Tony Bury, serial entrepreneur and Mowgli Foundation founder, was honoured to be asked to speak at TEDX Bristol 2011. His talk is a very personal reflection on his past and how mentors helped him through the course of his life. He also describes how to find yourself a mentor – and how to make sure you use your mentor to best advantage.

Tony would like to thank the TED team for giving him the opportunity to share this with Bristol and the world.

The TEDX Bristol event brought together some fantastic speakers, including Mowgli Mentee- and sustainable buildings expert- Tia Kansara. We recommend you check out the rest of the speakers and performances at http://www.tedxbristol.com.

There were three main themes running through the meeting. Firstly, entrepreneurship; what it means, how this can be fostered within a family business and whether this is the right path. Secondly, next generation development; how to deal with family expectations and differing views between generations, and how to build training and support tools for the family members’ career and development. Finally, creativity, purpose and passion; how to live the dream while finding purpose within the family, business and community.

Tony Bury

Tony Bury, founder of the Mowgli Foundation, was invited to speak at the event. Tony spoke of the challenges facing the MENA region today. Youth unemployment is currently around 25%. This is four times the adult rate and significantly higher than the global average. With 50% of the population under 16 there is a serious need to create jobs and it’s estimated that Arab countries alone need to create 85-100 million jobs by 2020.

Tony described the employment picture in the MENA region with a very high proportion of the population employed in the public sector. Public sector wages relative to the private sector are higher than anywhere else in the world. There is a need to promote entrepreneurship if the demand for jobs is to be met. The source of entrepreneurs will be private sector family businesses, corporations and SMEs.

Many family businesses in the Arab world are getting into their third generation, and are in danger of stagnating. In order to prevent this from happening, and generate wealth and employment they need to inject entrepreneurship and mentoring practices into their structures.

He then described the incredible impact that the Mowgli Foundation can have in this process. To date, we have supported 126 mentoring relationships in 5 countries. A high proportion of entrepreneurs have been women and many have been under 30. An impressive 70% have gone on to become mentors themselves.

Finally, he urged the audience to get involved, highlighting the fact that there are a number of ways to do so; as an mentor or mentee, as a volunteer or within the community, by making a donation or by getting your company involved.

By Tony Bury- Founder of the Mowgli Foundation

This week, I and my daughter Kat attended the World Economic Forum’s Special Meeting on Economic Growth and Job Creation in the Arab World, in Jordan. It was a stimulating event with a vast range of ideas and research discussed- regarding how the Arab world can move forward in this time of heightened political and economic insecurity. However, there are three main points that were made which I found particularly important and I would like to share with the Mowgli readership.

The first was that many senior figures at the WEF called for an “Arab Marshall Plan,” which would respond to recent upheavals across the region. After decades of corruption, mismanagement,rulers rather than leaders  there is a new sense of optimism, with the public hoping for significant economic improvements. The current model of relying on big projects and state employment is no longer viable; a huge injection of cash is needed to narrow the inequalities that led to the uprisings. Ibrahim Dabdoub, Chairman of the National Bank of Kuwait suggested that as there is little hope of funding from Western countries facing their own economic problems, the proposed ‘Marshall Plan” could be funded by Gulf petrodollars and regional development banks. Advocates of the plan said that it should be carried out in close cooperation with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to gain access to their expertise. The main goal is to solve the huge unemployment problem in the region, with Dabdoub emphasising the need to create 85 million jobs. This is a sentiment that was mirrored by Hassan al-Boraei, Egypt’s labour minister, who warned that “The Arab Spring could turn into an autumn if social justice is not achieved.”

The second important discussion was about venture capital and the need for investment  for entrepreneurs, being made available at various stages of their development which is obviously a huge issue across the region.  I was interested to see that the Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation (JEDCO), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and Abraaj Capital- Mowgli’s regional partners- jointly announced the launch of the US$ 50 million Jordan Growth Capital Fund to provide long-term capital and institutional support to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Jordan. The goal is to prepare Jordanian companies for global competitiveness, increasing exports and export opportunities to targeted regional and international markets.  I look forward to watching the development of this initiative, since the SMEs who can access this fund  will be the engine that drives so much of the social and economic development the region needs.

