Greg Valerio, Jeweler and Fairtrade Campaigner Awarded MBE
by Sangeeta Haindl
Greg Valerio, jeweler and Fairtrade campaigner, was awarded an MBE (Member of the British Empire) in this year’s Queen’s New Years’ Honour list for his work in Fairtrade Gold, particularly with gold mining communities in South America and Africa. A jeweler since 1996, Valerio recalls when he first saw the exploitation of the jewelry supply chain in India: slavery, child labour and people working in terrible conditions. These experiences inspired Greg to become an activist in the jewelry industry. By 2004 he had managed to deliver the world’s first traceable gold, from mine to wedding ring.
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Photo Credit: Greg Valerio
Sangeeta Haindl writes on women and children; social innovation; social enterprise and social entrepreneurs. She is the founder of Serendipity PR, in London, U.K., where she works with high-profile brands and organizations in the public, non-profit, and corporate sectors, winning awards for her work from the communications industry. She is chairman of and director of London's leading conscious well-being organisation, Alternatives, which hosts leading speakers such as Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, Neale Donald Walsch and many other well-known names. She describes herself as a Spiritual Entrepreneur, Conscious Explorer; enjoying helping others, paying it forward and being a mum.
