2010 Tutu Fellow Bright Simons is one of four people selected by the Tallberg Foundation as a 2017 Tallberg Global Leadership laureate. The Tallberg Foundation was founded in 1981 to address the systemic challenges resulting from an increasingly globalised world. The foundation described Bright Simons as the founder of mPedigree and a technologist and social innovator from Ghana known for his combination of business with social activism and knowledge-driven public advocacy for improved governance at multiple levels of society.
The Laureates were honoured in a ceremony in New York City by Jan Eliasson, former UN Undersecretary, after they had delivered a series of lectures at Columbia University. The other laureates honoured alongside Simons were: Rebecca Heller, co-Founder of the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP); Florenzo Omenetto, Frank C. Doble Professor of Engineering at Tufts University; and Rodrigo Alfonso of Instituto Elos. Simons was honored for his ability to integrate technology, entrepreneurship and practical politics in new, effective, and scalable approaches to development, that are relevant not only to Ghana, but to other emerging countries. He joins some stellar company. Previous recipients of Tallberg Leadership prizes include Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General and Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Director-General of the WHO.
The chairman of the Tallberg Foundation, Alan Stoga, said "these four amazing leaders are global in their reach, tireless in their efforts, innovative in their approaches, and operate in concert with universal values.” "Our goal in honoring them is not only to draw attention to their work, but also to provoke a conversation about the kinds of leaders needed today.”
The foundation selects Tällberg Global Leaders as a method of encouraging new thinking about leadership. The four 2017 leaders were chosen by an international jury from a pool of 220 nominations from 50 countries who were nominated through an open, online process. The jury reviewed nominations that included business people, national political leaders, social activists, artists, technologists, academics and others.
You can read more about the award at the Tallberg Foundation's website.
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