The last discussion point- obviously one close to my heart- was about mentoring.  In the session on Accelerating Entrepreneurship in the Arab World, it was pointed out that entrepreneurs need a supportive ecosystem, ranging from financial and technical support to incubation to personal mentoring support- but this eco-system is still patchy in many Arab states. 10 recommendations were made to remedy this, in a report produced by Booz and Company with the WEF Forum of Global Young Leaders.  I hope that leaders in the region take note. The key point for me is that so many of the region’s enterprises have so much more potential than they are currently reaching- more than 80% of MENA entrepreneurs have enterprises worth about $15,000, but think of the impact if they were all to grow and succeed. Support for these micro-enterprises could turn them into engines of job creation. I urge you all to read the report which they produced which is truly fascinating.

To emphasise the role of mentoring, in this vision for Arab development shaped at this WEF, I leave you with this- a filmed session on “key imperatives for accelerating economic growth and job creation in the Arab world”. Maurice Lévy, Chairman and CEO of Publicis Group noted that the Arab world is waiting now for ‘RESULTS’ and ‘RECIPES FOR CREATING JOBS!’.  In his talk (23mins in) he emphasised the role that mentoring can have in harnessing the energy of the region’s youth, and urged those with successful track records in business to contribute their time and expertise.

I fully endorse his words that this is the way to “plant the seeds which will generate a fantastic new generation of leaders in this region.” I hope that Mowgli can be the Foundation he called for!

We are currently working on a concept paper to create a regional mentoring foundation so that we can gauge the level of  interest and support in such an initiative. We will keep you advised!

2010 was an exciting and inspirational year for the Mowgli Foundation; I am pleased to say that we have formed some very meaningful partnerships and working relationships with a number of extraordinary people and organisations who are driven – in the way that only those with an entrepreneurial and enterprising spirit can be – to overcome the challenges that exist for entrepreneurs.

Recent unsettling events across the globe make the Mowgli 2010 Annual Review, and my personal request for support, even more timely and important. Unemployment and small business failure in the UK and MENA region is a significant challenge that we can no longer ignore.

I have a word to say here on the topic of social entrepreneurship. Social enterprise is a concept which has gained momentum both in the UK and elsewhere – business people for which social goals, not just profit, are what drive them to succeed. It is these entrepreneurs, who I believe are the key to harnessing the power of businesses to really make a difference in society – both in the UK and in the Middle East.

Tony Bury, founder of Mowgli, tells the next generation of entrepreneurs about the importance of finding a mentor. Amman, Jordan.

The Mowgli team has committed to riding this wave and creating within our events and programmes a productive network of sharing, between those with valuable know-how across the wider private sector and these operating in this newer field of social enterprise. Traditional private business still have an invaluable part to play in creating jobs and social change, and holds a wide breadth of expertise within its ranks. It is vital we all grab the opportunity to learn from each other and collaborate to create a culture of mentoring and learning which will benefit all entrepreneurs.

When I see an entrepreneur like Ramzi Qaqish come through a Mowgli mentoring programme with the tools and confidence both to succeed in business and to become a great mentor to others like him, I am reminded of exactly what can be achieved. Entrepreneurs are the key to change. One successful business can make a significant impact on their community’s development; providing employment and creating wealth. The person at the helm of that business is even more important, because they can both provide a role model and inspiration to their community, and go on to mentor others; creating a positive circle of achievement and progress. Leadership and inspiration is critically lacking in many of the communities in which our entrepreneurs work, as are jobs and opportunities.

With the support of the individuals who generously offer their time and knowledge to others as mentors – and with the passion and drive of entrepreneurs who just need these mentors to reach their full potential – there is no limit to what we can achieve.

Thank you for your interest in the Mowgli Foundation and for your support of our work with entrepreneurs.

Tony Bury- Founder and Trustee

• Providing one mentor for each Mowgli entrepreneur in the Middle East or the UK costs Mowgli about £1000/$US1500 to support. Donate now to the Mowgli Fund.
• Read more about Tony Bury.

The Power of Mentorship A Wamda Webinar with Tony Bury from The Mowgli Foundation on Vimeo.

