering in Morocco next February and have so far raised $800,000 for charity.