Looking Inside Out to Understand the Power of Business Philanthropy

Session Description

Many organisations are trying to do the “right things” through CSR, ESG, and philanthropy — yet still feel something is missing.

This session invites leaders to pause and rethink the role of business in creating real, lasting impact while deeply connecting with the people in and around them. When you explore a different way of understanding the potential of your impact — and the importance of connection and innovation — everything changes.

This talk offers a new way of thinking about, and acting on, impact. One that creates greater value and engagement for people, communities, and the business itself.

About Masami

Masami Sato is the Founder and CEO of B1G1, the Global Giving Movement that has helped thousands of businesses integrate meaningful impact into their everyday operations.

She is widely recognised for reshaping how purpose-driven companies think about impact, connection, and global responsibility. Masami is a two-time TEDx speaker and an Amazon best-selling author.

Born in Japan and shaped by her travels around the world, Masami brings a distinctly human and quietly powerful voice to conversations about business, leadership, and social change. Early in her life, she was confronted with global inequalities that sparked a lifelong question:

What would the world look like if every business had the power — and the simplicity — to make a positive difference every day?

That question led her to launch a series of ventures beginning in 2001, each rooted in creating better ways of doing business.

Her most transformative idea emerged in 2007 with the founding of B1G1 — a movement that enables companies to embed meaningful impact into their daily activities. Today, B1G1 and its Members around the world have created more than 387 million giving impacts, connecting businesses with high-impact projects to generate profound, measurable change.

Masami’s approach is distinctive. She invites leaders to rethink growth, rethink impact, and rethink the role of business in society through a simple yet radical lens: the power of small. Her ideas challenge traditional CSR, ESG, and philanthropy frameworks, offering a more human, connected, and joyful way to create lasting impact.

She is the author of multiple books, including JOY, GIVING BUSINESS, LEGACY: Sustainable Development Goals in Action, and Better Business, Better Life, Better World. Her insights draw on a diverse life journey — as a teacher, translator, natural food chef, farmer, entrepreneur, and mother — giving her storytelling both warmth and depth.

Masami is a sought-after global speaker, regularly invited to address corporate leaders, business owners, impact investors, industry conferences, HR and culture forums, and purpose-driven business communities.

Across all her work, she champions a simple truth: when businesses joyfully embrace giving as part of their DNA, they don’t just transform the world — they transform themselves.