1. Deep Leadership (Video available)  – a great session with number of interesting perspectives including those of Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
   Upon reflection, my own believe after some further thought and analysis is a hypothesis utilising the Heroes Journey. Each time you go through the “storm” within the journey you gain an understanding of your own humanity. By repeatedly going through and coming out of the storm successfully, you increase and enhance your own personal  well of “deep leadership”.
   Furthermore there is definitely a clear correlation between deep leadership and spirituality however we seem to shy to make the connection !!!!!!!
2. Markets – Reform or Rebuild (Video available).
   Personal View. It is clear that for certain markets, the ability of certain players to dominate can mean that reform is the preferable way forward. However wherever possible “rebuilding” the market provides for enhanced access, performance, and transparency and therefore should be encouraged as the preferred methodology.
3. Risks and Opportunities in the MENA Region
   This session was a missed opportunity. With both historic and current political issues dominating the debate, the core issue of what market reforms are required to enable social and business entrepreneurs to grow and prosper being overlooked.
4. Skoll Awards Ceremony (Video available)
   One of the highlights for me of the forum was learning of all the different activities being undertaken by social entrepreneurs in delivering a better society for all stakeholders. The 2011 winners were no exception
   Rebecca Onie – Health Leads – ability to get health resources to impoverished minorities
   Madhav Chavan – Pratham – evaluation of the output from education in the villages
   Ellen Moir – New Teacher Centre – provide mentoring to new teachers to enhance retention
   Ned Breslin – Water for People- provision of water to all
   Archbishop Desmond Tutu – Global Treasure Award – for his services to humanity
   Peter Gabriel and Baaba Maal – Singing on the death of Stephen Biko. Very poignant with the individuals who have stood up in Tunisia, Egypt and in other countries in the Middle East very recently.
5. BBC Forum – Is Heroism Obsolete.(Video available). This in conjunction with “Deep Leadership” provided very useful insights into the driving forces of entrepreneurs and how we create heroes whether they are acclaimed or not
6. Social Entrepreneurs- Navigating Unchartered Waters – For Profit Companies with Social DNA. This session was totally inspiring, to hear the stories for three social entrepreneurs
   Thorkil Sonne – Specialist People Foundation – creating employment for autism sufferers.
   Kresse Wesling – Elvis & Kress – Handbags and Belts. Recycles fire hose into luxury products handbags and belts and gives 50% of the profits to the Fire Association.
   Gobion Rowlands – Red Redemption Ltd – Creates games on social issues such as climate change through the game “Fate of the earth”.
7. Some interesting expressions were shared: “Behind every great man is a surprised women”, “Be brief but brilliant”, “Being inspirational through humanity” there were many others but I did not capture them.!

Interesting facts

Within the MENA region 70% of the employed population produce 28% of the GDP.
A true hero must have something to loose.

The internet, the first physical manifestation of God

Conclusion

The forum centred around celebrating social entrepreneneurship and “learning” which was magnificent. The networking was good, based upon shared learnings rather than for promoting activities. A very worthwhile and enjoyable three days.

The title of the webinar will be “Behind every successful entrepreneur, there’s a great mentor” and Tony will be useing his own career to highlight the influence and that extra special ‘X factor‘ that mentors have had upon his life as a serial entrepreneur.

If you would like to find out a little more about what the Webinar will be about, then why not listen to Tony explain the subject matter in his own words:

http://youtu.be/CL1hgfZDd28

We’ll be streaming the video on the day too, so why not check back on 27th June at 3.00pm (UK time) / 5.00pm (Jordan, Amman Time).

Both of these events will provide a challenging look at how mentoring can be used effectively within organisations and business, especially when we find ourselves in times of such massive change.

Tony and Martin are particularly interested in the question ‘Why are entrepreneurs so important to our communities and society?’.  They will consider the captivating journey of a serial entrepreneur through the establishment of various start ups coupled with the personal challenges that arise from life.

Their presentation will focus in particular on the following areas:

• When does the intervention of a mentor provide maximum value to an entrepreneur?
• What are the critical stages for mentoring in the life of entrepreneur?
• What mentoring lessons can be learnt from such an entrepreneur’s journey?

