Louis Faure has an air of easiness about him. Nonchalant and unassuming in a simple black t-shirt and a pair of navy chinos, his weathered classic Reebok sneakers suggests that this is a person who spends much time on his feet, out and about in the great outdoors.
Keeping that in mind, we arranged to meet in a park - the Botanical Gardens to be exact - where we could find a lovely big tree, sit under it, and have a chat.
When he presented his address at SLIC 2018 a day earlier, we heard about how his new-found connection with everything that Bulacan has to offer has led him to believe that his place now is amongst the people of Asia, tapping into the riches of the land with an added layer of sustainability.
What was originally supposed to be a short stint has now become a permanent arrangement. Over breakfast after this interview was done, Louis confirmed to us that he is now firmly committed to be an honorary son of the Philippines. And his first love is the Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm.
Gawad Kalinga is Tagalog for ‘Give Care’. Established in 2003, this movement aims to end poverty by empowering the poor, forming values and giving dignity to the work of the underprivileged.
These are issues not normally at the top of the mind of fresh graduates of reputable business schools, like the HEC Paris where Louis graduated from, where they will undoubtedly be racing each other to climb the corporate ladder when they step out into the capitalist world.
Judging by how passionate Louis is about his work, we may be able to guess that social entrepreneurship may have a drug like effect, especially when the results are seen not just in the quality of the products but also the quality of lives impacted by it.
In this interview, we discover the five things that Louis has learnt being amongst the chicken and the crop that he loves, lessons applicable in any situation, from barns to banks and everything in between.
