The Wealthy Are Part of the Solution

Two leaders. One is a senior Swiss banker with over 35 years of professional experience, the other is a young social entrepreneur from Chile.

They have been brought together by the Wealth Inequality Initiative. Romeo Lacher as the Chairman of the Julius Baer Foundation, with its mission to reduce inequalities and pave the way for a more equal society. Sebastián Salinas as the founder and CEO of Balloon Latam, which has been tackling wealth inequality since 2011 by mentoring, upskilling and giving access to networks and markets to small entrepreneurs in rural Chile.

In Perspectives #7 we wanted to find out how two leaders from very different walks of life and professional backgrounds aim to make an impact through their leadership styles.

It turns out they have a lot more in common than one might expect: open-mindedness, the ability to listen and taking responsibility as a role model are key assets for them to drive change.

And they both have a clear call to action for the richest 1% of the world: they have the resources and ability to make the difference, and they have a responsibility to be part of the solution.

About

Romeo

Lacher

Since April 2019, Romeo Lacher has been Chairman of the Board of Directors of Julius Baer Group Ltd. and Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd., and he was appointed President of the Julius Baer Foundation in July 2020. He was elected Vice Chairman of the Bank Council of the Swiss National Bank on 30 April 2021. From 2016 to 2020, Romeo Lacher was Chairman of the Board of Directors of SIX Group AG and from 2008 until 2016, he served as its Vice Chairman. Romeo Lacher’s financial industry track record of over 35 years includes extensive executive experience in operations, product management, retail and private banking. He spent 26 successful years at Credit Suisse, where he was responsible for Private Banking region EMEA/Western Europe and held the position of Chief Operating Officer at Credit Suisse International Wealth Management until 2016.

Romeo Lacher holds a Master’s and a PhD in Economics from the University of St. Gallen. Additionally, he is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program of Harvard Business School.

About

Sebastian

Salinas Claro

Founder and CEO of Balloon Latam, a certified B Corp and twice-in-a-row ‘Best for the World’ selected company that seeks to foster entrepreneurship in rural Chile. Sebastián studied business at Adolfo Ibañez University in Santiago de Chile and holds a Master’s degree in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the same institution. He also graduated from the Public Policy and Impact Evaluation program run by the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and the Economics Institute from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. Since 2015 he’s been an Ashoka fellow and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers community.

About Balloon Latam, Chile

See how Balloon Latam and the Julius Baer Foundation are reducing wealth inequality in rural Chile through training in sustainable entrepreneurialism, generation of commercial networks, and bonds of trust between the privileged and the less privileged.

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