Former CEO of ABB
Dr. Percy Barnevik has been the CEO / Chairman of ABB, Astra Zeneca, Skanska, Sandvik and Investor (Wallenberg group). Further, he has been a board member of the American General Motors and DuPont. His US experience started with studies at Stanford, he was then CEO of Sandvik US and member of the US Business Council as well as the Bilderberg Group.
Since 12 years he has gradually phased out of his chairmanships and devoted his time and money to philanthropy. Dr Barnevik has donated some $50 Million to build the charity Hand in Hand. Hand in Hand (HiH) is run as an efficient company and focuses on the creation of jobs. People, mainly women, are mobilized into Self-Help groups, empowered by training and access to credit, learning to harness market forces. HiH’s 900.000 micro-enterprises confirm that this can be done on a very big scale. Hand in Hand is active in India, Eastern- and Southern Africa, Afghanistan and Brazil. By creating jobs for parents, families are able to pay for essential goods and services, allowing children to go to school. So far HiH has brought more than 160.000 working children to HiH’s own 800 schools. Millions of people are also affected by the Health Programs and Environmental Programs.
“Mobilization of poor people into entrepreneurship – a mass movement in developing countries”.
