WE ARE MAD
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+40
COUNTRIES
17
SDG
+60
ORGANISATIONS
We are a global movement of pioneers, committed to Make A Difference
- by transforming ourselves, as well as the businesses, organisations, and institutions we lead.
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MAD Pioneers operate in +40 Countries across six continents,
with more than 60 organisations that range across industries and sectors.
Together, we contribute to the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
THE MAD MANIFESTO
We believe in bold visions and courageous dreams. Daring to be conscious, challenging boundaries, manifesting results. Addressing the problems that really matter.
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Pushing our intellectual barriers, crafting strategies. Taking responsibility, an active choice of empowerment. Unleashing potential within ourselves, as well as the markets and people around us. We crave impact. We believe in action. Getting shit done.
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Knowing that we are stronger together. Knowing there is a spark of madness within each and everyone. We urge you to listen to it. Embrace it. We bring mad people together. To make a difference today for tomorrow. We are a family, bound not by geography, religion nor culture, but by a fundamental belief that we can create a world free of poverty, inequality and injustice.
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We are MAD. Mad to Make A Difference.
THE MAD BOARD
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Staying true to our MAD Manifesto - we build the Board of MAD around two of our core principles:
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- Shared Leadership: We (Emelie and Fiona) are equal companions and lead MAD together.
- MAD Change makers at our Core: The third Board Member is one of the local MAD Entrepreneurs, elected on an annual basis.
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We are beyond thrilled announcing our annual Board Member: Elsa D'Silva. Together, the three of us constitutes the MAD Board.
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Elsa D’Silva is the Founder of Safecity and Red Dot Foundation. Moreover, she is a Yale World Fellow, an alumni of Stanford Draper Hills Summer School, and the US State Department’s Fortune Mentoring Program. She is also a fellow with Rotary Peace, Aspen New Voices, Vital Voices and a BMW Foundation Responsible Leader. She is listed as one of BBC Hindi’s 100 Women, and has won numerous awards, such as the Global Leadership Award by Vital Voices in the presence of Secretary Hillary Clinton. Her work has been recognised by the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations and the UN Foundation. She has penned articles that have appeared in CNN, Huffington Post and others. She has spoken at TEDx, UN Women, the State Department, and the list goes on.
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We are deeply honored, grateful and proud to have this remarkable MAD Change maker, woman and friend on our MAD board.​
THE COMPLETELY MAD ONES​
(THE FOUNDERS)
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As we told our stories of business backpacking through emerging markets, people kept calling us mad. We knew they were right. We wanted to Make A Difference and were mad enough to think we could. One day our paths crossed, and we realized the value of going mad together. Of building a community that brought mad people together to make a difference today for tomorrow. So we founded MAD.
Sincerely Mad,
Fiona & Emeli​e
FIONA HAZELL
Pre MAD
During her 17 years living in South Africa, Fiona developed business and marketing strategies for multi-national retailers in BOP markets across the African continent.
First Sign of Madness
At the age of 26 she traded the boardroom for a backpack to explore more of Africa and share her corporate learnings by coaching entrepreneurs in Zambia, Zanzibar, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa.
MAD
Fiona works with corporates, accelerators and social entrepreneurs to develop profitable and scalable business models that have a positive impact on society. Since relocating to Sweden she has worked with entrepreneurs from Europe, Africa, South America, Asia and the Middle East. She also founded ReStock, a social enterprise which aims to eliminate waste in Kenya’s fresh produce value chain.
Completely MAD
Decides to create the MAD Community together with Emelie during the summer of 2017. No sign of decreasing Madness.
EMELIE K. EKBLAD
Pre MAD
Emelie started her first company at the age of 18, and then worked with start-ups and corporations such as LG and Sony, most recently in leadership team positions at Microsoft.
First Signs of Madness
Passionate about equality, she took on the role as Ambassador for Female Entrepreneurship at the Swedish Government and the Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation at the age of 21. Later, she decided to leave the corporate life, travelled the world by herself, gaining a deeper understanding for local communities and their context.
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MAD
Decides to found Dessaga, a social enterprise that drives social and environmental projects, with a presence across South and Central America as well as Asia and Africa. Driven to support others, she also works as a speaker, strategic advisor and mentor across the same regions for Civil Society Organisations and local entrepreneurs. Teaches Business Innovation at Stockholm School of Entrepreneurship.
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Completely MAD
Decides to create the MAD Community together with Fiona during the summer of 2017. No sign of decreasing Madness.
A MAD SERIES OF BREAKTHROUGHS
HOW WE WORK
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SOCIETAL DEVELOPMENT
MAD LEAP
Clean Water
& Sanitation
MAD LEAP
Education
MAD LEAP
Health
MAD LEAP
Emerging ...
MAD METHODOLOGY & COMMUNITY
MAD Leadership-, Business-, and Societal Innovation Models,
continuously co-created by the MAD Community
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
The MAD Course
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
MAD Sessions
THERE IS METHOD IN THE MADNESS
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Recognizing that humans were the ones who build society in the first place - we are also uniquely equipped to change it. Humans created businesses, organisation, institutions, and systems for resources, products and services to be distributed. Thus, as we go after addressing the greatest challenges of our times - we tie the components of personal, business and societal development together.
THE MAD LEAPS - Societal Development through Systemic Transformation: We bring change makers together across industries, sectors and disciplines to explore and catalyze the Leapfrogging of societal systems, through the MAD innovation process "A Series of Breakthroughs". The societal challenges we address always depart from a local leader and community, and is taken forward by a global transdisiplinary stakeholder ecosystem - ensuring local anchoring and relevance, as well as strong potential for global scalability.
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THE MAD METHODOLOGY & COMMUNITY: To distil and derive the insight from one leap into another - as well as share the ongoing challenges and constantly evolving models with the MAD Course and MAD Sessions - is the beating heart of the MAD Community and the co-created MAD Methodology. This central body of MAD ensures that nothing is done as an academic exercises, but instead that all our work is Challenge driven, Mission Lead, and Crowd Sourced; Collectively Unlocking Insights, Catalyzing Impact and Ensuring Sustainable Revenue. The Community and Methodology evolves and grows as further MAD change makers join and the collective body of knowledge expands,, building an ever stronger foundation for the future.
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THE MAD COURSE - Personal Development through awakening the dormant Pioneer: Since we believe both Gandhi ("Be the change you want to see") and MIT ("The success of an intervention depends on the success of an intervenor") where right, we've crafted the MAD Course. It departs from You; the individual and how she is uniquely equipped to Make A Difference. The Course supports the participants to explore their passion and purpose, and discover how they can build meaningful lives and ventures from it. Turning their personal vision into reality. The course builds upon the insights from the MAD Community and Methodology, and enables the participants to learn through co-creating change within the Leaps, as well as through launching their own vehicles for change.
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MAD SESSIONS - Business Development through Abundant Models going beyond the ability to Sustain: We need business that makes a difference through the very way they operate. Thriving by the saying; "Its not how you Spend your money, but how you Earn them". Inspired by the MAD Method and Pioneering cases, leaders explore how their organizations can unlock insights to open up new markets, ignite business and impact. Changing industries through the way they think, act and lead.
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EXPLORE FURTHER: