John Hope Bryant

John Hope Bryant and Operation HOPE at SEDCO Holdings, Saudi Arabia: Sparking the Entrepreneurship Generation

 

Operation HOPE, Saudi Arabia Partner SEDCO Holdings Up For Corporate Social Responsibility Award: Cast Your Vote

Last year, Operation HOPE worked with our lead partner in Saudi Arabia, SEDCO Holdings, in launching its flagship Corporate Social Responsibility Program, Riyali, in September 2012. Since then, the program has made a huge impact both in the Kingdom and outside. We and they are proud to share that a short film which features Riyali and its achievements has been nominated for Boston College Award for Corporate Citizenship.

Riyali is the first program in the Kingdom and the region to be nominated for this prestigious award.  Within 5 minutes or less you can both watch their inspiring video and vote.  Of course, you can also invest a little more time and watch some of the other inspiring Social Corporate Citizenship Programs nominated with SEDCO.

Click here to vote

Boston College has listed all the nominations here, and amongst the list you will find our proud partner, SEDCO Holding. You can watch the video by clicking on the link and click cast your vote on the right hand side of the page. All it takes is a click (smile).

 

John Hope Bryant is a thought leader, founder, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE and Bryant Group Companies, Inc. Magazine/CEO READ bestselling business author of LOVE LEADERSHIP: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass), the only African-American bestselling business author in America, and is chairman of the Subcommittee for the Under-Served and Community Empowerment for the U.S. President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability, for President Barack Obama.  Mr. Bryant is the co-founder of the Gallup-HOPE Index, the only national research poll on youth financial dignity and youth economic energy in the U.S. He is also a co-founder of Global Dignity with HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Professor Pekka Himanen of Finland. Global Dignity is affiliated with the Forum of Young Global Leaders and the World Economic Forum.  Mr. Bryant is a thought leader represented by the Bright Sight Group for public speaking. Mr. Bryant serves on the board of directors of Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation (NYSE: ACRE), a specialty finance company that is managed by an affiliate of Ares Management LLC, a global alternative asset manager with approximately $59 billion in committed capital under management as of December 31, 2012.  

The HUFFINGTON POST: Solving Poverty. WANTED: A New Revolution of 100 Million Youth in the Middle East

  John Hope Bryant

Bestselling business leadership author and philanthropic entrepreneur

The Middle East then and now. The choice is simply one of lighting candles, or cursing the darkness, but it is a choice that the leaders there must make. We cannot do it for them.

On September 12th, 2012, I had just returned from the Middle East region on the day prior to the devastating Libyan terrorist act of September 11th, 2012. I was visiting Saudi Arabia, and experiencing a very positive engagement with business and political leaders in the region, as we launched an aspect of our empowerment work there. I had been invited to speak before the Young President's Organization (YPO), even the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce. I met with the Minister of Labor for Saudi Arabia, who was but one of the leaders in the audience during my Chamber speech, fully engaged around a new vision and plan for the region's youth. It was obvious to me, these leaders had made a clear choice to "light a candle" towards the future.

Libya on the other hand, and thereafter other trouble spots throughout the Middle East region, unfortunately chose to turn backwards, simply cursing the darkness. At the end of the day, I choose to stay focused on that which I saw with my own eyes and experienced personally; substantive, new era leaders who have decided to light candles and build a society for all. Candles towards a brighter future. The respectful opening up of society. A view towards helping the average person to achieve their own level of aspirational success. Not a western version of aspirational success, but one of their own making. One that respected, and in fact embedded their deep and rich cultural beliefs.

I traveled to Saudi Arabia with a simple message -- in the MENA Region (Middle East and North Africa), according to the World Bank you have a population that will be 60% under the age of 25 by 2020, and in Saudi Arabia this is already the case.

Read and share the complete article here.

 

 

 

A Personal Letter from Operation HOPE Founder, Chairman, and CEO John Hope Bryant and Ambassador Andrew Young

Operation HOPE is "the private banker to the working poor, the underclass, and the struggling middle-class," and the impact of our work can be felt on-the-ground, everywhere we operate.  Our mission is 'silver rights,' or making free enterprise and capitalism work for all.  Financial literacy is the tool, financial dignity is the goal and financial inclusion is the way. 

