Episode 9 - Giles Gunesekera overcame personal headwinds early in life to combine his business and non-profit acumen in a world first impact fund

As a first generation Sri Lankan-Australian, Giles Gunesekera faced personal headwinds growing up in the outer suburbs of Melbourne. However, his resilience and willingness to serve others shone through, including being formally recognised with an OAM award.

This is an interesting account of a dual career in the for- and not-for-profit sectors, and how they finally converged in the founding of his current business and its world leading impact funds. Oh, and a fun fact he introduces us to is that there are more men named John running large companies than women :(

Here are the links to the Global Impact Initiative and Amnesty International.

The three quotes from our discussion:

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall” - Nelson Mandela

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou

“Anyone that thinks they are too small to make a difference hasn't spent the night with a mosquito.” - Africa Proverb

You can email the show via podcast@philpreston.com.au and find out more about purpose-based approaches to personal, professional and business success at philpreston.com.au 

Theme music is the track “Rhododendron" by Phil Preston and John Nichols performing as South of the Big Smoke (back in the day).

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