Peggy Dulany, the fourth-generation member of Rockefeller family, founder and chair of Synergos, shared her experiences and values that guide philanthropy at Wealth and Society 2021 in Shanghai.

Here is the edited transcript:

Good morning. I’m grateful for the Wealth and Society programme’s invitation to speak with you today. I’m very glad to be with you, although sorry that it had to be pre-recorded, so we cannot follow my remarks with a discussion.

I imagine that you are all here because you care about the future of your families, yes, but also that of our planet, and our wellbeing. The conference topic, “New Wealth, New Responsibility”, points so clearly to what I feel in every aspect of my life: To use the resources I have both financial and otherwise, not just to generate more wealth for myself and my family, but to instead better the wellbeing of people and the planet”.

I’ve been involved in philanthropy and social development for almost all of my life. My family is now in the sixth generation, and I’m a member of our fourth generation since John D. Rockefeller, Jr. founded Standard Oil. For us philanthropy was a dinner table conversation since I was a small child. That was part of our value system. And we were brought up to think about the responsibility that we as people of wealth had to give back to society. In some ways, we’re perhaps unique, in that after all these generations, we are still able to come together around shared values, particularly when it comes to philanthropy, and our care for the wellbeing of our fellow humans and the planet. Some may look at our family and think that we’ve been successful in family transitions, and intergenerational planning. It certainly has been an intentional path. But of course, it was not without challenges.

I have carved my own path while still being part of the family structures. This ability for both individual and collective pursuit of our interests is what has remained in us, as allowed us to remain connected. Our family has formed a number of foundations over time, which have made it possible for younger members from successive generations to serve on boards, and become effective philanthropist through organised foundations and as individuals.

In my early years, when I was 17, I had an opportunity to live in Brazil, my parents were supportive of this, even though I was going to be living and working in a favela or squatter settlement, which gave me an important perspective on the desire and capacity that the poor have to want to get out of poverty. But it also gave me the perspective that without connection to other aspects of society, it might be difficult because their challenges were so great.

Today, my passion for the importance of connecting and bridging divides, manifests in many ways. It led me to found Synergos, a global nonprofit organisation 35 years ago, whose work focuses on building trust, and solving problems through creating partnerships across sectors and levels of society.

It led me to chair the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, where we have an exciting mission to shift to a healthier food system by bringing together farmers, chefs and artisans to try new ways of producing more and healthier food while taking care of the soil. My work with Synergos also led me to care deeply about connecting China, the US and the world, particularly through philanthropy and personal connections.

Over the years that I have been connecting with people in China, I have been grateful to see some of the incredible work taking place in philanthropy and development in China, often at an amazing speed. I only wish I could be there this year in person to see it. But beyond China, beyond the United States, we are now at another turning point, specifically with COVID-19 and climate change.

How we manage turning points both as nations and families is critical. For my family, when faced with family transitions and integrating the next generation, what has been key is building and maintaining trust. We meet twice a year for formal business and for personal bonding to maintain the connection as subsequent generations come of age. The next generation of any family presents an opportunity for building on what came before the next generation may have and often has new ideas, values, creativity.

Embrace that, it is not just about building wealth, but building and promoting good values. For nations, managing these moments of crisis and transition also requires building trust. I am hopeful that global leaders continue to listen and engage with one another, to build understanding and partnership, particularly around climate change. This doesn’t just happen overnight. It has to be built. And it needs to happen through person to person relations, and trust building as well.

I also hope that you as you navigate family transitions and multiple generations, remember this power of trust, remember the power of aligning around values, and a shared concern for a cause. I will therefore leave you on a note of optimism and encouragement. I encourage you to expand your thinking of what is possible with each other, to use all the resources you have to make connections where there are none to come together, develop deeper understanding and to keep building bridges in service of those with the greatest needs. Thank you.