To find out more about this exciting event and to hear Tony and Martin speak, then visit the EMCC UK Conference Website at: http://ukconference.org/ for more information.

Entrepreneurship has been a hallmark in the North West for many years. With the current economic climate, we are hopeful that today’s batch of entrepreneurs in the region can lead the economic revival. Our goal as Mowgli is to ensure that through mentoring a greater % of companies succeed through start up thereby increasing the number of operating entrepreneurs, creating wealth and employment, and later on in their careers joining the philanthropic community.

It was a particular pleasure to listen to one of our mentors Jason Baker, an entrepreneur whose business People Source he co-founded in 2008 talk about the challenges of being an entrepreneur, the experience he had enjoyed through the Mowgli programme, and the clear camaraderie that had been created with his fellow mentors and the mentees. Listening to Jason, makes our efforts in Mowgli thoroughly worthwhile.

We commenced in 2009 sowing seeds by launching our pilot programme in Jordan/Palestine, culminating to date in our supporting 28 entrepreneurs in this country, and then programmes in Lebanon( 16 entrepreneurs) and Syria(14 entrepreneurs). Whilst awareness of the importance of entrepreneurship was heightened by the financial crisis of 2008/2009, still the level of apathy towards taking action and forming collaborative efforts to meet this huge challenge were muted. Mowgli continued to try and find people, organisations who shared our vision. Through a cold call to Abraaj Capital some six months ago, it was clear that we had met an organisation that shared our vision- our “oasis”. Over the subsequent months we have engaged in such positive discussions on how various stakeholders can form partnerships and develop the capability to support structure entrepreneurship in the Middle East. When Abraaj Capital first shared their concept of an event to launch their Riyada Enterprise Development Fund and an ecosystem to support this ultimately called Wamda, we realised that this was going to be special, but we had no idea how special.

The event that was planned was initially pitching for some 500 attendees, when it was finally held just under 2,500 attendees were present with a considerable number turned away. What did Abraaj achieve through a most wonderful event.? I find great difficulty putting it into appropriate words due to the energy, enthusiasm, excitement and emotion exhibited over these two days.

The organisers focused the event around three main themes;

*         Inspire.The number and variety of quality speakers sharing their entrepreneurial journeys, going against the norms of society and soothsayers of gloom to create new enterprises was magnificent for any young entrepreneur to hear. These were organised in what they called “passion corners”.

*         Empower. A considerable number of workshops were organised to achieve this .Mowgli had the pleasure of conducting a workshop, in which 95 individuals were able to be mentored and act as mentors within an hour. The buzz was incredible. The outcomes that all had benefited and would find a mentor. Separately some 60 mentors conducted some 500 mentoring sessions with aspiring entrepreneurs. Really powerful !!!!

*         The event was organised to connect, casual dress code, no stoppages for coffee, lunch or dinner, entertainment, spot me, and a relaxed environment with all participants “giving” of themselves was palpable.

We were delighted to announce ground breaking alliances with

*         Abraaj Capital to build Mentor Match, a powerful new online platform to match the regions entrepreneurship mentors and mentees, in what is a key area that helps businesses develop and flourish at all stages of their growth.

*         Riyada Entreprise Development to ensure that regional early stage businesses will receive the invaluable benefit of business leaders’s experience and institutional support.

As highlighted by an article written by Sultan Sooud Al Qassem Nov 14th 2010, ” A consensus was reached at the conference: the fragmented approach that Arab governments have taken will not be achieved”

The conclusion of the event was that a “think tank” on Entrepreneurship in the region was funded and formed. The challenge is immense, but at least the appetite has been whetted by this ground breaking occasion.

This interview will give Tony the opportunity to talk not only about the whole concept of The Mowgli Foundation and why mentoring entrepreneurs is so important for economic growth and stability in the poorest regions of the world; but also the forthcoming UK pilot which is due to take place near Manchester later this month.

You can find out more about the UK pilot through some of our past blog posts:

• Mowgli Business Mentoring Comes to Manchester: November 2010
• Mowgli Mentoring UK Pilot Dates Announced
• The Mowgli Foundation Mentors Come to Manchester – Press Release
• Do you have the experience to make a difference to an entrepreneur?