WEconomy: meet the authors

Holly Branson poses with a copy of the book "Weconomy"
Image by Adam Slama
Holly Branson
Holly Branson's writing
Published on 13 February 2018

Last week I shared the exciting news that I’ve co-written my first book, WEconomy, with my great friends Craig and Marc Kielburger. 

In the coming weeks I’ll be sharing more about the book itself and the different themes and learnings, but for now I want to introduce my fellow authors and how we came to write a book together.

You may have heard me talk about WE Day before. It’s an incredible series of WE Charity youth events worldwide, focused on promoting the power of young people acting as a collective to create positive change. Well, Craig is the mastermind behind WE Day. When he was just 12 years old he read the story of Iqbal, a child slave who had been shot down in the street while trying to escape his captors and was compelled to do something.  Free the Children (now WE Charity) was born, but this was only the beginning, You’ll see from Craig’s personal chapter that his life story reads a little bit like a Hollywood movie script… and it’s all true.

Marc’s story is equally impressive. As a Harvard and Oxford graduate, and a Rhodes Scholar, he was set for great success in the corporate world. However, he decided to change course and join his little brother at WE Charity while still at college. Marc has since gone on to co-found Me to WE Social Enterprise, which today engages millions of customers to drive social change.

Holly Branson in Kenya surrounded by Kenyan children
Image by Ian Jones

I first met the pair around six years ago when they invited me to visit one of their projects in Kenya – an experience I’ll never forget. We’ve been great friends ever since.

It was on our second WE Villages trip to rural India, that I said yes to co-writing a book wiht Marc and Craig. We wanted to share how you  can achieve equal (if not more) success, both personally and professionally, by embedding purpose at the heart of everything you do. Drawing on our individual sectors of business, social enterprise and charity, WEconomy really is a collection of all of our life experiences, business learnings and a hunger for positive change.

Craig and Marc really have led fascinating lives. One of my favourite stories in the book is when Craig recalls being criticised at school for not properly footnoting a quote from the Dalai Lama in an essay. The teacher didn’t realise it was a direct quote Craig had taken from a conversation he’d had, face-to-face, with the Dalai Lama.

Drawing on experiences like these, we have each written various chapters throughout the book, delving into how the demand for global transparency and engagement is impacting business and why embedding purpose into career, company and the wider community leads to both profit and positive impact.

In short, we believe without doubt, that you can find meaning, make a living, and change the world.

Order your copy of WEconomy now – I can’t wait to hear which are your favourite stories and learnings. You can also share your thoughts via social media using #WEconomy.