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| 야닉 반 데 바르트(Yannick Van der Vaart) 아브라마 최고경영자(CEO) |
어려서부터 배우를 꿈 꿨고 한때 운동선수로 활동했던 컴퓨터 공학도가 결국 사회적 기업가로 변신하기까지의 이야기와 사회적기업에 대한 그의 철학에 대해 머니투데이가 7일 이메일 인터뷰를 통해 들어봤다.
바르트 CEO는 머니투데이가 창사 14주년을 맞아 오는 18∼19일 서울 여의도 콘래드 호텔에서 개최하는 신개념 글로벌 컨퍼런스 '2013 키플랫폼'(K.E.Y. PLATFORM 2013)의 첫째날(18일) 오후 '창의적 자본주의' 분과 세션에서 '남미 최고의 사회적 기업, 아브라마'를 주제로 강연할 예정이다.
대학에서 컴퓨터 공학과 경영학을 공부한 뒤 직장에 들어간 바르트는 사회생활 10년째 되던 해 자신이 다니던 회사가 매각돼야 할 상황에 놓인 것을 알게 됐다.
"그때 나는 외부에서 10억달러(1조1000억원)를 조달해 내가 다니던 회사를 인수한 뒤 되파는 사업을 벌이겠다는 '정신 나간'(insane) 결정을 했다. 결국 그 사업은 실패로 돌아갔다. 하지만 당시 그런 사업을 시도하면서 자본시장의 속성을 이해하게 됐을 뿐 아니라 기업의 가치가 단지 재무적인 것만은 아니라는 것도 알게 됐다."
10억달러짜리 프로젝트에 실패한 뒤 바르트의 눈을 사로잡은 것은 고도로 발달된 대도시들이 오히려 황폐하고 추하며 유해한 곳으로 변하고 있다는 것이었다.
"오늘날 세계경제의 최대 위협은 도시가 황폐화되고 있다는 것이다. 현대의 발달된 도시들은 인간이 축적한 지적자본의 혜택을 제대로 입지 못하고 있다. 우리 사회가 아름다움과 환경, 공동체적 가치의 중요성을 깨닫지 못하는 것이 가장 큰 문제다"
아브라마는 바로 이런 문제의식에서 출발했다. 바르트는 "혁신적인 디자인과 기술, 지속가능한 자본주의를 결합시킨 친환경 부동산개발로 양질의 도시공동체를 만드는 것이 아브라마의 목표"라며 "이를 통해 지역사회에서 잊혀진 가치들을 환기시키려고 한다"고 말했다.
브라질 캄보리우, 블루메나우를 비롯해 전세계 도시에서 침수와 산사태를 막고 공동체 생활이 가능한 시설을 짓는 것 등의 아브라마의 주된 사업이다.
바르트는 아브라마의 사업이 성공하게 된 요인을 크게 5가지로 꼽았다. △어느 순간에나 실시간으로 기업의 가치를 결정하고 목표를 조정해줄 수 있는 단순한 지표 △기업의 비전을 고수하는 리더십 △직원, 파트너, 고객에 대한 관심과 정성 △고객과 투자자들에게 약속한 기대치를 충족하고 넘어서는 것 △근면과 끊임없는 자기혁신 등이다.
"사회적 기업가로 산다는 것은 단순한 수익 이상의 무언가를 목표로 삼는다는 것을 뜻한다. 새로운 아이디어, 새로운 개념을 발견하고 혁신하는 것은 즐거운 일이지만 이것이 결실을 맺도록 하는 작업은 고되고 지난한 과정이다. 나의 매일매일은 기쁨과 절망 사이를 오가는 투쟁의 연속이다. 현재까진 50 대 50 정도를 유지하는 것 같은데 좀 나아지려고 노력 중이다"
마지막으로 바르트는 한국에서 사회적 기업가를 꿈꾸는 청년들에게 짧은 조언을 남겼다. "어느 상황에서도 비전을 잃지 말되 상대방의 조언을 경청해야 한다. 항상 현금흐름을 주시하고, 실패에 대해 책임을 져야 한다. 열심히 일하되 매 순간을 즐겨라."
