The Tällberg Foundation Announces Winners of its Eliasson Global Leadership Prize
Mr. Alonso , an architect, co-founder and executive director of Instituto Elos based in Santos, Brazil was selected for his dedication to participative leadership,
mobilization and community building;
Ms. Heller was chosen for her tireless efforts to provide competent legal support for refugees who must cope with complicated legal systems as they seek refuge from war, genocide, economic collapse and other factors;
Mr . Omenetto , the Frank C. Doble Professor of Engineering, and a Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Tufts University in Boston was chosen for his
pioneering work using silk as a material platform for advanced technology with
applications in photonics, optoelectronics and nanotechnology;
Mr. Simons was honored for his ability to integrate technology, entrepreneurship and practical politics in new, effective, and scalable approaches to development, that are relevant not only to Ghana, but to other emerging countries.
“Conventional wisdom is that leadership is in short supply today—but conventional
wisdom is wrong,” said Alan Stoga, chairman of the Tällberg Foundation. “These four leaders, working in very different fields and confronting very different challenges, demonstrate that individuals with vision, talent, courage and values are hard at work to change the world for the better.”
Andreas Dracopoulos, Co-President and Director of SNF, added, “We support this
initiative because we believe that creative, bold and principled leadership is desperately needed today. The Eliasson Global Leadership Prize identifies and honors leaders who not only are making a difference now, but whose work is likely to have even more significant impact in the future.”
The Eliasson Global Leadership Prize, supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation
(SNF), is given annually to outstanding leaders from any country and any discipline
whose work is global in application, innovative, optimistic, courageous and based on
universal values. Winners are chosen by an international jury, convened by The Tällberg Foundation, from a pool of leaders nominated through an open, online process. Each award carries a stipend of $50,000.
The Eliasson Global Leadership Prize of the Tällberg Foundation is named in honor of the international and Swedish diplomat, Jan Eliasson, who most recently served as
Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations.