I’m a strategy and innovation expert specializing in social enterprise.  A few years back, sitting in Cincinnati, Ohio, at a production of “Thurgood,” I had an epiphany.  The title character quotes Charles Hamilton Houston, “if a lawyer is not a social engineer, he’s a social parasite.”

That’s how I feel about business.  Any separation of business and social objectives is a mirage.  Beyond social responsibility, business has the capacity to intentionally advance human systems.  And, it’s not a trade-off with profit; sustainability is the reward for all.

I have 15 years’ experience in corporate strategy development, innovation management and marketing & communications.  The last arc of my career, I worked at P&G and served on the Design Thinking Leadership Team and as an Executive on Loan to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.  I now work independently with businesses and entrepreneurs.

I recently moved to Dubai, which I was calling the “center of the world” until Tana Paddock broke it to me gently that anywhere is the center of the world. So, maybe it’s best to say moving here re-centered me.  I am eager to develop a more global perspective on social enterprise and learn from work in Africa, Asia and Europe.

My email is rkgriner@gmail.com, and I blog at inspiredstrategy.blogspot.com.