Christine Khor attended a conference hosted by Richard Branson on his private island of Necker Island from July 12-15. She gained several insights from interacting with world leaders at the conference, including that you can achieve amazing things by dreaming big, surrounding yourself with inspiring people, fighting for what you believe in, and that innovation can come from unexpected places. She then summarized 12 specific insights she took away from conversations at the conference.

1. Christine Khor’s Insights
from Necker Island

2. “From the 12th to the 15th of July, I
was fortunate enough to attend a
conference hosted by Richard
Branson on his private island. It
was an amazing experience! Here
are my insights, having spent my
time surrounded by the world’s
most passionate, inspirational and
courageous leaders. Enjoy.”
~ Christine Khor, Managing
Director of Chorus Executive ~

3. 1. You can do amazing things
when you dream big.
Richard dream’s big, follows his intuition,
embraces his failures as opportunities for
learning and gets up one more time than
he falls over.

4. 2. Surround yourself with amazing people who challenge,
support & inspire you.
The people in this photo were all inspiring and successful business
leaders and entrepreneurs, but inspiration can come from your
family, your staff and your friends. Always be open to learning.

5. 3. Fight! Fight! Fight! For what you believe in.
Gabby Giffords was a prominent US politician who survived an assassination
attempt in 2011. She was shot in the head. She fought to regain her ability to walk
and talk. Now she campaigns for gun control legislation in the US.

6. 4. Innovation doesn’t always
come from years of industry
experience, education and
contacts.
Alexa Von Tobel, CEO of LearnVest
spoke to us about the concept of
simple ideas that help. Innovation
occurs when you can identify the real
problem, create a workable solution
and then work hard to make that
dream a reality.

7. 5. Industry is changing to recognise
that scarcity is a myth.
Traditional industry had a mindset of scarcity
and ownership, however with people like Matt
Mullenweg, the founder of WordPress, the
technical era has changed this. Now industry is
about sharing and abundance. Matt wants to
see a world that is fairer, where we share what
we have for the benefit of all.

8. 6. The importance of having support behind you.
They say behind every great man there is a great woman. The
same goes for great women. Gabby’s husband Mark, a
successful Astronaut, has stood behind her and supported her
through her recovery. They now both work together to put an
end to gun related crimes in the US.

9. 7. Take risks and back yourself
This is Marianne Williamson, the prominent US author.
Marianne believes that we are all special, but no one is more
special than anyone else. She stands for taking risks and
trusting that everything will work out in the end.

10. 8. Family is important
Don’t let things get in the way of what is
really important.

11. 9. Find your true purpose and persevere
to achieve it.
Jane Wurwand is the Founder of Dermalogica.
From very humble beginnings, Jane found her
passion was to make people feel better about
themselves. Her passion drove her from working
in a beauty salon to creating her own line of
products. She made sacrifices along the way and
it was a long road to success, but her
perseverance paid off.

12. 10. Find your community and be part of
something bigger than yourself.
This is the Global Leadership team of The Hunger Project
who tirelessly work to end world hunger. It is crucial to
be a part of a community with a larger purpose.

13. 11. Smile.
Emma Isaacs is an
amazing woman. Four
children, an international
empire, no sleep and still
smiling.
She taught me that when
you smile, life feels
better, you feel better
and people feel happier
around you.

14. 12. Make time for fun and laughter
You are never too old to get up on a bar and dance!