Bio
Peter Thum is a recognized pioneer in social enterprise. He founded and was President of Ethos Water through its acquisition by Starbucks. To date, Ethos Water has served hundreds of millions of customers and granted $13.8 million to provide water, sanitation and hygiene education to over half a million people worldwide.
Thum is the founder and CEO of Liberty United and of Fonderie 47; ventures that transform illegal guns into jewelry, watches, accessories and art to fund programs to stop gun violence.
Liberty United programs protect, educate and uplift the lives of thousands of at-risk children who are growing up with gun violence across America. Fonderie 47 has funded the destruction of more than 70,000 assault rifles in African war zones.
Thum is a regular public speaker and consults corporations and global organizations on various strategic issues.
Thum received the For the Love of Children Award from Children’s Home and Aid of Illinois in 2017. He received The Disruptive Innovation Award from the Tribeca Film Festival and the Disruptor Foundation in 2012. He and his brands have been featured in advertising and marketing for the Cross Pen Company, UBS and Levi Strauss.
Thum and his ventures have been covered by numerous media outlets, including: The New York Times, The Today Show, USA Today, Fortune, Fast Company, Forbes, NBC, CBS, ABC, CBC, Fox News, Fox Business, TED.com, The Chicago Tribune, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, PRI, Robb Report, Departures, Worth, GQ, Vogue, and Elle.
Early in his career Thum was a consultant at McKinsey & Company and a marketer at Ernest & Julio Gallo Winery. He earned an MBA from Northwestern University and BA from Claremont McKenna College.
From thriving in a competitive business environment to showing the importance of finding your passion in life, Thum inspires audiences with his remarkable story of seeing wrongs in the world and using his drive and business acumen to right them.