Podcasts about Grameen America

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Best podcasts about Grameen America

Latest podcast episodes about Grameen America

Secrets of Rockstar CFOs
Focusing On Social Impact At Grameen America with Lucas Ramirez

Secrets of Rockstar CFOs

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2024 46:12


Grameen America is more than microfinance – it is a lifeline for women striving to build a better future. Jack McCullough sits down with their CFO, Lucas Ramirez, who shares how they prioritize social impact over financial gain to make actual and tangible change in community and society. He shares how Grameen America garnered impressive growth through its unique approach to microfinance and operational efficiency. Lucas also shares how he found himself in the CFO role, emphasizing the importance of work-life harmony, networking, and financial depth when taking on this position.To book a demo with Payhawk, click here. To book a demo with Planful, click here.

Wisdom From The Top
Failing Forward is Key: Andrea Jung of Grameen America

Wisdom From The Top

Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2024 34:40


One of the things Andrea Jung remembers Steve Jobs saying was "fail forward." If you don't fail you're not risking enough. For over a decade as CEO of direct-sales giant Avon, Andrea Jung was one of the most powerful women in the cosmetics industry. During her tenure, Jung saw striking success, but also faced daunting challenges with a failed product rollout and massive restructuring. Since 2014, Andrea has brought her passion for supporting female entrepreneurs to her job as CEO of Grameen America, a non-profit focused on micro-lending. In this classic conversation from 2020, Andrea and Guy mine the many lessons she has learned from more than twenty years of running organizations that empower women--by supporting them as entrepreneurs.

Capital for Good
Andrea Jung, President and CEO of Grameen America: Leading Women's Economic Empowerment in the United States and Around the World

Capital for Good

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 8, 2023 32:54


In this episode of Capital for Good we speak with Andrea Jung, the president and CEO of Grameen America, the fastest growing microfinance organization in the United States. Jung is the former chairman and CEO of Avon Products Inc, where she was the longest serving female CEO in the Fortune 500, and a stalwart champion of women's economic empowerment in the United States and across the globe. Jung has been widely recognized as one of the most influential women in business, and in forging public-private partnerships that end violence against women, support women's health, and vastly expand economic inclusion. Since 2014, under Jung's leadership, Grameen America has expanded to serve more than 179,000 women in 25 cities across the United States, with plans to continue to increase the organization's impact over the next decade. Over the course of this conversation, Jung explains how a multi-decade career at Avon, where she began in a mid-level marketing role and would serve as the first woman CEO from 1999 through 2012 (and chairman from 2001 to 2012), was inspired and shaped by the company's longstanding mission to empower women via a pathway to economic independence and equal opportunity. Jung explains that by giving Avon “ladies,” the company's direct to consumer sales force, personal earning power, it allows them to change the lives of their families and communities. Founded in 1886 — more than thirty years before women's suffrage in the United States — Avon's commitment to women's economic empowerment has been the foundational DNA of the company, linking its purpose and commercial success. As CEO, Jung was responsible for significant global growth, expanding economic earnings (approximately $3 billion) and opportunities for over six million women in more than 100 countries. Jung explains how this experience in women's economic empowerment at Avon naturally led her to Grameen America. Founded by Muhammad Yunus, the economist and Nobel Laureate who pioneered microlending in Bangladesh, Grameen America sought to extend this model to the United States. Today, Grameen America's 179,000 members, primarily Black and Latina women with 99.8 percent repayment rates on $3.5 billion in loans to date, have proven the case. Through a combination of new partnerships, technological innovations and a greater visibility of the success of its financial inclusion model — to new borrowers, policy makers, and donors and lenders — Grameen America is poised for “breakout” growth and scale. Thanks for Listening! Subscribe to Capital for Good on Apple, Amazon, Google, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Drop us a line at socialenterprise@gsb.columbia.edu.  Mentioned in this Episode Impact Report (Grameen America) MDRC Evaluation of Grameen America Microfinance Model (Grameen America, March 2022) “Women are Limitless: Unlocking the Financial Power of Future Leaders,” (Grameen America Annual Report, 2022)

