Jean Oelwang

Jean Oelwang is President of Virgin Unite, the entrepreneurial foundation of the Virgin Group, and a Senior Partner in the B Team. In 2003, Jean left her post as joint CEO of Virgin Mobile Australia to begin working with Richard Branson and the Virgin staff from around the world as the founding CEO of Virgin Unite. Over the last 14 years, Jean has worked with partners to create new approaches to social and environmental issues, such as the Branson Centres of Entrepreneurship and a platform to support budding entrepreneurs. She has led the incubation of a number of global leadership initiatives such as The Elders, The Carbon War Room, The B Team and Ocean Unite. In addition, Jean has been instrumental in working with Virgin’s businesses and others worldwide to put driving positive change at their core.

In her previous life, Jean lived and worked on six continents helping to lead successful mobile phone start-ups in South Africa, Colombia, Bulgaria, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and the US.  She was also a Partner in the global Virgin Group, with a focus on People & Purpose.   

Jean has long explored the overlap of the business and social sectors and has been involved in both, having worked for the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife in Australia, and in numerous volunteer roles, including a stint as a VISTA volunteer where she worked with – and learned from – homeless teens in Chicago.

She sits on the Advisory Councils for The Elders, Ocean Unite and the Sara Blakely Foundation.  She is also on the Boards of the Rocky Mountain Institute/Carbon War Room, Ocean Elders and Just Capital.  She recently founded, Plus Wonder, an initiative focused on inspiring partnerships for a better world and a better life.