Bono: 'It’s not about any single personalities. It’s always social movements that change the world'

Bono is the lead singer of Irish rock band U2 who have sold over 157 million albums world wide, and won numerous awards, including 22 Grammys.

He is a well-known activist in the fight against extreme poverty, whose belief in public advocacy led him to co-found ONE and (RED). ONE has 7 million members worldwide campaigning to persuade governments to adopt and resource policies proven to tackle extreme poverty and fight corruption. (RED) partners with iconic brands to raise public awareness and corporate contributions to fight AIDS, and has contributed more than $465 million to the Global Fund.

Bono has also spearheaded efforts in the private sector with TPG to encourage and increase FDI to countries in Africa, and, alongside Jeff Skoll and Bill McGlashlan, recently co-founded Rise, a pioneering social impact fund.

Bono has received a number of awards for his music and activism, including the Legion D’Honneur, TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year, and an honorary British knighthood.

Changemakers from around the globe and across all sectors gather each year in Oxford, England for the Skoll World Forum to share new ideas, new perspectives, and ultimately, new relationships built on trust and a mutual desire for human progress. Over the span of one week, this community tackles the thorniest challenges through the lens of social entrepreneurship. With their drive, creativity, and leadership, these innovators work tirelessly to create equilibrium change towards a more just, sustainable and prosperous world.

The Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship is the premier international platform for advancing entrepreneurial approaches and solutions to the world's most pressing problems. Our mission is to accelerate the impact of the world's leading social entrepreneurs by uniting them with essential partners in a collaborative pursuit of learning, leverage and large-scale social change.

Each year, nearly 1,000 of the world’s most influential social entrepreneurs, key thought leaders and strategic partners gather at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School to exchange ideas, solutions and information.