Stan Polovets: Merging Business Acumen With Genesis Prize’s Global Mission

Stan Polovets drives global impact through The Genesis Prize Foundation, celebrating Jewish pride and humanitarian achievements with inclusive leadership.

Stan Polovets, co-founder of The Genesis Prize Foundation, has leveraged his diverse career experiences to drive impactful change in both the corporate and philanthropic worlds. His leadership is marked by inclusivity, respect for diverse perspectives, and democratic principles.

“Regardless of the industry, I have found that democratic leadership works best for me and the teams I have managed,” he says. “Although I make the final decisions, I do so after hearing each team member’s perspective. I believe that this inclusive and empowering leadership style leads to better decisions and more engaged teams.”

This leadership style, which emphasizes listening and inclusivity, has allowed Polovets to effectively navigate the complexities of different sectors. “This approach takes more time, but my colleagues were motivated to participate, knowing that I heard them and was open to their opinions,” he says.

Stan Polovets’ career spans industries including biopharmaceuticals, energy, communications, and finance. He has served as the chairman of the Nasdaq-listed biopharmaceutical firm Anchiano Therapeutics Ltd., which is dedicated to discovering and developing cancer treatments. In his capacity as CEO of the Alfa-Access-Renova (AAR) Consortium, Polovets led this private equity firm with investments of over $25 billion in the international energy sector. He was chairman for Russia and Eastern Europe of Edelman, the largest public relations firm in the world. In addition, Polovets has held management and adviser positions at ExxonMobil, KPMG, EY, and URALSIB Bank. Polovets has also served on the boards of academic institutions and think tanks, including NYU, Stanford University and The Rand Corporation.

Polovets emphasizes the importance of caring for team members, being persistent yet flexible, staying self-aware, and learning from errors. “Every mistake is a learning and growth opportunity and helps make for better decisions in the future,” he says.

He noted some differences in the private and public sectors. In private companies, openness and transparency foster a sense of camaraderie among team members, he says. Public companies, in contrast, are subject to extensive reporting rules and require strict control over material nonpublic information to prevent problems such as insider trading.

“Every aspect of public company operations must adhere to the highest standards,” Polovets says. “Decision-making in private companies was often around the best strategy; in public companies, the extra layer of oversight — and often criticism — often changed the decisions we made.”

The Genesis Prize Foundation: Celebrating Jewish Identity and Global Impact

The annual Genesis Prize honors living Jewish individuals who have attained international renown in their profession, are proud of their Jewish heritage, care about the future of the Jewish people and the State of Israel, and inspire young people to make the world a better place. Time magazine calls it the “Jewish Nobel Prize.” Polovets says it helps to counter the assimilation and antisemitism that have inhibited open expression of Jewish identity around the globe.

Michael Bloomberg, the inaugural laureate in 2013,set a precedent when he chose to forgo the $1 million prize, which was then donated to a social entrepreneurship competition for young adults called the Genesis Generation Challenge. This has become a tradition, with each laureate choosing not to accept the prize funds, which are then donated to various philanthropic causes.

Stan Polovets: Driving Change Through Collaboration

Collaboration has been a cornerstone of Polovets’ philanthropic strategy. “None of us can do this work alone,” he says. “Every year, we have partnered with individuals, organizations, and donors to achieve our goals. It truly is a ‘more heads are better than one’ approach.”

In some Laureate cycles, The Genesis Prize Foundation partnered with the Jewish Funders Network to administer matching grants programs, which doubled or tripled the funding (and ultimately the attention) given to recipient organizations. It also had the effect of bringing to the Jewish community’s attention areas of great philanthropic need.

The Genesis Prize Foundation’s collaboration with Matan/United Way in Israel is another example. Matan/United Way provides valuable guidance on structuring philanthropic themes to attract Israeli donors. This collaborative spirit with JNF and Matan/United Way has helped the Foundation to provide more than $50 million in grants to over 200 nongovernmental organizations in 31 countries, impacting tens of thousands of beneficiaries.

Stan Polovets’ philanthropic efforts extend beyond The Genesis Prize Foundation. He founded the Vnimanie Foundation in response to his personal experiences with his son’s learning challenges. This initiative aimed to change the Russian educational and health care landscape regarding ADHD and similar conditions. The foundation sponsored conferences with leading Western psychologists, psychiatrists, pediatricians, and educators; it created parent support groups, published books, and lobbied the government to allow the import of medications used in the West.

“As a result of Vnimanie’s efforts, ADHD and other learning disabilities are now acknowledged in Russia as legitimate disorders, medications are available, parent support groups were established, textbooks published, and Russian schools now make accommodations for kids that have learning differences,” Polovets says.

Reflecting on his philanthropic journey, Stan Polovets credits his father for teaching him the values of generosity and community support. “For as long as I can remember, money was always scarce. Nevertheless, every opportunity my father had to help others, he would do it,” Polovets says.

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