2012 marked new heights for HOPE's silver rights movement as it continued to reach out and empower underserved populations in new and innovative ways. HOPE divisions currently serving the community include:

 

• Banking on Our Future, focused on keeping the most at-risk youth from repeating the cycles of poverty and despair that has trapped so many in their families and communities by teaching them basic financial literacy, or what we call "the global language of money." 

 

• HOPE Business-In-A-Box/Gallup-HOPE Index, focused on inspiring a generation of young people to become future American assets of economic energy, small business and entrepreneurship.

 

• HOPE Financial Dignity Centers, including our newest HOPE Financial Dignity Center at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr''s Ebenezer Church in Atlanta, Georgia, are where we approve clients day one, subject to the resolution of their primary denial factors, and raise credit scores on average 120 points over 18 months of active counseling. We call it the 700 Credit Scores Communities Initiative.  The HOPE Center at Ebenezer marks our 11th HOPE Center across the nation, and is the proud anchor for the new Martin Luther King. Sr. Community Resource Complex next to Ebenezer Church.  Most people know that Daddy King, as he was lovingly called, co-pastored Ebenezer Church with his son, Dr. King, but what they don't know is that Daddy King served on the board of a bank for 40 years.  Even more than 50 years ago, the King legacy was alive with civil rights, and silver rights empowerment, too. A special thank you to our HOPE Center signature partners, including Bank of the West and Union Bank on the west coast, E*TRADE FINANCIAL in New York City and Washington, DC, and at Ebenezer in Atlanta, FINANCIAL SERVICES ROUNDTABLE members SunTrust Bank, State Farm Insurance, LPL Financial/NestWise, Wells Fargo Bank,MasterCard, and BMO Harris Bank, along with supporting partners including the Coca-Cola Company,Kaplan University, Equifax, the United Way of Greater Atlanta, amongst others.

 

• HOPE Coalition America, which is the national partner with FEMA around emergency financial disaster preparedness, response and recovery, or the "economic Red Cross" for the nation.  HCA responded to, and served, more than 200,000 survivors following Hurricane Katrina, and we are responding to Hurricane Sandy now. 

 

• HOPE Government Relations & Public Policy, and HOPE Forums, which both advance responsible public policy and help to shape, engaged public opinion.  The recent HOPE Global Financial Dignity Summitfeaturing U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, with more than 1,500 delegates from 30 countries, covered by 50 major media outlets, is but one example of our focus here.

Read the complete personal letter on the HOPE Blog here.

John Hope Bryant Speaking on Global Leadership, and the Middle East Opportunity, at SEDCO Holdings in Saudi Arabia

 

Operation HOPE's Silver Rights Empowerment 'Software' Making A Difference in Saudi Arabia

 

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This week our strategic partners in Saudi Arabia, SEDCO Holdings, introduced Riyali, our localized version of Banking on Our Future, College Edition, into course presentations at King Abdul Aziz University.

The Riyali Progrm was extremely well reeived by the students and faculty alike, and the SEDCO Holdings team, and SEDCO Ambassadors (their volunteer corps) deserve credit for making this vision of 'silver rights' empowerment real to and for the people of Saudi Arabia.

More to come. Much more...

 

 

John Hope Bryant is a thought leader, founder, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE and Bryant Group Companies, Inc. Magazine/CEO READ bestselling business author of LOVE LEADERSHIP: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass), the only African-American bestselling business author in America, and is chairman of the Subcommittee for the Under-Served and Community Empowerment for the U.S. President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability, for President Barack Obama.  Mr. Bryant is the co-founder of the Gallup-HOPE Index, the only national research poll on youth financial dignity and youth economic energy in the U.S. He is also a co-founder of Global Dignity with HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Professor Pekka Himanen of Finland. Global Dignity is affiliated with the Forum of Young Global Leaders and the World Economic Forum.  Mr. Bryant is a though leader represented by the Bright Sight Group for public speaking. Mr. Bryant serves on the board of directors of Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation, an NYSE Euronext publicly traded company, and a division of $54 billion Ares Capital.

