Difference Makers Ep1: David Nussbaum: A prisoner of hope

Difference Makers Podcast

In this episode we meet David Nussbaum, a true Difference Maker. Throughout his career he's fought corruption, battled climate change, and worked at the highest levels of industry and politics to make meaningful change in the world.
He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse, moved into venture capital with 3i, and then into manufacturing, becoming the Financial Director of Field Group plc
In 1997 David left the world of business and finance and joined Oxfam as FD and Deputy CEO and was later seconded to head up Oxfam’s operations in India. David went on to become Chair of Transparency International, the leading global anti-corruption organisation, CEO of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) UK, and now Chief Executive at The Elders. The Elders are an independent group of global leaders working together for peace, justice and human rights. They were founded by the late Nelson Mandela, and are currently chaired by Mary Robinson.
In each of these roles he used the knowledge, perspective, skills and capabilities that he gained from his background as a Chartered Accountant to make a difference. Whether that was through using his skills with numbers to improve logistics for aid operations, using numbers to help tell the story of corruption in countries around the world, using communication and interpersonal skills to help further the goal of persuading leaders to work with a greater sense of justice, ethics, and consideration for the good of all.

He ends by quoting Arch-bishop Desmond Tutu, who when asked why he was such an eternal optimist, replied: "I'm not an optimist, I am a prisoner of hope".