What do a TV presenter, an impact investor, an architect, a social entrepreneur and an NGO leader have in common?
They all say that the practical entrepreneurial experience they had at school changed their outlook and direction in life. Today they are outstanding entrepreneurs and leaders, creating value and “leaving a lasting footprint.”

In its third edition, FERD’s LIST celebrated eleven honourees during a ceremony at the Vienna University of Economics in front of 400 young people from 60 countries attending the JA Global Alumni Conference.

FERD’S LIST is an initiative of JA Europe, in partnership with FERD, a family-owned, Norwegian industrial and financial group, and aims to highlight the lasting impact entrepreneurship education has on young people and how this kind of education contributes to job creation and cultivates leadership.

“We already know from research that there is a direct link between entrepreneurship at school and the creation of startups later, but we wanted to showcase some of those success stories. Today’s world needs leaders with good values, young people who actually show us different ways to create a social change, fight inequality, climate change, improve inclusion or promote diversity… There are so many examples and so much inspiration,” said Johan H. Andresen, Chairman and Owner of FERD.

The honourees cited how perseverance, thinking out of the box, resilience, leadership and team spirit have made the difference.

In his closing remarks, JA Worldwide President and CEO, Asheesh Advani, said: “The intent of FERD’s LIST is to seek out and celebrate great role models. Our JA theory of change is simple: If you’ve identified with somebody who has achieved success, who has some similarity to you, you can start thinking of yourself as actually able to achieve that success.”