Ashok Shah, CEO, The Apollo Group, announced as one of the 2021 Meaningful Business 100

Award recognises outstanding business leaders, across the world, combining profit and purpose to help achieve the UN Global Goals

26th October 2021, Nairobi, Kenya: Meaningful Business, a global platform for leaders combining profit and purpose, has recognised Ashok Shah, CEO of The Apollo Group as a Meaningful Business 100 (MB100) leader for 2021.

The 3rd edition of the MB100, sponsored by EY, received over 500 nominations from 75 countries following a global nomination process. Curated by an expert panel of 21 judges, each nominee was scored across five key areas: Durability, Impact, Innovation, Leadership and Scope.

The 100 business leaders include corporate CEOs, entrepreneurs, micro-entrepreneurs, sustainability leaders, functional heads and impact investors from 33 countries. Industries that dominate the list include healthcare, financial services, agriculture, energy and education.

Commenting on the MB100, Tom Lytton-Dickie, Founder & CEO, Meaningful Business said, “Congratulations to Ashok Shah for being included in this year’s MB100, representing the best of what business and social innovation can be. These leaders are dedicating their work to tackling the world’s most pressing issues, providing hope and inspiration to us all.”

On receiving the award Ashok Shah, CEO The Apollo Group said, “I am deeply honoured and grateful to have been chosen as one of the Kenyan’s to receive the MB100 for 2021. I would like to dedicate this award to our staff and to our customers who have continuously inspired us by trusting and believing in our common purpose and dream of insuring happiness and that together we have the knowledge and the technology to provide innovative solutions for a common goal and prosperity. This is the second international award in two years for purposeful business. The first one was the European Microfinance Award to APA Insurance for Strengthening Resilience to Climate Change.”

He continued “This award is a call to action for all Africans to believe in their dreams and to pursue them with commitment and passion that together, we can change our continent within our lifetime. I hope that this award also demonstrates that small individual efforts all play an important role to build a more equitable and sustainable world for all.”

As one of the MB100 judges, Stasia Mitchell, EY Global Entrepreneurship Leader, said, “It was an honour to join the judging panel for the Meaningful Business 100 award. I truly believe that today’s most innovative leaders are those who are driven by purpose to impact, looking to achieve long-term value for the world with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusiveness. This group represents all of that and more. Congratulations to the class of 2021.”

Meaningful Business is devoted to creating a unified platform for these leaders to collaborate and share knowledge in order to amplify their positive impact in support of the UN 2030 agenda.