Deborah Dugan
Deborah Dugan is the former CEO at (RED)
Biography:
Deborah Dugan is (RED)’s CEO, the AIDS organization founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver to engage the world’s most iconic brands in the AIDS fight. (RED) partners include Apple, Beats by Dre, Starbucks, Bank of America, Salesforce and Latin America’s Claro and Telcel among many others. Since its inception in 2006, (RED) has raised over $600 million for the Global Fund and impacted the lives of more than 140 million people.
Prior to (RED), Deborah was President of Disney Publishing Worldwide, a $2 billion retail division of the Walt Disney Company. Deborah also served as Senior Advisor to the Tribeca Enterprises Board and is Co-Chair of The Moth, an award-winning storytelling organization. Previously, she spent eight years as Executive Vice President at EMI/Capitol Records and began her career as a mergers and acquisition attorney on Wall Street.
Deborah has been recognized as “100 Most Powerful Women” in the Forbes ‘Social Entrepreneurism’ issue and Elle’s “Top Women To Help Change the World”. Deb and (RED) have received PTTOW’s “Nelson Mandela’s Change-makers Award”, she is a Tribeca Disruptor Awards Fellow and a Legacy Lab Honors’ “Re-founders of the Year.”
What brought you to Davos 2019?
(RED) was launched at the World Economic Forum in 2006, and in the years since then we have launched a number of new partnerships in Davos. It remains a key opportunity for our corporate partners to reconnect and align on our shared mission to end a treatable, preventable disease. This year we held the fourth annual (RED) Nightcap hosted by partner, Bank of America; an intimate reception that brings together (RED) partners and supporters like Peter Sands from The Global Fund, Anne Finucane, Vice Chairman of Bank of America, and Mark Benioff, CEO Salesforce, and many more. This event also allows (RED) to engage a diverse group of media and policy makers including Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus from WHO, and Minister Bogolo Kenewendo of Botswana. We always look forward to attending and leveraging WEF’s unique benefits to further the fight to end AIDS.
Defining leadership moment at Davos:
(RED)’s 10th anniversary at the World Economic Forum in 2016 was a defining moment for me as a CEO. It was an honor to not only recognize how far our organization had come in a decade, at the time having raised more than $350 million for the AIDS fight, but also to celebrate the more than 65 companies that have partnered with (RED). Personal motivation to advocate for women and girls: Because when you learn that everyday 1000 young women are contracting HIV, that alone is enough to spur action in anyone. It is an honor to do what we can to fight a disease that is preventable and treatable.
Where can people learn more about you and your key projects?
People can learn more about (RED) and our work by going to RED.org or following @RED on Instagram. (RED) was created to make it easy and interesting for people to get involved in the fight to end AIDS. We do that by tapping into people’s passions and creating culturally exciting moments to engage millions of people.
AIDS is the leading cause of death among young women worldwide – we have the power to change this in our lifetime. I am proud to represent (RED) and businesses committed to end AIDS by 2030.