Capital for Good
Introducing Capital for Good Season Three

Capital for Good

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2023 2:11


We find ourselves at a moment of great challenge – and opportunity.  In this season of Capital for Good, we'll explore how the world's political, economic, and climate crises have compelled us to reimagine how leaders across the private, nonprofit, and public sectors champion social and environmental change in ways that truly advance shared prosperity and a sustainable future. This season host Georgia Levenson Keohane will speak with a dynamic line-up of leaders, including business and nonprofit leader Andrea Jung, the former CEO of Avon and current president and CEO of Grameen America; Nick Turner, the president of the Vera Institute of Justice; Pulitzer prize winner, New York Times writer, and author David Leonhardt; Sonal Shah, the CEO of the Texas Tribune; political strategist and arts and civic leader Luis Miranda; corporate and sustainability pioneer Audrey Choi; Shaun Donovan, government leader and current Enterprise Community Partners CEO; and Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America, the leading human rights and free expression organization; and more!

Wisdom From The Top
Avon: Andrea Jung

Wisdom From The Top

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2023 35:35


For over a decade as CEO of direct-sales giant Avon, Andrea Jung was one of the most powerful women in the cosmetics industry. During her tenure, Jung saw striking success, but also faced daunting challenges with a failed product rollout and massive restructuring. Since 2014, Andrea has brought her passion for supporting female entrepreneurs to her job as CEO of Grameen America, a non-profit focused on micro-lending.

ceo jung avon grameen america
Beyond Consulting
From Consulting to Nonprofit Microfinance

Beyond Consulting

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2022 47:57


In this week's episode of Beyond Consulting, we welcome Rajitha Swaminathan, former Deloitte consultant, and current Vice President of Program Strategy & Member Services at Grameen America.   Rajitha joins us to discuss her current role at Grameen America, where they provide small loans (microfinance) to low-income women entrepreneurs to make big impacts in communities across the US. They are currently investing $2.12 Billion in more than 142,500 low-income females! Rajitha explains how they manage this massive network, and how they maximize each and every participant's success. Before Grameen America, Rajitha was a senior consultant at Deloitte focused on financial services / strategy and operations. Prior to that, she spent time working in the Indian telecom business, and has degrees from multiple institutions including Columbia.   Each week we speak with leaders in venture capital, private equity, investment banking, and consulting to explore the various career options after leaving management consulting firms like McKinsey, Bain, BCG.   Grameen America: www.grameenamerica.org   ECA: www.eca-partners.com   Beyond Consulting: www.beyondconsulting.info

Wisdom From The Top
Avon: Andrea Jung

Wisdom From The Top

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 20, 2022 36:44 Very Popular


For over a decade as CEO of direct-sales giant Avon, Andrea Jung was one of the most powerful women in the cosmetics industry. During her tenure, Jung saw striking success, but also faced daunting challenges with a failed product rollout and massive restructuring. Since 2014, Andrea has brought her passion for supporting female entrepreneurs to her job as CEO of Grameen America, a non-profit focused on micro-lending.

ceo jung avon grameen america
UBS On-Air
Living your legacy: Andrea Jung

UBS On-Air

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2022 35:38


Join Julie Binder, Senior Strategist on the Family Advisory and Philanthropy Services team, in a discussion with Andrea Jung, President and CEO of Grameen America. Andrea is the longest-serving female chief executive in the Fortune 500, a trailblazer for women, and long-term champion of women's issues. She will share her passion for the work Grameen America does and the immense impact they have had. Founded in 2008, Grameen America builds on the legacy and proven model of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus. Grameen America is a microfinance institution dedicated to helping women who live in poverty build small businesses to create better lives for their families. Since inception, the organization has invested over 1.7 billion USD to more than 133,000 low-income women across the United States through its unique social capital model.

