Public-Private Partnerships, PPPs, P3s, or just Partnerships—whatever you call them, there has never been a more opportune time to convene the public and private sectors around ways to strategically and efficiently collaborate towards ensuring sustainable communities. The government brings to the table strengths and weaknesses in their effort to protect their citizens and govern effectively, while the private sector has strengths and weaknesses as it aims to make a profit but also have a positive impact on the communities they employ and serve.
Secretary Hillary Clinton often references the “power to convene”—the idea that stakeholders with diverse interests should join together to harness the strengths of all actors. The media discourse often references what divides the private and public sectors, but rarely communicates the shared value and impact of working together. It is that power to convene that inspired us to launch The Concordia Summit.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is tasked with two million employees, billions of dollars in cargo coming in and out of the country, and the constant challenge of protecting the American people. DHS has incredible challenges, but what is most important in their work is its recognition of its weaknesses, which opens up opportunity for partnership. When launching Global Entry, an effort to ease travel for frequent travelers, DHS recognized that Delta Airlines and its innovative CEO Richard Anderson were the right partners to communicate and help execute this new initiative. They recognized that Delta was far more capable at properly marketing and communicating the value of the program to citizens and customers. This mutual recognition of the collaboration needed to make an impact is something we need to scale and increase.
Intel is an example of a private sector company that has focused on education, and recognized that it needed the right partnerships with governments and civil service organizations around the world in order to make an impact on the community level. As a guest blogger for USAID in October 2012, Shelly Esque, Director of Corporate Affairs at Intel, noted, “public-private partnerships are most effective with clear, candid and upfront communication, consistency, mutual trust, and ongoing discussions.” This efficiency has made PPP initiatives in education possible in countries such as Kenya, Guatemala, Egypt, Tanzania, and Yemen.
The private sector is looking to have an impact in the communities they live and work in. The ability of the government to have an impact on its people is unprecedented. Therefore if the private sector partnered with the public sector, imagine what we would see as a result. If DHS can be so successful with programs like Global Entry, imagine what they can do if they expand those partnerships to other areas that affect our lives. Imagine what impact we would see if other governmental departments joined forces with the private sector. Would Mayor Corey Booker be as successful in education reform if he did not court the support of the private sector? Would Hurricane Sandy relief be as effective if Mayor Bloomberg did not reach out to the private sector for aid and support?
The federal government should make partnering with the private sector a priority in order to harness the strengths of both sides that will make an impact on communities in the United States and abroad. It is time to translate the “power of convening” into real impact for communities around the world. If given a safe environment with which to communicate with one another, imagine what we could create.
Matthew Swift and Nicholas Logothetis are Co-Founders and Co-Chairmen of the Board of The Concordia Summit as well as Co-founders, Co-Chairmen, and Co-CEOs of Legacy Management Group (LMG). Prior to his current endeavors, Matthew worked for News Corporation, Senator John Warner of Virginia, T. Boone, and Madeleine Pickens and the Business Roundtable. Nicholas currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Libra Group. Prior to Concordia, Nicholas worked for Fox News Corporation.
Photo by Matthew Swift, courtesy of The Concordia Summit. All rights reserved.
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Harnessing the Power of Convening
January 22, 2013
Public-Private Partnerships, PPPs, P3s, or just Partnerships—whatever you call them, there has never been a more opportune time to convene the public and private sectors around ways to strategically and efficiently collaborate towards ensuring sustainable communities. The government brings to the table strengths and weaknesses in their effort to protect their citizens and govern effectively, while the private sector has strengths and weaknesses as it aims to make a profit but also have a positive impact on the communities they employ and serve.
Secretary Hillary Clinton often references the “power to convene”—the idea that stakeholders with diverse interests should join together to harness the strengths of all actors. The media discourse often references what divides the private and public sectors, but rarely communicates the shared value and impact of working together. It is that power to convene that inspired us to launch The Concordia Summit.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is tasked with two million employees, billions of dollars in cargo coming in and out of the country, and the constant challenge of protecting the American people. DHS has incredible challenges, but what is most important in their work is its recognition of its weaknesses, which opens up opportunity for partnership. When launching Global Entry, an effort to ease travel for frequent travelers, DHS recognized that Delta Airlines and its innovative CEO Richard Anderson were the right partners to communicate and help execute this new initiative. They recognized that Delta was far more capable at properly marketing and communicating the value of the program to citizens and customers. This mutual recognition of the collaboration needed to make an impact is something we need to scale and increase.
Intel is an example of a private sector company that has focused on education, and recognized that it needed the right partnerships with governments and civil service organizations around the world in order to make an impact on the community level. As a guest blogger for USAID in October 2012, Shelly Esque, Director of Corporate Affairs at Intel, noted, “public-private partnerships are most effective with clear, candid and upfront communication, consistency, mutual trust, and ongoing discussions.” This efficiency has made PPP initiatives in education possible in countries such as Kenya, Guatemala, Egypt, Tanzania, and Yemen.
The private sector is looking to have an impact in the communities they live and work in. The ability of the government to have an impact on its people is unprecedented. Therefore if the private sector partnered with the public sector, imagine what we would see as a result. If DHS can be so successful with programs like Global Entry, imagine what they can do if they expand those partnerships to other areas that affect our lives. Imagine what impact we would see if other governmental departments joined forces with the private sector. Would Mayor Corey Booker be as successful in education reform if he did not court the support of the private sector? Would Hurricane Sandy relief be as effective if Mayor Bloomberg did not reach out to the private sector for aid and support?
The federal government should make partnering with the private sector a priority in order to harness the strengths of both sides that will make an impact on communities in the United States and abroad. It is time to translate the “power of convening” into real impact for communities around the world. If given a safe environment with which to communicate with one another, imagine what we could create.
Matthew Swift and Nicholas Logothetis are Co-Founders and Co-Chairmen of the Board of The Concordia Summit as well as Co-founders, Co-Chairmen, and Co-CEOs of Legacy Management Group (LMG). Prior to his current endeavors, Matthew worked for News Corporation, Senator John Warner of Virginia, T. Boone, and Madeleine Pickens and the Business Roundtable. Nicholas currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Libra Group. Prior to Concordia, Nicholas worked for Fox News Corporation.
Photo by Matthew Swift, courtesy of The Concordia Summit. All rights reserved.
