Mr. Anders Ferguson is a Co-Founder and serves as Partner at Veris Wealth Partners. He leads the company's strategic marketing and business development. He is a seasoned entrepreneur and financier building sustainable companies and nonprofits since 1978. He specializes in sustainable alternative assets, capital formation and business strategy. Prior to Veris, he chaired Uplift Equity Partners, a firm specializing in sustainable private equity. He speaks frequently about sustainable leadership and investing. In 1999, he achieved an important personal milestone with the success of a consulting company he founded. Rather than rush quickly into a new venture, he took time off to contemplate a deeper application of his business skills to his personal passion for social responsibility. He went on a retreat to a small rural village on the border of Tibet and China where he witnessed firsthand the environmental impacts of an ascending Chinese economy. Forests were stripped of trees, rivers were dammed for hydroelectric projects and the air in major cities was growing visibly toxic. All the good works of the small and medium-sized sustainable companies he advised were no match for what was occurring on a global scale. He knew he needed to engage major, mainstream business leaders in the next phase of his life's work. With this in mind, he co-convened an extraordinary conference and NGO that brought together Fortune 500 executives and the Dalai Lama to explore the intersection of leadership, spirituality, mindfulness and business performance.