Any movement benefits from being backed by those with influence and power: it is easier to enforce change with media attention and (of course) money invested in the cause.
Luckily, then, there are plenty of business professionals willing to speak out on behalf of the animals of this world. Here they are:
The Powerful Business Leaders Speaking out for Animals
Eric Schmidt
The Executive Chairman of Google‘s parent company Alphabet, Eric Schmidt, has spoken out in support of the growing vegan movement, going so far as to state that a vegan revolution is coming.
He has predicted that the move away from animal products is the ‘number one game-changing trend of the future.’
Richard Branson
Richard Branson, Virgin billionaire and new advocate of a plant-based diet, predicted that within 30 years the world could go meat-free!
And he is doing his part to help this by putting his money where his mouth is. Not only has Branson previously made headlines for blogging on Okja and why he gave up beef, he has also invested in lab-grown meat.
Bill Gates
Along with Branson, Bill Gates – the Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist renowned for his work against world hunger -invested in Memphis Meats and Beyond Meat, the alternative meat startups.
Liz Dee
Liz Dee, the co-owner of Smarties Candy Company and CEO of Baleine & Bjorn Capital, has also impressed vegans by making investments in Memphis Meats and plant-based food companies Nutpods and Purple Carrot.
Her support extends not only to the vegan diet, but she has also invested in the vegan clothing brand, Vaute Couture.
Lisa Feria
Feria is the CEO of Stray Dog Capital, a company which invests in startups, services, and products intended to replace the use of animal products. She has influenced decisions to invest in Memphis Meats (a popular investment among these business leaders it seems!), Beyond Meat and much-loved cheese and yogurt alternative brand Kite Hill.
Li Ka-shing
This business investor and mandate is known in Hong Kong for his philanthropic business ethic, and has illustrated his commitment to the cause by investing in popular burger manufacture Impossible Foods.
Miyoko Schinner
Author of Artisan Vegan Cheese and President of Miyoko’s Creamery, this entrepreneur is making giving up dairy-cheese significantly easier by creating delicious vegan alternatives.
Not only does she commit her work-life to helping the vegan movement, she does her bit to directly help animals: in her free time, she rescues farm animals.
Sergey Brin
Brin, the co-founder of Google, has described ‘clean meat’ as a ‘technology’ which has the capacity and potential to “transform how we view our world.”
Doing his bit to transform it, he has given $330,000 to fund the world’s first cultured hamburger.
Dr. Melanie Joy
Founder and President of Beyond Carnism, Dr. Joy is an organizational consultant, relationship coach, and psychologist best known for creating the concept of ‘carnism’ which seeks to explain the psychology of eating animals.
She has received the Ahimsa Award – previously given to the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela – for her work on global nonviolence, the Empty Cages Prize – previously given to Tom Regan – for her contribution to furthering the cause of animal rights, and the Peter Singer Prize for strategies to reduce the suffering of animals.
Image Credit: JD Lasica | Mercy for Animals | Forbes | News Cult | VegNews