UBS On-Air: Conversations
Living your legacy: Andrea Jung

UBS On-Air: Conversations

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2022 35:38


Join Julie Binder, Senior Strategist on the Family Advisory and Philanthropy Services team, in a discussion with Andrea Jung, President and CEO of Grameen America. Andrea is the longest-serving female chief executive in the Fortune 500, a trailblazer for women, and long-term champion of women's issues. She will share her passion for the work Grameen America does and the immense impact they have had. Founded in 2008, Grameen America builds on the legacy and proven model of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus. Grameen America is a microfinance institution dedicated to helping women who live in poverty build small businesses to create better lives for their families. Since inception, the organization has invested over 1.7 billion USD to more than 133,000 low-income women across the United States through its unique social capital model.

More than Money
04 Oxana Ermolova | Corporate Partnerships Manager at Grameen America

More than Money

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2021 45:46


Oxana is the Corporate Partnerships Manager of Grameen America and one of the most thoughtful people we've interviewed. Moving from Russia, to Kazakhstan and then arriving in America when she was eight, Oxana always wanted to give back to the community that gave so much to her and her mother. Pre-MBA this was going to happen through the Arts, but she had a pivotal moment during her studies when she consulted to a company focused on women's financial inclusion. Oxana realized that she wanted to work on systemic issues like access to capital, which led her to Grameen America and doing the transformational work of providing micro loans to women entrepreneurs who live below the federal poverty line. This interview is well worth a listen for key insights into how you can consider, test and reflect on the impact career path that's a match for you.

Squawk Pod
Etsy, AMC Stock and Hey, Free Popcorn

Squawk Pod

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2021 33:21


Etsy has acquired fashion marketplace Depop for about $1.6 billion in a big bet on the coveted Gen Z demographic. Etsy CEO Josh Silverman discusses the acquisition as well as the company’s post-pandemic outlook. Fresh off its latest boost from Reddit-reading retail traders, AMC is launching “AMC Investor Connect,” an initiative that will put the movie theater chain in direct communication with its individual shareholders and even offers free popcorn. CNBC’s Robert Frank breaks down AMC’s rising fortunes amid the retail-trading boom. Grameen America, a leading micro-finance non-profit, wants to help close the racial wealth gap. Grameen America CEO Andrea Jung, announces a commitment of $1.3 billion in loans to 80,000 Black women entrepreneurs over the next ten years. Plus, Elon Musk is in dangerous waters with the SEC for his tweets - but the Tesla brand may be coming to a drive-in near you - and Amazon is adjusting its drug testing policy.

Kamp Solutions
205. Andrea Jung | Kamp Solutions | Beyond the Virus SPECIAL

Kamp Solutions

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2021 21:32


Andrea Jung, CEO of Grameen America, tells Jurriaan Kamp that everyone can make their own work and generate their own income. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thekampsolutionseries/support

ceo viruses jung kamp grameen america
Who Gets What?
New Businesses, Parks, Philanthropy, Democracy, with Tom Hiatt

Who Gets What?

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2021 29:01


Tom Hiatt's commitment is The Indiana Democracy Collaboration, but this only is the most recent of a long-line of activities, such as creating an endowment for Holliday Park, starting The Indianapolis branch of Grameen America (micro loans to women living below the poverty line), venture capital, and helping to raise $70 million for Newfields (Indianapolis Museum of Art).  

Here's Something Good
10 Days of Giving Back: How Grameen America is Empowering Women Entrepreneurs

Here's Something Good

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2020 9:32


Women entrepreneurs can lift their families and their communities out of poverty, and nonprofit Grameen American, led by CEO Andrea Jung, is helping them do just that with micro-loans and support. Hear how Grameen is going the extra mile for its members during Covid--and how you can make a difference. And learn more at grameenamerica.org. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Seneca's 100 Women to Hear
Andrea Jung: Empowering Women Entrepreneurs

Seneca's 100 Women to Hear

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2020 33:44


She went from being the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company when she was appointed to the helm of Avon, at age 38, to President and CEO of nonprofit Grameen America, where she has given out more than $1 billion in micro-loans to more than 135,000 low-income women in the US. Host Kim Azzarelli talks to Jung about following your compass, and how women’s entrepreneurship can lift entire communities. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Here's Something Good
The Resilience of America's Women Entrepreneurs During the Pandemic

