Shammy Jacob
Executive Leadership Program - Amsterdam Class 01
Three things drive me in life - Passion, Purpose, and Kriya Shakti (using the power of thought to manifest things in the physical plane).
I am trained as an engineer. I was not happy – my passion wasn’t in engineering. My passion lay in the area of creativity and fashion. Enter ‘thought forms’ - India opened its first school of fashion in 1988. I was the first of 25 students to be admitted. The next two years were deeply fulfilling. I lived and worked in Jakarta running factories and was hired by Nike Inc. I relocated to Portland, OR in 1996.
In 1997 Nike was accused of labor violations. The business began to decline. People boycotted Nike products. This was painful because I joined Nike as I believed Nike was a company with a soul based on my experiences as a Nike contractor. I supported the corporation. I joined 100 internal practitioners to change the way Nike thought about business. We created a movement within the organization (Shambala) where business was run by values and not just by KPIs. Today Nike is one of the most responsible companies there is.
During those years my purpose was born. I only wanted to run and enable organizations that would impact the planet, people, and business positively. I founded the New World Fight Club, a business innovation agency.
At, THNK, I founded the Saaf India Foundation, to inspire Indians to keep public spaces free from waste using Human Centric Design.