How Business Can Drive Solutions to Social Problems | Carlos Rodríguez-Pastor | TED #bigIdeas

In this insightful conversation, Carlos Rodríguez-Pastor, founder of Intercorp, discusses his belief in the potential of businesses to drive solutions to social problems.

He shares his experiences in Peru, where he has used his business to invest in the community, building schools, pharmacies, and infrastructure projects to serve the growing middle class.

He also explores the immense possibilities behind private-public partnerships and the power of individuals to create change.

Similar to education, Rodríguez-Pastor identified issues in healthcare and developed a network of pharmacies and clinics to provide quality healthcare to the emerging middle class.

His efforts included establishing a clinic in Lima that had the highest number of births in the country in one year.

Rodríguez-Pastor invested in infrastructure projects through public-private partnerships.

His projects include a bridge that had been in planning for over 50 years but had never been built.

The government’s policy allowing companies to use up to 30% of the taxes they paid for community projects enabled Rodríguez-Pastor to finally build the bridge.

Rodríguez-Pastor’s work demonstrates the potential of business leaders to drive social change.

His approach, which combines business acumen with a commitment to community investment, has resulted in significant improvements in education, healthcare, and infrastructure in Peru.

Rodríguez-Pastor argued that profitability is necessary for the continued growth of social projects.

This profitability ensures sustainability and allows for potential expansion to other countries, thus extending the impact of these initiatives.

By demonstrating what can be done, Rodríguez-Pastor hopes to inspire government officials to work together with the private sector to solve problems.

He believes that the private sector can provide more stability and push for solutions to the country’s most pressing problems.

Rodríguez-Pastor encourages individuals to get involved in understanding and addressing the most significant challenges in their communities.

He believes that everyone wants the same things – a better life and opportunities – and can play a part in creating change.

Rodríguez-Pastor urges people to make ‘some day’ today, seek help, and aim to make the pie bigger for everyone.

He shares his long-term goal of making Peru the best place to raise a family in Latin America and a developed country.

Rodríguez-Pastor’s projects primarily focus on the middle class, the fastest-growing segment of Peru’s population.

He sees this group as an opportunity to quickly scale services and meet unmet needs, thus contributing to the country’s development.

Despite all this growth, we had a real issue, to improve our education system. And so we decided to get involved, to understand what was going on, because it was obvious that we could not become a developed country without having world-class education and health care. – Carlos Rodríguez-Pastor

Rodríguez-Pastor ended his talk with a call to action, urging people to seize the day, seek help, and aim to make the pie bigger for everyone.

He shared his ambition of making Peru the best place to raise a family in Latin America and a developed country.