Canva billionaire vows to donate half of his wealth for 'urgent' cause
Canva co-founder and multi-billionaire Cameron Adams will donate half of his $4.79billion fortune to address urgent environmental issues.
Mr Adams and his former zoologist wife, Lisa Miller, announced the move in a letter to global environmental organisation The Giving Pledge.
Canva is worth an estimated US $32billion after a share price surge last year.
Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates established the group in 2010 for the world's überwealthy to fund global philanthropic ventures.
In a letter penned to the group, Mr Adams said he and Ms Miller believed 'with great fortune comes great responsibility'.
'We recognise that the opportunities we have had in life place us in a position to give generously and act with purpose,' he wrote.
'Philanthropy is more than charity; it is a means of addressing systemic issues, driving meaningful change, and ensuring that future generations inherit a world rich in possibility and biodiversity.
'By joining the Giving Pledge, we aim to emphasise this responsibility and commit our resources to the planet that we all rely on.
'And this commitment is critical during the next decade.'
Ms Miller has been operating the couple's Wedgetail Foundation, protecting and restoring biodiversity.
The couple said they have since grown their confidence 'that these are issues worth fighting for'.
The software billionaire said governments and businesses will be important in preventing ecological declines, but philanthropy 'has a unique ability to drive bold action'.
'Through the Giving Pledge we are directing the majority of our wealth toward this, because the alternative – inaction on a dying planet – is unacceptable.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Finextra
43 minutes ago
- Finextra
Westpac pilots AI assistant to help staff deal with customers who have been scammed
Westpac has built an AI assitant to help support staff deal with customers who think they've been scammed. 0 The real-time call assistant technology is being integrated within the bank's frontline customer service and operations platforms. The AI synthesises information from customer phone conversations as they take place to highlight key indicators enabling bankers to respond more effectively. Currently being piloted in the bank's specialist scam and fraud team, the AI can aid operators with live transcripts, provide alerts when key indicators are detected and offer prompts to help reach an outcome more efficiently. It can also help uncover instances where a scammer may be coaching a customer in the background. Westpac CEO Anthony Miller says: 'Our customer service specialists are often trying to solve complex puzzles with many missing pieces. In urgent circumstances, like when a customer thinks they've been scammed, these calls can be very emotive with lots of information that our operators need to synthesise very quickly. This AI tool is helping fill some of those gaps and is aiding our teams in real-time so they can more effectively respond. 'Early results from our pilot demonstrates the potential this technology has to unlock faster and more effective and consistent outcomes for customers in important moments.' The technology is one of the first frontline AI innovations running through the bank's 'AI Accelerator', bolstering its scam detection and prevention capabilities. 'Beyond scams and fraud this tool has significant potential," says Miller. "While still in trial phase we're already thinking about how the AI could be deployed elsewhere in the bank to improve and streamline how our bankers support customers.'
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Westpac unit to settle conduct oversight probe with Australia's securities regulator
June 4 (Reuters) - Australia's Westpac ( opens new tab said on Wednesday that its unit, RAMS Financial Group, had reached an agreement with the country's securities regulator to resolve an investigation concerning oversight of conduct of its franchisees and their employees. The unit will resolve the matter through agreed civil penalty proceedings filed by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) in the Federal Court, based on allegations of systemic misconduct in arranging home loans. The ASIC has commenced proceedings against the lender's unit, alleging that it engaged in widespread unlicensed conduct between June 2019 and April 2023. RAMS has admitted to conducting business with unlicensed persons, failing to properly supervise its representatives, and other related shortcomings, the regulator said in a statement. ASIC is seeking declarations and financial penalties against RAMS, and the date of the first hearing is yet to be scheduled.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Virgin Australia seeks to raise $442.8 million in IPO, term sheet shows
June 4 (Reuters) - Bain Capital-owned Virgin Australia ( opens new tab is looking to raise A$685 million ($442.78 million) in an initial public offering, according to a term sheet seen by Reuters on Wednesday. The company has set the offer price at A$2.90 per share and the offer size reflects 30% of Virgin's total issued capital. Bain Capital did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. ($1 = 1.5470 Australian dollars)