From the Saudi Gazette: Financial literacy key to economic development

JEDDAH — Following the global financial crisis, financial literacy is playing a critical role in economic recovery and development, industry experts said in unison at the recently held “Hope Global Financial Dignity Summit” in Atlanta, Georgia, attended by delegates from more than 50 countries.

SEDCO Capital CEO Hasan Al Jabri, one of the key speakers at the event, said “following the global financial crisis, the role of private sector organizations as innovators of corporate social responsibility programs has become increasingly important. This is certainly the case at SEDCO where we recently launched our strategically aligned CSR program “Riyali” focusing on financial literacy and that we developed in consultation with Operation HOPE, a global social empowerment nonprofit organization and the organizer of the Global Financial Dignity Summit.”

SEDCO’s Riyali program addresses the need to educate the Saudi population on financial literacy and empower them with personal finance skills required to achieve a desirable standard of living. The first phase, targeting college students, was launched in September this year. He said the role of private sector organizations as innovators of corporate social responsibility programs has become increasingly important. This is certainly the case at SEDCO where we recently launched our strategically aligned CSR program “Riyali” focusing on financial literacy and that we developed in consultation with Operation HOPE, a global social empowerment nonprofit organization and the organizer of the Global Financial Dignity Summit.”

SEDCO Holding VP of Corporate Communications and Marketing Amr Banaja, who headed one of the working groups, spoke on the subject of Leadership: The Future Role of Philanthropy and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). 

Read the complete article here.

 

 

John Hope Bryant Speaks Before, Receives Award From, the Young President's Organization and World President's Organization of Saudi Arabia

I was deeply honored to be asked by my new and good friend Mr. Hasan Aljabri, CEO of SEDCO Capital, to be the featured speaker before the Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Chapter of both YPO (Young President's Organization) and WPO (World President's Organization), where Hasan is group chairman.  

The best part of the meeting though was not the talk, which was fantastic and very engaged with YPO and WPO members and spouses, nor even the incredible and beautiful chapter award they bestowed upon me at conclusion (with a holy inscription from the Koran).  It was being introduced by my new young friend, Hasan and Vivian's son, Aboudi.  He is the future of Saudi Arabia and the entire MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, and young people like him give me hope.

I spoke on the issue of my bestselling book LOVE LEADERSHIP: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bas), which has been well received within the country, but more so, I wanted to frame out a new and bold thought leadership conversation, both for and in the country.  

I spoke about a new vision for Saudi Arabia -- one dependent upon the development of what I now call the '"new software of human development," and not so much the current fuel of petroleum.  

I spoke about the now 60% of the population in the country which is presently below the age of 25 years old, and how this is either a national security threat, or with a bold new strategy and plan in place, a strategic advantage on the entire world.  

I for one believe it is an advantage, and I believe the country and its leaders can see the plan, and the pathway forward too.  But rainbows only follow storms. You cannot have a rainbow, without a storm first. 

I spoke about these men (and also women) becoming the role models they want to see in Saudi Arabia, and that according to Malcolm Gladwell's book the TIPPING POINT, with only 5% role models, every community stabilizes.  

I spoke about how according to the Gallup-HOPE Index, here in the U.S., only 5% of our youth have a business internship or business role model, and how for us this reflects either a pivotal tipping point, or a reflection point.  

I spoke about how leaders in the United States, and not just in Saudi Arabia, must make some critically important decisions over the next 5-10 years about who, and whom we want to be when we grow up, so to speak.  The decisions over the next 5-10 years, will impact generations to come.

And so, here is the question. What if the business elite of Saudi Arabia decides to move their business role model number in Saudi Arabia upwards to 10% or 20% or more, and what if they decided to inspire a generation of young entrepreneurs, small business owners and what I call 'self employment projects?'  

If they did this, by say 2020, everything in Saudi Arabia would change.  Everything.  Because life is all about dignity, love and aspiration.

They would become the change they want to see in the rest of the world...and their own too. 

Present at the session included top business leaders such as Mohamad Abu Dawood from Clorox Corporation, Hussein Shobokshi whom I believe to be a hero in the country, Amr Khashogji, who bridges East and West,  Zahid Zahid, Dr. Adnan Soufi, CEO of SEDCO Holdings, another new friend, and my brother Amr Ahmed Banaja, my bridge at SEDCO.

And this, this is what family should look like. This is what being a global citizen is all about. 