◆ 영문 인터뷰 전문
- Would you introduce yourself shortly for Korean readers including our forum delegates? You may just say hello to Korean fans freely.
▶My name is Yannick, I’m a European raised in Europe and the US currently living between Argentina and Brazil. I love what I do and I’m honored to represent my company at the K.E.Y. Platform. My company, Abramar, is an urban developer with complementary disciplines in technology, design, and investment that balances our financial returns with our social and environmental impact. I am grateful to be invited and I look forward to partaking in the conference to learn from and share with responsible leaders and companies.
- Could you tell us your career history briefly? What was the turning point and what has inspired you most in your career choice?
▶I wanted to be an actor, became an athlete, and paid my way through university by choosing a safe yet intellectually challenging multidisciplinary career in business, computing and engineering. While studying for my degree I complemented my restaurant job with late night internet work, which in 1996 was still mostly in the shadows. My tech work in college led me to the corporate world where I worked for a number of firms with increasing responsibility. My personal turning point came 10 years into my career I made the bold (insane?) attempt leave my job raise $ 1 billion to buyout the company I was working for. While ultimately unsuccessful this attempt helped me understand not just the insides for the financial market but what ‘value creation’ really is and that it is not just financial. Since this time I’ve been an entrepreneur with a mindset that I must balance financial returns, social benefits, environmental impact, and aesthetics to truly create value.
- How do you define social enterprise? What do you think makes it different from other types of enterprise?
▶While most companies look at the financial return a social enterprise is one that truly understands the ‘value’ it creates and is socially and environmentally responsible while financially sustainable.
- What does it mean for you to be a social entrepreneur? When do you feel excited or frustrated?
▶A social entrepreneur is someone with clarity that their objective is beyond financial returns. This is a great question because I struggle with being excited and frustrated on a day to day basis. I’d say it’s a 50/50 balance since becoming an entrepreneur but I’m trying to improve that. Innovation, new discoveries, concepts and ideas excite me while it can be frustrating that it is very hard and time consuming to realize their results. It’s also frustrating to introduce disruptive ideas into the market and have people take a long time to realize their potential.
- Being a social entrepreneur, It is very difficult to succeed financially. How do you keep Abramar social and profitable? What are your key success factors in leading Abramar?
▶If the core strategy is to maximize both social and financial then succeed financially is almost automatic. However sometimes we have to concede some social benefits for financial gain to get the investment we need. This becomes easier though as we evolve, mature and prove our model in the market.
5 Key success factors:
1.A simple indicator that helps us determine value real time all the time and keeps goals aligned
2.Leadership that stands by our vision
3.Caring about our people, partners, and clients
4.Keeping or exceeding promises on expectations to clients and investors
5.Work very hard and constantly reinvent
- What do you think is the most strong point of Abramar compared with other social enterprises? What is the vision of Abramar?
▶Abramar aims very high and sets very high standards and reinvents itself constantly. Our vision is to develop the best urban neighborhoods and complementary innovative design and technology
- What do you think is the biggest risk to the world economy in this era? And what are you strategies to deal with it?
▶Most urban neighborhoods don’t take advantage of the accumulated human intellectual capital and as a result we develop ugly, depressing, and environmentally harmful neighborhoods that make up 75% of the build environment where we live, and have a greater impact on the earth’s environment than anything outside of our power sources. Our strategy at Abramar is to unite design, technology, sustainability, and capital to bring unparalleled innovation to an otherwise boring industry and create sustainable, quality, urban neighborhoods.
- What do you think is a core problem of your society and how do you think Abramar contribute in solving the problem?
▶A core problem in society is ignoring cultural heritage and not realizing the importance of beauty, environment, and community. Abramar’s projects create communities that evoke all of these qualities.
- What is your alternative goal in your life? What is the most important value for you?
▶I want to influence other people and companies and help enable responsible innovation. The most important value is undoubtedly ‘Responsible Creation’
- Do you have any idea of Korean economy? Could you give any advice for those who dream of being a social entrepreneur in Korea?
▶I’m afraid not, so I look forward to learn. My advice is to stick to your vision, listen to any advice, share your wins and experiences, take responsibility for your losses, work hard, always keep an eye on cashflow and enjoy the process
