“What is clear is that you can accomplish exponentially more in a partnership, it infinitely extends your reach”

– Jean Oelwang 

Jean Oelwang is a true pioneer of social impact. Jean spent the better part of two decades leading mobile phone companies in six continents including Virgin Mobile, before moving on to lead Virgin Unite. At Virgin’s philanthropic arm, she has incubated a legacy of impactful, cross-sector partnerships like The Elders, Ocean Unite (now ORRAA), Carbon War Room (now merged with RMI), and The B Team. 

 I first saw Jean speak at Katapult Future Fest in 2023, speaking to our own Paul van Zyl about the potential of partnerships. I was struck by the calm in her voice as she discussed the world-changing partnerships she had seen unfold, including the notable collaboration between Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. Their collaborative efforts, along with those of other influential figures, played a significant role in laying the groundwork for the establishment of The Elders – a community of world leaders forging relationships based on shared experience. When I came to The Conduit late last year and decided to launch our new LinkedIn Live series, I knew there was only one person I wanted to start this journey with. Luckily, I had the distinct pleasure of running into Jean in the club and invited her to a conversation with my colleague Mehrad about the partnerships that were milestone moments in her career. 

 With her wealth of experience, Jean explained how corporations can partner with social entrepreneurs and changemakers to increase their impact in the world. She discussed the work of Sherry Rowland and Mario Molina, whose groundbreaking work led to the discovery of the damaging effects of CFCs on the ozone layer in the 1970s. They incurred strong criticism from industry, politicians, and even their peers when they made their discovery. However, their resolve to highlight the urgent need for radical change to save the planet fortified their partnership, radically altering our understanding of our changing world. 

 Achieving our goals will require strong, committed partnerships. As Jean said herself, “the only way we are really going to solve humanity’s biggest most complicated problems is by forging meaningful partnerships and then using those relationships as catalysts to drive even larger collaborations and social movements.” 

 At The Conduit, our mission is to be that catalyst, convening and curating opportunities for conversation, solutions and ways of working together to scale these solutions. Our role is not to create the solutions, nor to claim credit for these ideas, but to raise the profile of those changemakers and entrepreneurs and celebrate the collaboration of those we bring together. Working with our partners, including The Crown Estate, Unilever and SYSTEMIQ, we work to accelerate environmental and social goals, tackling the issues of our time in community, fostering healthy debate and forging relationships between those with different points of view. 

 None of this would be possible without our community of members, who bring their passion and expertise to our homes in London and Oslo, enabling us to host inspiring talks, round tables and networking opportunities, bringing together an international community committed to social impact. 

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