Here's Something Good

Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2020 6:24


For years, a bright spot in the American economy has been its women-owned businesses. Andrea Jung, President and CEO of Grameen America, reveals that while women business owners have been hit hard by the pandemic, they're also demonstrating a resilience and sense of optimism we can all learn from.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Business of Giving
Grameen America Reimagines Business Model to Support 52,000 Women Entrepreneurs

Business of Giving

Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2020 20:45


The following is a conversation between Andrea Jung, President and CEO of Grameen America, and Denver Frederick, the host of the Business of Giving. In this interview, Andrea Jung, President and CEO of Grameen America, shares the following: • 2,450 virtual meetings per week • Economic Relief and Recovery Fund • Keys to leadership in a crisis

Rockefeller Client Insights
Andrea Jung, Paul Myners and Marty Mannion

Rockefeller Client Insights

Play Episode Listen Later May 4, 2020 61:11


This week's episode has Rockefeller Capital Management's President and CEO Greg Fleming in conversation with Andrea Jung, President and CEO of Grameen America, Paul Myners, Chair and Partner of Cevian Capital and Former UK Minister of Treasury, and Marty Mannion, Senior Advisor and Former Managing Director of Summit Partners. Listen in as these prominent leaders discuss the retail sector, asset management and a deeper dive into private equity in episode four of Rockefeller Client Insights. Originally broadcast live April 24, 2020.

Seneca Women Conversations on Power and Purpose
SPECIAL EDITION: CORONAVIRUS: Andrea Jung on How Microlending is Helping Women Entrepreneurs

Seneca Women Conversations on Power and Purpose

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2020 21:39


CEO of Grameen America, Andrea Jung tells how micro-loans, innovative financing and a community built on trust are helping women entrepreneurs pull through the coronavirus crisis. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Seneca Women Conversations on Power and Purpose
Andrea Jung on the Power of Women’s Networks

Seneca Women Conversations on Power and Purpose

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2020 18:16


Never underestimate the power of women’s networks. In this episode, hear from Andrea Jung, CEO of Grameen America, former CEO of Avon, and the first woman to be appointed to the Board of Directors of Apple. In conversation with Kim Azzarelli at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Andrea tells how she’s using her power for purpose to advance women entrepreneurs and why she is optimistic about the future of women’s leadership.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Ellevate Podcast: Conversations With Women Changing the Face of Business
Episode 174: Summit Recap - The Power of Empathy, with Ajay Banga and Andrea Jung

Ellevate Podcast: Conversations With Women Changing the Face of Business

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2019 32:19


On this week's episode, we are bringing one of our favorite segments from the 2019 Mobilize Women Summit right to you. Ajay Banga, President & CEO, Mastercard; Andrea Jung, President & CEO, Grameen America, and our very own Kristy Wallace, CEO, Ellevate Network have a discussion on why it is important to practice empathy and lead with empathy inside organizations, tackling bias in the world, as well as how they address tough problems at work through their empathetic approaches.    ᐧ  

Ellevate Podcast: Conversations With Women Changing the Face of Business
Episode 174: Summit Recap - The Power of Empathy, with Ajay Banga and Andrea Jung

Ellevate Podcast: Conversations With Women Changing the Face of Business

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2019 32:17


On this week's episode, we are bringing one of our favorite segments from the 2019 Mobilize Women Summit right to you. Ajay Banga, President & CEO, Mastercard; Andrea Jung, President & CEO, Grameen America, and our very own Kristy Wallace, CEO, Ellevate Network have a discussion on why it is important to practice empathy and lead with empathy inside organizations, tackling bias in the world, as well as how they address tough problems at work through their empathetic approaches.    ᐧ  

Evidence First
The Story of a Practitioner-Researcher Partnership: Studying the Effects of the Grameen America Program

Evidence First

Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2019 11:13


Can giving small loans to low-income people to start or grow their businesses help lift them out of poverty and improve overall well-being? That’s the idea behind microlending – a promising approach implemented by institutions worldwide. But only limited rigorous evidence is available on the model’s effectiveness, especially in advanced economies. MDRC is evaluating Grameen America, a program that provides small loans to groups of low-income women in the U.S. using a model designed by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus for the original Grameen Bank program in Bangladesh in the 1970s. But carrying out the first random assignment evaluation of Grameen America and its complex model presented unique challenges. In this episode, Katie Beal talks with Marcus Berkowitz, Vice President of Technology and Innovation at Grameen America, and Richard Hendra, MDRC’s Senior Fellow who leads the evaluation, about the partnership between the organizations and how they worked together to overcome those challenges.

