Catching up with our Honourees: Lori Blaker

“Being a Business for Peace Honouree was one of the most meaningful acknowledgments I’ve ever received. To me it signified that one can pursue being a successful business owner and also a humanitarian. The two can go hand in hand and should.” — Lori Blaker

Lori Blaker is the President and CEO of TTi Global and a champion of inclusion and gender equality. In 2016 she opened a retail Automotive Service Center and Training Center in Kabul, creating much-needed job opportunities in a challenging environment. Blaker developed a special training program for local women to learn management skills in an industry they would traditionally be barred from. In 2018 she was recognised with the Oslo Business for Peace Award.

To be businessworthy is to apply one’s business energy ethically and responsibly with the purpose of creating social as well as economic value. How does your work align with these values?

The services provided by TTi Global across the world focused on training and development of automotive personnel. In providing this training, students continually upgrade their skills and knowledge in order to provide an improved customer service and to also increase their earnings ability as a result. Additionally, we consistently looked for ways to attract young people and/or new talent into the automotive industry, many times in rural and low-income areas to provide insight and apprenticeship opportunities as a means to enable individuals to learn a skill that equates to an income.

How has the COVID-19 crisis impacted your work?

On a local level, every market was severely impacted. The subsequent lockdowns cut deeply into our global revenue and resulted in significant loss of business. In most markets, with government support we were able to retain a majority of our team. But our customers and our employees have all felt the impact of the virus. Trying to ensure our staff was not placed at risk was a real juggling act. Communicating electronically through internet conference calls was nothing new for us. As a global team, we communicated via “zoom” type meetings regularly, but not being able to meet together face to face at various points throughout the year definitely makes connecting more difficult.

What would you say to other business leaders about how to act as a role model and what to prioritise during these unprecedented times?

The health and safety of your team is the most important consideration. At the same time, the health of the business is critical as well. You can’t have one without the other. It requires many tough decisions. However, if you don’t consider the health of your team as the single most important, then how can you show on-going respect for your team? One can’t just respect them when the world and the business is going well. We need to show that respect and care every step of the way. That then translates into how they will treat their team, their customers. It’s a mind set, not a whim.

What are the top issues you would like to see highlighted in the aftermath of COVID-19?

Better communication between governments would be imperative. A more global approach to how it is handled would be beneficial. Some countries handle it one way, another their own way. It becomes very complicated in managing a global organisation. Some markets were totally locked down, others not so much. Finding ways to ensure that those who were affected with the virus and needing to quarantine at home, don’t suffer financially because they choose to be cautious or are ill, are important areas to address.

Is there another Business for Peace Honouree that you look towards for inspiration? Who and why?

Hamdi Ulukaya: President and CEO of Chobani LLC. Hamdi started with nothing and built an organization based on solid humanitarian principles and provided opportunity to those most in need. He personifies the ideals I strived toward.

Where does your passion come from?

Because our organisation is indeed global, in traveling considerably to all of our markets, you can’t help but look around and see the poverty created by a lack of education and skill development opportunities. Knowing the constant demand for talent in our industry, it just became an opportunity for us to not only support our industry in developing this new talent, but in helping our communities across the globe in developing a workforce, thus creating jobs and employment channels. It also provided a way to unite our company with this goal and creating the passion behind it.

How do you stay motivated?

By reminding myself that everyday is a gift, and I’ve been so blessed to have been given this journey through life. It has been truly an amazing road. I wouldn’t change anything, even the most difficult days, as they have made me who I am.

So now, it is my on-going responsibility to try to assist others so they too may experience the same.