As the world constantly develops, highlighting the positive impacts of global role models will only help inspire others to reach greater heights. And with the “International Men’s Day” coming a month from now, we thought it would be great to celebrate our fathers, brothers, husbands, and sons earlier than usual.
Here are the five unsung men who epitomize inspiration and their continuous contributions to making this world a better place.
Sports
Not starting with sports would be a big mistake. Talking about boys will not be completed without covering this matter. Among all the Tom Brady’s and Michael Jordan’s of the world, there are two people for both the past and the future that everyone should be talking about in the present.
Andrew Wainstein
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past three decades, you’ve probably heard of the success of the Fantasy Football League. It’s a game that brings average Joes a chance to play a part in the world of sports they fell in love with.
Andrew started the Fantasy League company from his bedroom by using the £1,000 he saved up and in thirty years became the pillar of the sports world’s digital side you’re enjoying now.
And to top it all off, Andrew started this in the pre-internet age!
Luka Dončić
When talking about sports, basketball will always be included. And if we’re going to talk about basketball, then there’s no one better to discuss than Luka Dončić.
To paint a clearer picture, this guy right here is only 22 years old. He’s been playing basketball professionally since he was 16 and has made his mark in both the Euroleague and the NBA within six years. The three years he played in the European league accumulated into ten championships, four MVP awards, and more than ten other outstanding athletic recognitions.
And over the three years he’s played in the NBA, he has already bagged six achievements: being a part of the All-NBA First Team twice, All NBA Rookie First Team, the Rookie of the year, and two NBA All-Star Appearances.
Surely, Luka will be one of the greats in the future, if not already today.
Commerce
Now, the business industry is not a game. But just like in sports, the competition in this field is also intense. In the world of commerce, innovation is the key. Finding ways to make an impact needs ingenuity and grit. And in this age, these two people are some of the most underrated overachievers that everyone should be talking about.
Jensen Huang
Jensen co-founded and leads the Nvidia Corporation, a multinational technology company known for developing integrated circuits used in gaming consoles and personal computers. Jensen started the company on his 30th birthday and was ranked as the 61st highest-paid American CEO by Forbes within 14 years. This was due to Nvidia being the leading manufacturer of high-end GPUs or graphics processing units since 1997.
He has been racking up awards left and right as well. In 1999, he was recognized as the Entrepreneur of the Year in High Technology. He received the Dr. Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership Award in 2003. He was listed as a part of the EDGE 50 or the world’s top 50 influencers in edge computing in 2018. And he was regarded as the Supplier CEO of the year in 2020, right before earning his Robert N. Noyce Award in 2021.
And like a cherry on top of your ice cream, Huang’s Law was discovered in 2018 as a valid scientific concept and observation in computer science and engineering.
Brendan Deely
If Jensen holds the technological aspect of commerce, then Brendan owns the traditional American grit of the industry. Brendan has more than 30 years of diversified leadership experience. From being a general manager in 1999, he has worked his way up to becoming the senior vice president of the USG Corporation for 12 years. He also became the president and CEO of multiple companies, like the L&W Supply and Banner Solutions, which innovated how hardware wholesalers work.
But it isn’t just about business for Brendan. What sets him apart from the rest of the suits and ties is his devotion to suicide prevention. He co-founded Gabriel’s Light with his wife, Carol, to raise awareness and inspiring parents and educators to take a more active role in suicide prevention.
Medicine
In a world currently plagued by a pandemic, the importance of medicine outruns anything else. With that in mind, here is the last on the list; the man who has made great contributions to the field and the world’s safety in this era’s most dangerous period.
Adar Poonawalla
Adar may not be a doctor, but he has contributed to the world’s health and safety nonetheless. He is the CEO of Serum Institute of India and a board member of the global vaccine alliance.
He was deemed by the Economic Times as the Entrepreneur of the year 2021 for his unparalleled contribution in the battle against the Covid-19 pandemic. He is currently completing the 1.1 billion doses of the Covid-19 vaccine that he had promised. This promise instigated the plan for the global vaccine access that the world is being aided with now.
Along with Adar’s accomplishment in leadership, he has also been awarded as GQ Magazine’s Philanthropist of the Year in 2016 and 2017’s Humanitarian Endeavour Hall of Fame Awardee.
Final Words
These are just five of the millions of outstanding men that deserve honor and applause. But beyond recognition, they are symbols of hope that should inspire you to celebrate men and do your part in making this world better.
