Leading the world with a philanthropic soul – Dr. Naresh Kumar Aggarwal
- What is it like sitting in the helm of a global organisation?
It’s a great feeling that no words can do justice to. I have been a CEO, MD and a leader in other capacities before, but this position is by far the most special.
The magic of this position comes from the fact that as International President, I lead leaders from all walks of life who voluntary serve to make the world a better place.
My relationship with a member is not that of a boss and employee. It is that of two leaders both trying to change the world we live in.
- What is your message to the members of the Lion’s Club?
Throughout my life, I have always thought to myself –how do I want the present year to be remembered. For the next 12 months, my most special year, I want to bring all our 1.4 million (14 lakhs) Lions together into 1 big family. I call this the ‘Power of We’.
Hence, my message to members is that you are not just part of one Lions Club that is customized to you and your community; but, you are also part of Lions Clubs International –a global network of friends who will give you the friendship and resources to make your mark in the world.
- What are the new policy changes you are trying to bring in as the new President of the Lion’s Club?
There is a long list of new policies. However, they all centred on the aforementioned term ‘Power of We’.
First, to make every Lion feel that they are a part of the global family, we now have a permanent, universal theme – “We Serve”.
Second, to develop a common skill-set in service, we now have a global service framework –hunger, sight, environment and diabetes, which is our new global signature cause.
Third, to bring every Lion on a single platform, we now have one global mobile app and a centralized digital marketing campaign.
The list of initiatives goes on. However, one more of my favourites is based on the ‘Power of Action’ policy – appointing a new ‘Global Action Team’, which makes all Lions work towards the common target of serving 9 people per member per month, hence serving 150 million (15 crores) people this year.
- You are the only Indian to be named as the International President of the global humanitarian organisation since 2006. How do you see your achievement? How hard has been this journey from the position of the member to supremo?
When I became a member in 1974, India and Indian Lionism were very young. When I saw my mentor Lion Rohit Mehta become the International President in 1992, I realized that anything is possible.
It has been a long yet enjoyable journey. While it is fantastic to finally reach my destination, I also enjoyed every day of the journey. While I now meet global leaders as I travel the world, I equally enjoyed my conversations with young Lions in Batala and developing Lionism in North India.
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