BNP Paribas Wealth Management is delighted to announce the winners of its 2014 Prize for Individual Philanthropy.
2014 Grand Prix
Charly and Lisa Kleissner, founders of the KL Felicitas Foundation, are receiving this year’s Grand Prix for their global work in impact investing. Through their co-creation of impact networks designed to serve both social entrepreneurs and impact investors, combined with advocating through transparency their commitment to align 100% of their assets with their values, the Kleissners have demonstrated that impact investing can be a replicable investment strategy for philanthropists around the world.
2014 Jury’s Special Prize
Tomasz and Barbara Sadowski are awarded the Jury’s Special Prize for their social integration work and promotion of their social franchise model in Poland and abroad. The Barka Foundation for Mutual Help empowers and reintegrates socially marginalised groups through education, training, entrepreneurship and housing programmes.
BNP Paribas Wealth Management was the first private banking institution to provide its clients with a comprehensive philanthropy advisory offering through the Fondation de l’Orangerie and bespoke advice. In 2008, BNP Paribas Wealth Management set up an advisory service to assist clients in their philanthropic endeavours. In order to raise general awareness of the growing global phenomenon of philanthropic giving, the bank launched that same year the BNP Paribas Wealth Management Prize for Individual Philanthropy. On 17th June 2014 the Grand Prix and the Jury’s Special Prize, which recognise outstanding initiatives by remarkable philanthropists, are awarded for the seventh consecutive year.
The winners were chosen by an independent jury made up of leading figures from business and charitable organisations, along with experts from civil society. The jury is chaired by Suzanne Berger, Professor of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston. In studying the profiles of all the nominees, the jury made their decisions based on various criteria, such as the social impact of the philanthropic initiatives, the philanthropists' personal and financial commitment, and the professionalism, sustainability and transparency of the projects.
The Independent Jury of the BNP Paribas Wealth Management Prize for Individual Philanthropy is composed of:
- Suzanne Berger, Professor of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, Chair of the Jury
- Yann Arthus-Bertrand, photographer and Chairman of the Good Planet Foundation
- Bernard Faivre d’Arcier, President of the Lyon Biennial Contemporary Arts festival and of the Metz en scène concert organisation
- Michael Golden, Vice Chairman of the New York Times Company
- Lorenz von Habsburg, banker and board director of several listed companies
- Leena Labroo, entrepreneur and director of the Mahindra & Mahindra Educational Trust. Mahindra & Mahindra is one of the top ten industrial corporations in India
- Maria Nowak, Founder and President of the Association pour le droit à l'initiative économique (ADIE), which helps the unemployed set up their own business.
- Louis Schweitzer, former Chairman and CEO of Renault Automobile Group, former Chair of the Haute Autorité de Lutte contre les Discriminations et pour l'Égalité (HALDE), which helps to combat unfair discrimination and fights for social and economic equality
- Michael de Giorgio, Founder of the Greenhouse Charity (Jury’s Special Prize winner 2012) delivers sports programmes in London's disadvantaged areas.
In addition, the 2013 winners of the BNP Paribas Awards for Individual Philanthropy were invited to sit on the jury for the 2014 Awards:
- Shiv Nadar, co-founder and President of HCL and founder of the Shiv Nadar Foundation in India
- Chuck Slaughter – founder of Living Goods.
The two awards categories:
- The Grand Prix honours an individual or family for their overall philanthropic activity, recognising the exemplary nature of their actions, their financial engagement, impact and their long-term commitment. BNP Paribas sponsors the publication of a book of photographs as a means of highlighting the philanthropist’s dedicated initiatives and the book on this year’s winner will be added to the catalogue of publications promoting past winners.
- The Jury's Special Prize recognises a committed philanthropist who has initiated an original project and has been working on the ground to implement it. The project must have been running for at least three years but still be in its development phase or at a critical stage. The Special Prize confers €50,000 for the furtherance of the philanthropist’s project.
About BNP Paribas Wealth Management
BNP Paribas Wealth Management is the world’s 5th largest private bank, present in some 30 countries. Over 6,300 professionals, based in every major financial centre, provide a private investor clientele with solutions for optimising and managing their assets. The bank has €295 billion worth of assets under management (as at end March 2014).