Harry Leibowitz
Biography

Harry Leibowitz is a speaker, businessman, and philanthropist.

Leibowitz grew up in humble beginnings in Brooklyn, New York - throughout World War II and into the early 1950's his family lived in an old bungalow in Coney Island where ten families shared the common bathroom facilities. When his father died, Leibowitz was 14 and had to go to work to help support his family. Working nights in a bakery and then going to school all day, he developed an incredible work ethic and appreciation for the plight of children born into challenging circumstances. In spite of his adversity, he earned a Bachelors, Masters and Ph.D. before coming to work at Procter & Gamble.

Leibowitz spent just over 5 years at P&G and left as a Brand Manager in the Bar Soap Division. He then went abroad and ran various global operations for ESMARK before returning to the USA and starting his own Research and Consulting practice. Leibowitz became known for his dynamic public speaking style and was invited as a Keynote speaker at many conferences and conventions during his career. He also wrote and published articles in many professional and business journals. His years of business travels around the world gave him a firsthand taste of the plight of children in developing countries and made a lasting impression.

In 1996, while he was recovering from cancer surgery at age 55, Leibowitz had an epiphany. As he was watching the Pulitzer Prize announcements on TV, he noted that while there was a Pulitzer for art and literature, and a Nobel for the sciences and peace, and an Oscar for films, there were no awards for those who were tirelessly and selflessly serving children in need around the world.

That realization was a catalyst for Leibowitz, and he subsequently founded World of Children and pledged to dedicate the rest of his life to creating a prestigious awards program to support social change makers helping children in need around the world. Using his P&G experience as a platform, he set out to create a "gold standard" in philanthropy.

Now in its 22nd year, the World of Children Award is globally referred to in the press as the Nobel Prize for child advocacy a high praise, indeed. Today, Leibowitz uses all the skills he learned in business and his outstanding public speaking style to motivate people around the world. Leibowitz speaks regularly on children's issues, philanthropy as a business-building tool, and ethics, and he is often heard at universities (most recently at Columbia University in November 2018) and conferences in the USA and abroad. He will be the keynote speaker at The European Women's Network Against Sexual Violence in Belgrade, Serbia in September 2019. He received the 2007 P&G Alumni Humanitarian Award, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2012, the Wayne State U. distinguished Alumni Award in 2013 and many others. He has been featured in the book AWEARNESS (sic) by Kenneth Cole and more recently in the book The Humanitarian in Each of Us by Drs. Frank LaFasto and Carl Larson, as well as in the P&G Alumni publication, When Core Values Are Strategic.

Today, along with his wife Kay-Isaacson Leibowitz, World of Children co-chair, they live in Rancho Santa Fe, California and spend a good part of the year visiting children's programs globally. Kay is one of America's leading fashion executives. She was the first female President of a division of Melville, Corp., Acting President of Banana Republic, EVP and Chief Merchant at Victoria's Secret and served for more than a dozen years on the Boards of Coldwater Creek and GUESS?

Leibowitz and his wife live by the mantra that "NO CHILD IS DISPOSABLE".

Harry Leibowitz
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Ethics in Corporate Philanthropy

Setting standards for effective corporate philanthropy. Exploration of why some corporate philanthropy works and some does not. Melding corporate vision and employee interest with effective philanthropy. How to evaluate philanthropies and their effectiveness. Examples of “good” and “bad” corporate efforts at philanthropy and common mistakes. Q&A.

Study of Child Trafficking in the US and Beyond

Defines trafficking in all its forms. Why trafficking in children is increasing in spite of so many organizations and efforts to control fight it. Rescue and release options successes and failures. Interdiction efforts successes and failures. What we can do better. How to spot trafficking. Why this is important. Q&A

Philanthropy as a Second Career

Why consider philanthropy as a second career and what are the benefits and pitfalls. What characteristics/traits make a good philanthropist. Different ways to enter philanthropy – i.e. starting your own vs. joining an existing one. Q&A.

The Age of Migration

Not since WWII have so many people across the globe been in the process of migration. According to The Guardian, some 250 million people are on the move for reasons ranging from war to natural disasters and from lack of freedom and opportunity to gang/military violence. This massive migration is changing the political and economic footprints of every major nation and we see the impact in things like Brexit, the emergence of anti-immigrant parties in Europe and the rise of xenophobia in the USA. What does this migration mean for businesses? What is the impact on the children caught up in this massive migration? What is the human cost to the countries losing their people to migration? Harry has visited refugee camps across the globe. He has been to borders overwhelmed with immigrants from the US/Mexico border to southern Italy and Greece, Germany and Lebanon, and many of the countries whose citizens are leaving in vast numbers destabilizing their economies. His perspective in not only unique and based on first hand observation but also on his study of the human cost involved and the stress on families, cultures and communities. He offers realistic templates for all of us to consider.

Harry Leibowitz
Featured Reviews

At Home With the Leibowitzes

At Home With the Leibowitzes Seventeen years ago, Harry Leibowitz was watching a story about the Pulitzer Prize honorees on television when he had an epiphany. “I wonder...
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A Sad Day for Children

Yesterday was another terrible day for children. The Pakistani Taliban murdered 132 school children in their classrooms and dozens more were injured, some of whom will not...
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