Photographs by William Taufic.
In our society, we are looking for a bit of inspired leadership and having a hard time finding it,” says Greenwich resident Kim Jeffery, chairman of Nestlé Waters North America. The people at Nestlé Waters, where Jeffery’s twenty-year tenure as president and CEO was as much about doing good as doing well, don’t have that complaint.
Jeffery has forged numerous relationships with charities over the years, including AmeriCares. “We’ve been part of their first responder program for disaster relief for a long time,” he notes. “People can’t live for seventy-two hours without water. We have a big network of manufacturing facilities across the country, and we work with FEMA, the Red Cross and AmeriCares. After 9/11, we were the only trucks that got into New York City. We were on the ground after Katrina. AmeriCares distributed a million bottles for us in Haiti.”
“Over the years, we have called on Nestlé for help hundreds of times and they have never let us down,” comments Curt Welling, president and CEO of AmeriCares. “Mr. Jeffery was the guiding force in developing such a unique and exemplary partnership.”
Jeffery estimates that Nestlé Waters donates 25 million to 50 million bottles of water a year. “We also provide financial support for environmental organizations and charities involving children,” adds Jeffery. “Just as an example, there are seventy charities we donate to in Maine. We have 100 facilities around the country, and wherever we are, we make a point to put back into the community. Nestlé is 150 years old and has roots in values-based behavior. I’ve had carte blanche to do what I think is right for the company and the communities we are in.”
Jeffery also believes strongly in personally modeling this philanthropic behavior. He and his wife, Mary serve on AmeriCares leadership council. They ran the capital campaign for Kids in Crisis and are honorary board members. Kim is on the board of the Connecticut Council for Education Reform. The Jefferys also support the Boys & Girls Club, World Vision and Greenwich Country Day School (where three of their children attend; their oldest has just started at Brunswick).
“It’s a simple concept that almost everyone misses, because we live in such a self-serving environment, but you get a lot more out of your people if they come to work inspired by the leaders and the values of the company,” says Jeffery.