Firdaus Kharas Named Among World’s Top Social Innovators

OTTAWA, Ontario - Feb. 17, 2015 - PRLog -- Ottawa/Geneva: February 17, 2015

Video and communications expert Firdaus Kharas has been named one of the world’s 50 Most Talented Social Innovators by the World Corporate Social Responsibility Congress.  The award will be presented in Mumbai, India, on February 18, 2015. It is given to individuals whose work is studied over a long period.

“I am delighted and honored to join such a very distinguished group of global leaders who are working through innovation to make this world a better place,” Mr. Kharas says.

Among those receiving the award are Dr. Pradeep K. Khosla, Chancellor, University of California, San Diego (US); Dr. Tidu Maini, Executive Chairman, Qatar Science and Technology Park (Qatar); Professor Mike Keppell, Executive Director, Digital Futures Institute, and Director, Digital Futures Collaborative Research Network (Australia); Dr. Renee Wittemyer, Director, Social Impact, Intel Corporation (US); and Dr. Pushkin Phartiyal, Executive Director, Central Himalayan Environment Association (India).

Internationally recognized as a social innovator, director and humanitarian, Mr. Kharas produces animation, documentaries, films and television series designed to educate, entertain and change societal and individual behavior via a process he calls Culture Shift. His goal is to positively influence viewers’ knowledge, attitude and behavior, especially those of children and young adults, to better the human condition.

Most recently Mr. Kharas directed and co-created Ebola: A Poem For The Living, an animated short designed to stop the further spread of Ebola in West Africa.  The short has been versioned into 17 West African languages and has been broadcast on television systems and radio stations; used by an extensive list of international and non-governmental organizations; and passed via Bluetooth from mobile phone to phone in the stricken areas.

This award adds to the more than 70 awards Mr. Kharas has received for his humanitarian work, including the prestigious Peabody Award and an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Thiel College, in Pennsylvania.

Further information on Mr. Kharas’ work can be found at http://www.chocmoose.com.