2022 has been an incredible year of action with over 1,300 employees upskilled, 137 start-ups supported, and more than 20 corporate transformations accelerated.
But it was, first and foremost, a year that showed the need for community.
In 2022 we worked with 23 world-leading businesses and organizations to run over 30 programs.
Thank you to all our partners for your commitment this year to accelerating a new economy that is sustainable, innovative and equitable.
Some of our inspiring 2022 partners:
Together, we are creating Our New World
April marked the launch of The DO Founder Florian Hoffmann’s book, Die Neue Welt (Our New World), and its expansion into the online space.
In the midst of so many crises, from the pandemic, deglobalization, war and energy insecurity to climate disasters, inflation and supply chain disruptions, now more than ever, we need implementers. We need DOers. Our New World is a book and a movement to celebrate and inspire stories of action. Following the April launch, we partnered with organizations and businesses across Europe, the UK and Asia, holding events to build the Our New World movement.
re:publica event: THE NEW WORLD – An interactive session about a book that has an infinite number of authors. And about words that come into action.
Panel: Florian Hoffmann (Author and Founder of The DO), Benedicte Ennis (Co-founder at Benoo), Oliver Lange (Head of H&Mbeyond.), Amy DeTavis (Managing Director of Dream Local).
Stories of Hope and Action
Throughout the year, we highlighted hundreds of Our New World changemakers, from impact entrepreneurs to corporate leaders. DOers who are already courageously creating a new world, tackling the big questions of our era: the climate emergency, future of work, social inequality and technology. Stories of action that show us how we can each play our part in creating a better world.
Our New World online platform gives a stage to innovators all over the world.
Do you have a business, project or initiative that is improving our planet? We invite you to get on Our New World map!
Our New World Week:
Highlighting people and places who are building a better future, how we can learn from their example, and together solve the big challenges of our time.
Each year we bring together The DO’s community across industries, sectors, and cultures to discuss what has worked and what we need to focus on in the months ahead. In October, we hosted our third global community gathering, which turned into weeks of vibrant in-person and virtual activities across the globe.
Download the free white paper with key findings from Our New World Week:
Turning Doomism into DOism:
How courageous leaders are building a better tomorrow today, and why everyone can be part of the solution.
A big thank you to our expert community
We partnered with experts around the world, leading the way in their field of expertise, from corporate sustainability to the future of food, to building ecosystems, upskilling and hybrid work. Top leaders, corporate managers, impact entrepreneurs, investors, and thought-leaders who are helping to create a better future for people, the planet and business.
Highlights from The DO’s community of experts:
Do Day 22: Celebrating DOers
We celebrated DO Day 2022 (October 18) by highlighting our impactful community of DOers; people who are championing bold solutions and addressing some of today’s most pressing issues — celebrating DOism over doomism.
Accelerating Corporate Transformations
We worked with more than 20 corporate partners, designing unique learning journeys to transform with speed using our award-winning DO Method.
This year our corporate partners included PHOENIX group, H&M, Siemens Healthineers, Sparkasse Bremen, Siemens Energy, Deutsche Bahn, Axel Springer, Otto International, Tom Tailor, NPX, Goethe Institut and more.
Our programs ranged from leadership and collaborative culture trainings, innovation boot camps, upskilling and sustainability initiatives, to diversity journeys focused on women in leadership. Together, we worked with businesses to become part of the solution.
Discover some highlights from our corporate transformations:
LIFT: Developing the Leaders of Tomorrow
Together with PHOENIX group, we worked to nurture rising talent across the organization – building a network of trust ready to lead the future.
Over two years, future leaders are taught the skills to work across silos, utilize modern innovation techniques, and nurture intrapreneurial mindsets to drive change. This year we guided 30 LIFT participants’ development journeys through various formats, including workshops, retreats, peer action groups, and challenges.
You are molding a generation coming up that has a broader, more versatile view on leadership than there has been in the past.”
Bremen: Creating an Ecosystem for Sustainable Mobility
Together with The Sparkasse Bremen, we are building an ecosystem for sustainable mobility. The city of Bremen is already in the process of creating more environmentally friendly mobility offers through various initiatives. At the same time, holism is missing in some approaches. We are working to create synergies and develop innovative, holistic ideas for sustainable mobility in Bremen. An ecosystem is needed in which we think and, above all, act beyond organizational boundaries in order to achieve real change for Bremen together.
Since we started with stakeholder interviews at the beginning of the year to understand the needs of people in the city the team has grown from five to over 30 people from various backgrounds. Next year we are kicking off with three design sprints to prototype and pilot solutions.
Upskill: Driving the Upskilling Revolution
With around 50% of employees requiring upskilling or reskilling by 2025, an upskilling revolution is essential.
This year we helped businesses move quickly to upskill their workforce through our Upskill programs, focusing on sustainability skills and knowledge, and hybrid work and remote leadership. We worked with H&M, Mercedes-Benz and NXP, equipping their employees with the skillset to integrate sustainability into ongoing processes and team culture.
Are your teams equipped for the future? Learn more about our Upskill programs.
Shaping the Future of Work with Gen Z
Young people today are facing numerous challenges. Not only are they dealing with the uncertainty of climate change, they are also growing up in the age of Covid. Having missed out on many experiences during key years in their lives, they have a significant desire to experience world-opening experiences. This year, 24YOU provided that for 20 young people.
In partnership with H&M, 24YOU equipped these young people with the tools and mindsets needed for the working world of tomorrow. Participants developed their skills, discovered career paths through mentorship and created innovative solutions with the world-leading fashion brand, H&M.
Learn more about 24YOU.
Building ecosystems to transform the future of food
Future of Food Fellowship
The Future of Food Fellowship was a 2021-2022 venture program to scale the impact of local food entrepreneurs through peer coaching, expert mentorship, upskilling, and access to investors from around the world. In partnership with Be The Earth, the program accelerated 40 innovative, scalable solutions from across the globe and led to one food venture receiving multi-year funding with four ventures currently in evaluation for investment.
Blossom Impact Accelerator
An iteration of our first Future of Food Fellowship, the Blossom Impact Accelerator helped to scale sustainable food businesses in the UK.
Together with Be The Earth, we enabled 13 businesses to embark on a four-month journey. As a result, 21 entrepreneurs are shaping a more local, sustainable food system in the UK with ventures offering a decentralized marketplace for farmers and consumers, plant-based and low sugar treats and meals, thermal processing to cut packaging and food waste, and much more. We are so proud of the Blossom cohort that pitched their ventures in November to a packed room of investors and supporters. Already, two ventures have received funding (Ooooby and HISBE), and more are in discussion.
Blossom is made possible by Be the Earth Foundation with The DO School, 42 Acres, and Bertha Foundation.
The Blossom Impact Accelerator has given me a deep sense of being part of a powerful movement of real people doing great things with good food!”
Fostering an internal culture of learning and belonging
The DO team and their skills in co-creating the future, together with our partners, are in high demand. We are growing at a fast pace and in 2022 new team members joined from 11 countries. With this growth, we also worked to build the inner strength and resilience of the organization, inspired by the diversity and innovative spirit of our team.
Below you can see some of The DO team’s remarkable behind-the-scene memories:
We are thankful that you are a part of The DO Community and look forward to seeing you in 2023!
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