Kresse was our guest speaker at our March 10th hospitality morning. This young Canadian woman (originally from Edmonton) has won numerous awards and accolades for starting businesses that look after the environment but that also give something back to people. In the photo below is (from left to right) Teresa Howe, Mona Dahdaleh, Kresse Wesling and Mimi Ghadban.
Kresse gave us a look at the future – at what young, energetic, smart and determined entrepreneurs can do if they really set their mind on doing something right. What’s right for Kresse is a commitment to social enterprise. She told us that for every product she sells, 50% of the profits go to a charitable cause or social enterprise associated with the product or people involved. From EaKo, the company she founded with her partner in 2007 to turn discarded fire hose into desirable high-end fashion accessories, the Fire Brigade’s Benevolent Fund benefits.
What’s also right for Kresse is a commitment to improving the environment. She launched Bio-Supplies in Hong Kong in 2002, determined to switch packagers over to biodegradable packaging alternatives, and then came to the UK to launch Babaloo, offering ethical and environmentally friendly products for parents and babies. These include 100% bamboo baby towels and nappies.
And what’s very clearly right for Kresse is the need to help everyone – both young and old – to understand that building a strong socially-responsible and environmentally-sustainable ethic into a business isn’t just a nice way to earn a living – it should be the only way to earn a living! Since winning the title of Entrepreneur of the Year at the Shell Women of the Future Awards in 2007, and earning EaKo the 2008 HSBC Start-Up Stars Green Award in 2008, in her spare time Kresse serves as a social/environmental business expert for the British Library where she mentors budding entrepreneurs. She’s also advising the UK’s Cabinet Office, where she is taking part in The Social Enterprise Ambassadors Programme.
Kresse brought along some of the re-used fire-hose products sold by EaKo, including a stunning red handbag. The material, which feels very similar to a soft leather, is not at all like the hard rubber texture some of us had imagined it to be. And the fine detail of the stitching makes it a truly fashionable item. As mentioned in your Jan-Mar bulletin, there’s a special code CWC members can use to obtain a 20% discount on her gorgeous products!
Although we know Kresse is often very busy searching through rubbish tips for materials to turn into something usable and desirable (when she’s not networking with high-fliers and leading businesspeople) she spoke to us about how she copes with such a busy lifestyle and how she manages to still find time to go for a run on the beach near her home in Dorset. She told us how as a young girl growing up in Canada, she took looking after the environment for granted – and about her time in Hong Kong working for a venture capital firm. And she spent a long time answering our many questions – many, many thanks to Kresse for taking time from her busy life to speak to us and for inspiring us with her story.
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