Lend Academy Podcast
Podcast 95: Andrea Jung of Grameen America

Lend Academy Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2017 34:47


Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

jung grameen america
Lend Academy Podcast
Podcast 95: Andrea Jung of Grameen America

Lend Academy Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2017 34:44


Grameen America is a different kind of lender. The concept was started by Muhammad Yunus back in the 1970’s in Bangladesh and it has been so successful that he won a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. Grameen America works on the same principles as the original Grameen: providing small loans to female entrepreneurs to […] The post Podcast 95: Andrea Jung of Grameen America appeared first on Lend Academy.

Lend Academy Podcast
Podcast 95: Andrea Jung of Grameen America

Lend Academy Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2017 34:44


Grameen America is a different kind of lender. The concept was started by Muhammad Yunus back in the 1970’s in Bangladesh and it has been so successful that he won a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. Grameen America works on the same principles as the original Grameen: providing small loans to female entrepreneurs to […] The post Podcast 95: Andrea Jung of Grameen America appeared first on Lend Academy.

Clarity from Chaos Podcast
Conversation with national radio host Ms. Megan Barth

Clarity from Chaos Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2016 33:07


WASHINGTON (AP) — More than half the people outside the government who met with Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state gave money — either personally or through companies or groups — to the Clinton Foundation. It's an extraordinary proportion indicating her possible ethics challenges if elected president. At least 85 of 154 people from private interests who met or had phone conversations scheduled with Clinton while she led the State Department donated to her family charity or pledged commitments to its international programs, according to a review of State Department calendars released so far to The Associated Press. Combined, the 85 donors contributed as much as $156 million. At least 40 donated more than $100,000 each, and 20 gave more than $1 million. Donors who were granted time with Clinton included an internationally known economist who asked for her help as the Bangladesh government pressured him to resign from a nonprofit bank he ran; a Wall Street executive who sought Clinton's help with a visa problem; and Estee Lauder executives who were listed as meeting with Clinton while her department worked with the firm's corporate charity to counter gender-based violence in South Africa. The meetings between the Democratic presidential nominee and foundation donors do not appear to violate legal agreements Clinton and former president Bill Clinton signed before she joined the State Department in 2009. But the frequency of the overlaps shows the intermingling of access and donations, and fuels perceptions that giving the foundation money was a price of admission for face time with Clinton. Her calendars and emails released as recently as this week describe scores of contacts she and her top aides had with foundation donors. The AP's findings represent the first systematic effort to calculate the scope of the intersecting interests of Clinton Foundation donors and people who met personally with Clinton or spoke to her by phone about their needs. The 154 did not include U.S. federal employees or foreign government representatives. Clinton met with representatives of at least 16 foreign governments that donated as much as $170 million to the Clinton charity, but they were not included in AP's calculations because such meetings would presumably have been part of her diplomatic duties. Clinton's campaign said the AP analysis was flawed because it did not include in its calculations meetings with foreign diplomats or U.S. government officials, and the meetings AP examined covered only the first half of Clinton's tenure as secretary of state. "It is outrageous to misrepresent Secretary Clinton's basis for meeting with these individuals," spokesman Brian Fallon said. He called it "a distorted portrayal of how often she crossed paths with individuals connected to charitable donations to the Clinton Foundation." Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump fiercely criticized the links between the Clinton Foundation and the State Department, saying his general election opponent had delivered "lie after lie after lie." "Hillary Clinton is totally unfit to hold public office," he said at a rally Tuesday night in Austin, Texas. "It is impossible to figure out where the Clinton Foundation ends and the State Department begins. It is now abundantly clear that the Clintons set up a business to profit from public office." Last week, the Clinton Foundation moved to head off ethics concerns about future donations by announcing changes planned if Clinton is elected. On Monday, Bill Clinton said in a statement that if his wife were to win, he would step down from the foundation's board and stop all fundraising for it. The foundation would also accept donations only from U.S. citizens and what it described as independent philanthropies, while no longer taking gifts from foreign groups, U.S. companies