Jean Oelwang

CEO and President, Virgin Unite
Board Member, Penn State Smeal College of Business Board of Visitors

Jean Oelwang '87 is the founding CEO and President of Virgin Unite, an entrepreneurial foundation that builds collectives, incubates ideas and re-invents systems for a better world. 

Over the last 15 years, she has worked with partners to lead the incubation and start-up of several global initiatives, including: The Elders, The B Team, The Carbon War Room (successfully merged with the RMI), Ocean Unite, The Caribbean Climate Smart Accelerator, 100% Human at Work, The Virgin Unite Constellation and The Branson Centres of Entrepreneurship.  She also played a key partner role in the incubation of many other initiatives such as The Audacious Project.  

As part of her work over the last three decades, Jean has helped corporations put the wellbeing of people and the planet at their core, including working with over 25 Virgin businesses across 15 industries to help embed purpose in all they do.  Jean also served as a Partner in the Virgin Group leading their people strategy.  

Jean spent eighteen years living and working on six continents to start and help lead mobile phone companies in South Africa, Colombia, Bulgaria, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and the US.  She was the joint CEO of Virgin Mobile in Australia prior to starting Virgin Unite. 

Jean has long explored the overlap of the business and social sectors and has been involved in both, having worked for the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife in Australia, and in numerous volunteer roles, including a year-long stint as a VISTA volunteer where she worked with – and learned from - homeless teens in Chicago.  She is also the co-founder of Plus Wonder, a not-for-profit to inspire partnerships of purpose.   

Jean holds a number of advisory board roles, including The Elders, The NewNow, the Sara Blakely Foundation, Last Mile Health Advisory Council, The Vatican’s Humanity 2.0, Penn State Board of Visitors, Vintro and the boards of RMI, The Caribbean Climate Smart Accelerator, Ocean Unite, AID Live, Unite BVI Foundation, and Just Capital.  She is also honored to be a B Team Leader.  

Jean has been on the TED and TEDx stages as a host and speaker and has been the recipient of a number of awards including Bernie Glassman Trailblazer Award, the FilmAid Philanthropic Leadership Award, the Susman Sustainability Award and the 2021 Beta Gamma Sigma International Honoree Award.