Nick Jonsson, a #1 International Best-Selling Author and the Managing Director of EGN Singapore, has been listed as one of 50 Leading Lights in the inaugural Asia Pacific Kindness & Leadership Awards, which were announced during the annual World Kindness Day ceremonies held in the United Kingdom. Jonsson was one of five people named to the list in Singapore.
World Kindness Day is a global celebration that promotes the importance of being kind to each other, to yourself, and to the world. The purpose of this day celebrated on November 13 of each year, is to help everyone understand that compassion for others is what binds us all together. In 2021, Leading Lights showcases 50 leaders in the Asia Pacific, including Brunei’s Health Minister Dato Dr Isham, who are reshaping the status quo and driving positive change through kindness. These leading lights were chosen after careful review by a distinguished panel.
Jonsson expressed his gratitude for the recognition: “I am truly honoured and grateful to be part of the 50 Leading Lights in the inaugural Asia Pacific Kindness & Leadership Awards. As we celebrate World Kindness Day, I encourage all the leaders of today and tomorrow, no matter what role or background, to lead with kindness. Let us put kindness firmly at the centre of our leadership and make the world a better place by promoting good deeds and pledging acts of kindness.”.
Shaped by his experiences as an expatriate leader, executive loneliness drove Jonsson to a point of desperation–isolated, overweight, and heavily drinking–he became disconnected from people. In becoming whole again, Jonsson realised that we become broken when we lack connectivity to others, and the relief is in sharing our burden. He inculcates his philosophy of connectivity throughout EGN, a platform for members to network and share issues, challenges, and inspiration through a closed forum. His keynote speech on Executive Loneliness is well received, and he uses the opportunity to introduce his solution to executives, connecting them in common understanding. During the pandemic, EGN became an exceptional place for business leaders in Southeast Asia to connect at a time when, forced to work from home, fostering the development of external networks.
Jonsson’s own journey of executive loneliness has given him empathy for what business leaders across the region are experiencing in the running of their companies. His best-selling book Executive Loneliness, arms anyone, anywhere, with the tools to overcome their own executive loneliness.
Pinky Lilani CBE DL, Founder, Women of the Future (WOF) Programme remarked, “It is tremendously exciting to announce 50 Leading Lights, across both the UK and the Asia Pacific regions. By placing a spotlight on phenomenal leaders who are harnessing the power of kindness to make a significant impact and to effect positive change, we collectively place kindness at the centre of the leadership debate. Together, we encourage the leaders of today and tomorrow – no matter what their role or background – to #leadwithkindness, because when kindness is the currency, we can all be millionaires.”
Together with the Saïd Business School and the University of Oxford, The Kindness & Leadership Leading Lights campaign has explored the characteristics associated with kind leaders. Those who are deeply thoughtful of others and show humanity, generosity, and compassion, and are dedicated to supporting the well-being of others and fostering a spirit of collaboration are the specific traits that were taken into consideration in selecting the 50 leading lights.