or corporate charities. Clinton said the foundation would no longer hold annual meetings of its international aid program, the Clinton Global Initiative, and it would spin off its foreign-based programs to other charities. Those planned changes would not affect more than 6,000 donors who have already provided the Clinton charity with more than $2 billion in funding since its creation in 2000. "There's a lot of potential conflicts and a lot of potential problems," said Douglas White, an expert on nonprofits who previously directed Columbia University's graduate fundraising management program. "The point is, she can't just walk away from these 6,000 donors." Former senior White House ethics officials said a Clinton administration would have to take careful steps to ensure that past foundation donors would not have the same access as she allowed at the State Department. "If Secretary Clinton puts the right people in and she's tough about it and has the right procedures in place and sends a message consistent with a strong commitment to ethics, it can be done," said Norman L. Eisen, who was President Barack Obama's top ethics counsel and later worked for Clinton as ambassador to the Czech Republic. Eisen, now a governance studies fellow at the Brookings Institution, said that at a minimum, Clinton should retain the Obama administration's current ethics commitments and oversight, which include lobbying restrictions and other rules. Richard Painter, a former ethics adviser to President George W. Bush and currently a University of Minnesota law school professor, said Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton should remove themselves completely from foundation leadership roles, but he added that potential conflicts would shadow any policy decision affecting past donors. Fallon did not respond to the AP's questions about Clinton transition plans regarding ethics, but said in a statement the standard set by the Clinton Foundation's ethics restrictions was "unprecedented, even if it may never satisfy some critics." State Department officials have said they are not aware of any agency actions influenced by the Clinton Foundation. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Tuesday night that there are no prohibitions against agency contacts with "political campaigns, nonprofits or foundations — including the Clinton Foundation." He added that "meeting requests, recommendations and proposals come to the department through a variety of channels, both formal and informal." Some of Clinton's most influential visitors donated millions to the Clinton Foundation and to her and her husband's political coffers. They are among scores of Clinton visitors and phone contacts in her official calendar turned over by the State Department to AP last year and in more-detailed planning schedules that so far have covered about half her four-year tenure. The AP sought Clinton's calendar and schedules three years ago, but delays led the AP to sue the State Department last year in federal court for those materials and other records. S. Daniel Abraham, whose name also was included in emails released by the State Department as part of another lawsuit, is a Clinton fundraising bundler who was listed in Clinton's planners for eight meetings with her at various times. A billionaire behind the Slim-Fast diet and founder of the Center for Middle East Peace, Abraham told the AP last year his talks with Clinton concerned Mideast issues. Big Clinton Foundation donors with no history of political giving to the Clintons also met or talked by phone with Hillary Clinton and top aides, AP's review showed. Muhammad Yunus, a Bangladeshi economist who won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for pioneering low-interest "microcredit" for poor business owners, met with Clinton three times and talked with her by phone during a period when Bangladeshi government authorities investigated his oversight of a nonprofit bank and ultimately pressured him to resign from the bank's board. Throughout the process, he pleaded for help in messages routed to Clinton, and she ordered aides to find ways to assist him. American affiliates of his nonprofit Grameen Bank had been working with the Clinton Foundation's Clinton Global Initiative programs as early as 2005, pledging millions of dollars in microloans for the poor. Grameen America, the bank's nonprofit U.S. flagship, which Yunus chairs, has given between $100,000 and $250,000 to the foundation — a figure that bank spokeswoman Becky Asch said reflects the institution's annual fees to attend CGI meetings. Another Grameen arm chaired by Yunus, Grameen Research, has donated between $25,000 and $50,000. As a U.S. senator from New York, Clinton, as well as then-Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry and two other senators in 2007 sponsored a bill to award a congressional gold medal to Yunus. He got one but not until 2010, a year after Obama awarded him a Presidential Medal of Freedom. Yunus first met with Clinton in Washington in April 2009. That was followed six months later by an announcement by USAID, the State Department's foreign aid arm, that it was partnering with the Grameen Foundation, a nonprofit charity run by Yunus, in a $162 million commitment to extend its microfinance concept abroad. USAID also began providing loans and grants to the