Bill Drayton

Biography

Bill Drayton invented the word social entrepreneur. Literally. He coined the now-famous and oft-used phrase in 1972 after taking a trip to India to help a man named Vinoba Bhave ask for, receive, and then redistribute land so that more people in India would be landowners and be able to contribute to their respective communities. The journey, which ultimately succeeded in redistributing 7 million acres of land, was a turning point for Drayton's life, and led him on the path of social entrepreneurship for the duration of his career. Today, Drayton is the founder and CEO of Ashoka, a world-famous organization that was created to help support, connect, and build up entrepreneurs and their ideas. Many of the most innovative and successful social entrepreneurs of our time have received grants and fellowships through Ashoka. By funding the work of social entrepreneurs around the world, Drayton has impacted issues ranging from human rights abuses to climate change to poverty. It doesn't hurt that he has a brilliant mind for business either - with degrees from Harvard and Oxford, Drayton has dedicated his life to activism, but has also worked at the prestigious McKinsey & Co. as a consultant and the Environmental Protection Agency as an assistant administrator. For his extraordinary contributions to social change, Drayton has been named a MacArthur Fellow and has received a National Public Service Award.

Quotations

"Social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry."

References