Okay, let's go... Onward, to a better world.

 

John Hope Bryant is a thought leader, founder, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE and Bryant Group Companies, Inc. Magazine/CEO READ bestselling business author of LOVE LEADERSHIP: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass), the only African-American bestselling business author in America, and is chairman of the Subcommittee for the Under-Served and Community Empowerment for the U.S. President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability, for President Barack Obama.  Mr. Bryant is the co-founder of the Gallup-HOPE Index, the only national research poll on youth financial dignity and youth economic energy in the U.S. He is also a co-founder of Global Dignity with HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Professor Pekka Himanen of Finland. Global Dignity is affiliated with the Forum of Young Global Leaders and the World Economic Forum.   Mr. Bryant serves on the board of directors of Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation, an NYSE Euronext publicly traded company, and a division of $54 billion Ares Capital.

 

Minister of Labour attends SEDCO leadership seminar featuring Love Leadership based strategy for future of Saudi Arabia

H.E. the Minister of Labor Eng. Adel Fakieh was the guest of honour at a seminar organized by SEDCO Holding at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry headquarters.

Entitled "Love Leadership" the seminar was presented by Mr. John Hope Bryant, a philanthropic entrepreneur, thought leader, businessman and one of the main leadership coaches in the USA. He is also Founder, Chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE, a non-profit empowering others with financial dignity. 

The seminar, attended by a select group of Saudi businessmen, was organized by SEDCO Holding to raise awareness about innovative leadership techniques and to emphasize the need to unite passion with goodwill to achieve institutional and personal goals. 

Mr. Bryant passionately proposed a new way to lead in a fear based world that seems obsessed with money, a topic summarized in his book "Love Leadership" that places him among the 25 best-selling business authors in the USA.

Focusing on the importance of the small and medium enterprises sector, he pointed out that in the United States, the world's largest economy with $19 trillion GDP (gross domestic product), around 90% of American companies employ less than 500 employees while only 967 companies employed more than 10,000 staff. 

 

Hasan Aljabri, CEO of SEDCO Capital, Saudi Arabia, to Speak at HOPE Global Financial Dignity Summit 2012

Hasan AlJabri

Chief Executive Officer
SEDCO Capital
SPEAKER, HOPE Global Financial Dignity Summit

Hasan AlJbari has over 26 years of banking experience in the region managing senior positions in prime banks including The National Commercial Bank & Samba Financial Group. He also sat on the board and executive committees of several investment & commercial banks as well as companies in IT, Real Estate, Services and others. He currently sits on the following boards: Member of the Board of Directors, Roots Group Arabia Company (Saudi Arabia) Member of the Board of Directors, Dar Al Tamleek (Saudi Arabia) Member of the Board of Directors, SEDCO Capital (Saudi Arabia) Chairman of Al Ibdaa Bank (Micro Finance Bank in Syria) Hasan AlJabri’s previous responsibilities included NCBC Board member, Managing Director, Head of Investment Banking and Chairman of the Funds Board, Country Head for the Corporate Banking Group with direct responsibility over the Corporate Bank, Corporate Finance, Structured Finance, Syndications, Placements and Cash Management.

Hasan chaired the Young Presidents Organization’s Saudi Chapter and is a founding committee member of Gulf SOL. He is a BSC graduate of the American University of Beirut and an Executive Management Program graduate of Columbia University.

For information Hasan Ajabri, the global summit and other speakers.

 

 

John Hope Bryant is a thought leader, founder, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE and Bryant Group Companies, Inc. Magazine/CEO READ bestselling business author of LOVE LEADERSHIP: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass), the only African-American bestselling business author in America, and is chairman of the Subcommittee for the Under-Served and Community Empowerment for the U.S. President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability, for President Barack Obama.  Mr. Bryant is the co-founder of the Gallup-HOPE Index, the only national research poll on youth financial dignity and youth economic energy in the U.S. He is also a co-founder of Global Dignity with HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Professor Pekka Himanen of Finland. Global Dignity is affiliated with the Forum of Young Global Leaders and the World Economic Forum.   Mr. Bryant serves on the board of directors of Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation, an NYSE Euronext publicly traded company, and a division of $54 billion Ares Capital.