Jean Oelwang

Background & Expertise

Jean Oelwang has pioneered innovative approaches to social impact and collaborative leadership as the founding CEO and President of Virgin Unite, the entrepreneurial foundation of the Virgin Group and a hub for social and environmental initiatives. During her tenure, she has helped incubate numerous influential organizations including The Elders, The B Team, and Ocean Unite, demonstrating the power of unlikely partnerships to address complex global challenges. Her work has spanned climate action, human rights, criminal justice reform, and economic inclusion.

Oelwang’s expertise in social impact stems from her unusual career trajectory—from telecommunications executive (as CEO of Virgin Mobile in Australia and South Africa) to nonprofit leader to partnership theorist. This combination of corporate leadership, philanthropic innovation, and deep research into effective collaboration gives her unique perspective on creating meaningful change at scale. Unlike many social impact speakers who focus primarily on individual causes, Oelwang emphasizes relationship systems and collaboration architectures that transform how change happens across multiple domains.

Signature Concepts & Methodologies

Meaningful Partnership Framework

Oelwang’s research-based approach to creating transformative relationships based on specific partnership principles and practices.

Business as a Force for Good Model

Her methodology for integrating social and environmental responsibility throughout organizational operations rather than treating it as separate philanthropic activity.

Collective Impact Architecture

Oelwang’s system for developing multi-sector collaborations that address complex challenges exceeding the capacity of individual organizations.

Transformative Partnership Grid

Her diagnostic tool for assessing relationship dynamics and improving collaborative effectiveness across organizational boundaries.

Deep Connection Practice

Oelwang’s approach to building authentic relationships based on vulnerability, trust, and shared purpose despite differences in perspective or background.

Books & Thought Leadership

• Partnering: Forge the Deep Connections That Make Great Things Happen - Her acclaimed book based on interviews with 60+ remarkable partnerships across business, social impact, and personal domains.
• Founding CEO and President of Virgin Unite, the entrepreneurial foundation of the Virgin Group.
• Co-founder and trustee of multiple international organizations focused on social and environmental impact.
• Regular contributor to publications on leadership, collaboration, and systems change.
• Previously served as CEO for Virgin Mobile in Australia and South Africa before transitioning to social impact work.

Speaking Style & Audience Experience

Oelwang delivers presentations with genuine warmth, intellectual depth, and reflective wisdom that creates space for transformative thinking about relationships and impact. Her speaking style blends compelling research findings with powerful stories of unlikely partnerships, creating sessions that are both evidence-based and emotionally resonant. She excels at translating complex systems thinking into accessible frameworks that audiences can apply to their own collaborative challenges.

What distinguishes Oelwang’s keynotes is her focus on relationship quality as the fundamental driver of effective social impact—shifting emphasis from individualistic leadership to the connective tissue between people and organizations. She creates meaningful moments through vulnerability and authenticity, often modeling the partnership principles she advocates. Attendees consistently report reconsidering how they approach collaboration, with many organizations redesigning their partnership strategies based on her frameworks.

Ideal Audiences & Event Types

• Corporate social responsibility and ESG leadership teams
• Nonprofit and foundation leadership conferences
• Multi-stakeholder collaboration initiatives
• Sustainable business and B Corp communities
• Philanthropic strategy and impact investing forums
• Organizations seeking to enhance cross-sector partnerships

Recent Focus Areas

• Building resilient collaborative systems for environmental and social challenges
• Developing effective partnership models across traditional boundaries
• Creating organizational cultures that foster meaningful connection
• Implementing business approaches that integrate profit and purpose
• Advancing systems thinking for complex social change initiatives