Maurits Groen, Environmentalist & Entrepreneur

Maurits Groen, Environmentalist & Entrepreneur

Our guest is environmentalist and entrepreneur Maurits Groen. He has established numerous companies, including Waka-Waka, Kipster, and MGMC. Maurits has been ranked as the most sustainable person in the Netherlands, and he's produced radio and television documentary programs on environmental efforts. Driven by the conviction that real impact demands both market creativity and humanitarian values, Maurits channels entrepreneurship as a vehicle for systemic change in energy access, climate action, and food systems. We ask him what motivated him to focus his career on solving global challenges rather than following a more traditional business path or lead an NGO. We discuss how the private sector can work with NGOs and government agencies. Maurits also explains how the private sector and people can step up in humanitarian and environmental efforts.

Cathy Blaney, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Chair of Fordham’s President’s Council

Our guest is Cathy Blaney. The proud Fordham alum is Chair of Fordham’s President’s Council. She’s also a proud parent of Fordham Law School student, Hope Petralia. She joined Bloomberg Philanthropies in 2012 and serves as the Development Lead, heading up the organization’s fundraising and partnership development. Other roles include serving as Special Advisor to the President & CEO of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, and she’s the founder of CBlaney Group which is a nationally recognized fundraising firm in the political and not-for-profit world. This episode explores how philanthropy functions during crises and long-term humanitarian challenges, the importance of collaboration and accountability in giving, and how volunteerism and global experience shape values-driven leadership. The conversation also reflects on the role universities like Fordham can play in cultivating a culture of service and engagement.

Susan Warner, Mastercard Vice President of Community Engagement, Founder of Kids4Tech

Our guest is Susan Warner. She's the Vice President of Community Engagement for Mastercard's Center for Inclusive Growth. She's responsible for the company's global volunteerism, pro bono, disaster response, and youth advancement programs. Susan has founded Mastercard's signature STEM programs, called Kids4Tech and Girls4Tech, which together have reached more than 12.6 million girls and boys in 68 countries. We ask Susan how she built these programs over the last decade. Susan explains the reach Mastercard has and how employees engage in and assist with disaster preparedness. Susan also goes into details describing the way Mastercard cooperates with NGOs to help in times of crisis.

Mayyada Ansari, Global Head of GoHelp, DHL

The guest is Mayyada Ansari. She is the Global Head of GoHelp, DHL Group’s Disaster Management program. Mayyada brings over a decade of global experience in corporate citizenship, humanitarian logistics, disaster response, as well as strategic communications and capacity-building through training and facilitation. She leads these efforts at DHL, helping to align private-sector expertise with global humanitarian needs. This episode highlights DHL’s GoHelp program and Academy for Humanitarian Logistics as models of long-term, values-driven engagement. Mayyada discusses how DHL integrates humanitarian principles into its global logistics operations, how it sustains employee-led volunteering at scale, and what others can learn from its approach.