Grameen Foundation, totaling $2.2 million over Clinton's tenure. By September 2009, Yunus began complaining to Clinton's top aides about what he perceived as poor treatment by Bangladesh's government. His bank was accused of financial mismanagement of Norwegian government aid money — a charge that Norway later dismissed as baseless. But Yunus told Melanne Verveer, a long-time Clinton aide who was an ambassador-at-large for global women's issues, that Bangladesh officials refused to meet with him and asked the State Department for help in pressing his case. "Please see if the issues of Grameen Bank can be raised in a friendly way," he asked Verveer. Yunus sent "regards to H" and cited an upcoming Clinton Global Initiative event he planned to attend. Clinton ordered an aide: "Give to EAP rep," referring the problem to the agency's top east Asia expert. Yunus continued writing to Verveer as pressure mounted on his bank. In December 2010, responding to a news report that Bangladesh's prime minister was urging an investigation of Grameen Bank, Clinton told Verveer that she wanted to discuss the matter with her East Asia expert "ASAP." Clinton called Yunus in March 2011 after the Bangladesh government opened an inquiry into his oversight of Grameen Bank. Yunus had told Verveer by email that "the situation does not allow me to leave the country." By mid-May, the Bangladesh government had forced Yunus to step down from the bank's board. Yunus sent Clinton a copy of his resignation letter. In a separate note to Verveer, Clinton wrote: "Sad indeed." Clinton met with Yunus a second time in Washington in August 2011 and again in the Bangladesh capital of Dhaka in May 2012. Clinton's arrival in Bangladesh came after Bangladesh authorities moved to seize control of Grameen Bank's effort to find new leaders. Speaking to a town hall audience, Clinton warned the Bangladesh government that "we do not want to see any action taken that would in any way undermine or interfere in the operations of the Grameen Bank." Grameen America's Asch referred other questions about Yunus to his office, but he had not responded by Tuesday. In another case, Clinton was host at a September 2009 breakfast meeting at the New York Stock Exchange that listed Blackstone Group chairman Stephen Schwarzman as one of the attendees. Schwarzman's firm is a major Clinton Foundation donor, but he personally donates heavily to GOP candidates and causes. One day after the breakfast, according to Clinton emails, the State Department was working on a visa issue at Schwarzman's request. In December that same year, Schwarzman's wife, Christine, sat at Clinton's table during the Kennedy Center Honors. Clinton also introduced Schwarzman, then chairman of the Kennedy Center, before he spoke. Blackstone donated between $250,000 and $500,000 to the Clinton Foundation. Eight Blackstone executives also gave between $375,000 and $800,000 to the foundation. And Blackstone's charitable arm has pledged millions of dollars in commitments to three Clinton Global aid projects ranging from the U.S. to the Mideast. Blackstone officials did not make Schwarzman available for comment. Clinton also met in June 2011 with Nancy Mahon of the MAC AIDS, the charitable arm of MAC Cosmetics, which is owned by Estee Lauder. The meeting occurred before an announcement about a State Department partnership to raise money to finance AIDS education and prevention. The public-private partnership was formed to fight gender-based violence in South Africa, the State Department said at the time. The MAC AIDS fund donated between $5 million and $10 million to the Clinton Foundation. In 2008, Mahon and the MAC AIDS fund made a three-year unspecified commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative. That same year, the fund partnered with two other organizations to beef up a USAID program in Malawi and Ghana. And in 2011, the fund was one of eight organizations to pledge a total of $2 million over a three-year period to help girls in southern Africa. The fund has not made a commitment to CGI since 2011. Estee Lauder executive Fabrizio Freda also met with Clinton at the same Wall Street event attended by Schwarzman. Later that month, Freda was on a list of attendees for a meeting between Clinton and a U.S.-China trade group. Estee Lauder has given between $100,000 and $250,000 to the Clinton Foundation. The company made a commitment to CGI in 2013 with four other organizations to help survivors of sexual slavery in Cambodia. MAC AIDS officials did not make Mahon available to AP for comment. When Clinton appeared before the U.S. Senate in early 2009 for her confirmation hearing as secretary of state, then- Sen. Richard Lugar, a Republican from Indiana, questioned her at length about the foundation and potential conflicts of interest. His concerns were focused on foreign government donations, mostly to CGI. Lugar wanted more transparency than was ultimately agreed upon between the foundation and Obama's transition team. Now, Lugar hopes Hillary and Bill Clinton make a clean break from the foundation. "The Clintons, as they approach the presidency, if they are successful, will have to work with their attorneys to make certain that rules of the road are drawn up to give confidence to them and the American public that there will not be favoritism," Lugar said. http://www.reaganbaby.com

