Masiyiwa appointed to National Geographic Board of trustees




Masiyiwa Strive
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ECONET Global founder and executive chairman, Strive Masiyiwa has been appointed into the National Geographic Society Board of Trustees.

The announcement was made by NGS board chairman, Jean Case and Tracy Wolstencroft, the organisation’s president and chief executive Wednesday.

“We are delighted to welcome Strive to the National Geographic Society board of trustees,” said Case.

“An impact-driven nonprofit like the Society requires leadership that reflects the complex interdependent world in which we live. With his significant international business, entrepreneurial and philanthropic experience, Strive will provide the global perspective and expertise we need to achieve our mission.”

Masiyiwa currently serves on the board of Unilever, the transnational consumer goods company, as well as the global advisory boards of the Council on Foreign Relations and Stanford University.

In 2013, the United Nations and the World Bank named him to the advisory board of the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative.

In addition, he is a trustee of the Asia Society; a member of the Committee on Conscience of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

He was part of the Founders Circle of the Carbon War Room, an initiative created by Sir Richard Branson to promote market-based, low-carbon energy solutions to combat climate change.

Masiyiwa has also built a legacy of extensive philanthropic work across Africa.

He is chairman of the board of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, which is working to improve food security and income levels for 30 million farming households by 2021.

He mentors young people from across the continent on his Facebook page, reaching more than 3.5 million followers.

The telecoms tycoon is also founded the Higher Life Foundation, which has supported the education of more than 250,000 orphaned and vulnerable children in Africa over the past two decades.

“Strive’s profound knowledge of Africa will be extremely valuable as we partner with local scientists, conservation professionals and government officials to safeguard some of the Earth’s last wild places such as Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique, the sub-Saharan Okavango River Basin and Benin’s Pendjari National Park,” said Wolstencroft.

“As the National Geographic Society looks toward helping to conserve 30 percent of the planet by 2030, Strive’s insights will be critical to our success.”

The National Geographic Society is an impact-driven global nonprofit organisation based in Washington, D.C.

Since 1888, National Geographic has pushed the boundaries of exploration, investing in bold people and transformative ideas to increase understanding of the world and generate solutions for a healthy, more sustainable future for generations to come.