The CEO of Africa's largest bank states they strategically avoid being on the cutting edge. This "fast follower" approach allows them to adopt proven innovations responsibly while avoiding the high costs and risks of being a pioneer.

The CEO advocates to bodies like the G20 and challenges ratings agencies, arguing that the perceived risk of African projects is higher than the data supports. This aims to lower the risk premium, unlocking more capital for the continent.

Using the historical parallel of ATMs, CEO Sim Shabalala argues that AI won't eliminate human roles but will automate routine tasks. This frees humans for higher-order work involving empathy, complex problem-solving, and valuable client interaction.

Business is a unique domain where you can pursue selfish goals (building a large, profitable company) and selfless ones at the same time. By building a successful company with ethical, people-first practices, you force competitors to adopt similar positive behaviors to compete, thereby improving the entire industry for everyone.

Canva's core mission is a "two-step plan": 1) build a valuable company and 2) do good. Crucially, this isn't a sequential plan for after an exit. They believe step one fuels step two (and vice versa), integrating purpose directly into the business model from day one.

A company’s true values aren't in its mission statement, but in its operational systems. Good intentions are meaningless without supporting structures. What an organization truly values is revealed by its compensation systems, promotion decisions, and which behaviors are publicly celebrated and honored.

The successful anti-slavery movement in Britain was founded primarily by entrepreneurs who applied their skills in scaling companies and operations to a moral cause. This historical example shows that business acumen is a powerful, and perhaps essential, tool for large-scale social change.

CEO Sim Shabalala argues that a bank's largest risk factor is "country risk." By promoting societal growth and inclusion, the bank creates a more stable operating environment, which directly reduces its cost of capital and debt.

CEO Aravind Srinivas grew up in a culture in Chennai, India, that valued being 'scholarly and well-read' even more than being rich. This deep-seated respect for knowledge became the core driver behind his mission to build Perplexity and democratize access to information.