Radiate with Betty Liu
Andrea Jung: Breaking Glass Ceilings and Facing Tough Challenges

Radiate with Betty Liu

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2015 29:53


This is our inaugural episode, and appropriately, we're kicking it off with someone who's practically seen it all. Andrea Jung is the CEO of Grameen America, a non-profit microfinance organization. Before that she was the CEO of Avon, one of the first woman CEOs of a major Fortune 500 company. She graced magazine covers and power lists over and over again. But then, it all came to a grinding halt. Sales begin to slow, the stock price fell and before long she left to start over. In this conversation Andrea talks about her upbringing, what she had to do to overcome as a woman in the corporate world, and the skills that helped her along the way.

CUNY TV's Asian American Life
Best of Asian American Life: July 2015

CUNY TV's Asian American Life

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2015 29:16


AAL explores the multimillion dollar surrogacy industry, and the legacy of photographer Tseng Kwong Chi! Reporter Kyung Yoon calls on CEO Andrea Jung of Grameen America. Plus: Minnie Roh’s exclusive report on Japan’s war crimes against wome

CUNY TV's Asian American Life

Host Ernabel Demillio visits Sesame Street to chat with Alan Muraoka. Kyung Yoon calls on CEO Andrea Jung of Grameen America. Paul Lin talks CSI with the legendary Dr. Henry Lee. Plus: Minnie Roh’s exclusive report on Japan’s war crimes against women

Bizination - Dhando, Takko, Rokdo
BiziNation #29: Mega Deals

Bizination - Dhando, Takko, Rokdo

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2009 23:00


Ritika gives us a run down of some ground realitiy in Australia on the attacks on Indians. This podcast is a mix of national and international news. Australia has just been handed out a stimulus package a good percentage of which went to the dead! Back home in India, Bharati has renewed talks with MTN for what would be the biggest Indian acquisition. The Bharti tie up with Walmart spwaned a 50000 sq feet cash and carry store in Amritsar. And in another news, Grameen America, the microfinance bank led by Mohd Yunus has an envious track record despite the recession.

Bizination - Dhando, Takko, Rokdo
BiziNation #29: Mega Deals

Bizination - Dhando, Takko, Rokdo

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2009 23:00


Ritika gives us a run down of some ground realitiy in Australia on the attacks on Indians. This podcast is a mix of national and international news. Australia has just been handed out a stimulus package a good percentage of which went to the dead! Back home in India, Bharati has renewed talks with MTN for what would be the biggest Indian acquisition. The Bharti tie up with Walmart spwaned a 50000 sq feet cash and carry store in Amritsar. And in another news, Grameen America, the microfinance bank led by Mohd Yunus has an envious track record despite the recession.

WWRL Morning Show with Errol Louis
Hero of the Day: Muhammad Yunus

WWRL Morning Show with Errol Louis

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2009 3:09


Grameen America, a new offshoot of Yunus' global organization, provides banking services for the poor in Queens.