Willi Helbling, you have now been CEO of the BPN Foundation for almost 8 years. How did you start the new year?
I think that I have never been as motivated as I am this year! In the post-pandemic period, we are in the starting blocks for many new projects and can't wait to get started.
Where does this positive energy for 2023 come from?
This is certainly also thanks to the reverberations from our two 10-year anniversaries in Rwanda and Mongolia last year. I was able to confirm from the outside perspective of the entrepreneurs there that BPN is working. It is the many touching and inspiring stories and developments of our program participants that encourage me in our activities and show that we are achieving enormous things with BPN and the approach of "helping people to help themselves". As the 15th anniversary in Nicaragua is coming up in 2023, which has been delayed due to Covid-19, I am already looking forward to the next motivational boost.
That sounds very grateful. Is there anything else you're grateful for in 2023?
Sure! That's the nice thing about BPN - I could list numerous things now. (laughs) I am particularly grateful for the great commitment of our dedicated Board of Trustees. We have a full agenda again for 2023. All foundation board members are involved on a voluntary basis and participate with great commitment in about 4-5 foundation board meetings per year. I am very grateful for this strategic support.
I would also like to thank the numerous and highly valued BPN supporters. Without you, we would not be able to tackle the promotion of jobs. It is only thanks to your donations and personal commitment that the BPN Foundation is able to work.
What challenge will you tackle in 2023?
In the last 1.5 years or so, we have given more thought to business ethics and the topic of "values". I would like to pay even more attention to this topic, which forms the foundation of our BPN pillar principle, in 2023. I would like to bring this topic even closer to entrepreneurs and employees in the context of value-based management. It will be something that will definitely stay with us beyond 2023.
And will there also be challenges arising from external factors that BPN cannot influence?
The current global political situation will certainly keep us busy in 2023. Be it in the form of the war in Ukraine or general instability on the part of various major powers. Such events lead to inflation, disruptions in supply chains, shortages of skilled workers, etc. We and our entrepreneurs in the BPN countries will continue to have to deal with these factors and their effects.
What news can readers expect this year?
We want to exploit the potential of the new website. There will always be new content to discover and we want to usecurrent stories provide an even deeper insight into our activities. There's a lot to discover and it's worth checking back often. The new website has now been online for around 3 months and we have already noticed an increase in bookings for corporate sponsorships from offline to online. We would like to encourage this trend and offer more corporate sponsorships sponsorships via the new website.
What else is on the BPN agenda for 2023?
Various events. I'm really looking forward to meeting familiar and new faces at our BPN events to meet. I really appreciate the direct exchange and personal meetings. I hope to see many participants who we can infect with the "BPN virus". (laughs)
Thanks for this interesting view!Â
