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«Leadership is not about standing out, but about bringing others forward»
24.03.2026 Deepti Pahwa received the John Hanay Award at the «Me2We 2026»-conference, taking place at the Stanford Graduate School of Business in California.
The Stanford Graduate School of Business has a mission: «Change Lives, Change Organizations, Change the World». Deepti Pahwa shares this mission and pursues it as professor of innovation & entrepreneurship at BFH. Together with over 600 people from more than 50 countries she attended the «Me2We 2026»- GSB LEAD alumni-led conference at the Stanford Graduate School of Business in California with topics such as leadership, AI and innovation. During the conference, she received the John Hanay Award, an honour that celebrates mentorship, impact and inspiration via global community nominations.
This recognition highlights her six years of dedicated leadership in alumni initiatives. This includes building the «LISA LEAD Incubator & Startup Accelerator» (supporting 240+ startups), co-leading the Switzerland Innovation tour for Stanford Alumni in collaboration with BFH (hosting 120 global alumni in 6 cities and 30 Innovative companies), and cultivating and co-leading the Stanford LEAD Europe and Switzerland alumni communities.
I’m deeply moved. Not just by the recognition itself, but by what it represents: a shared belief that leadership is not about standing out, but about bringing others forward. To all my fellow changemakers — those who give, guide, question, and amplify — this award is yours as much as mine. Let’s continue building spaces where growth feels like belonging, and power looks like upliftZugehörigkeit anfühlt und Macht, wie Unterstützung wirkt.»
