Ripple Effect: The power of a pebble
Out of more than 8 billion people on Earth, can one person really make a difference?
Laure de Panafieu, a senior partner at global law firm Linklaters, found her answer in a handful of pebbles gathered during a beach cleanup before voyaging to Antarctica. Those ordinary stones became an extraordinary reminder that small actions can create ripples that transform organizations, communities, and lives.
In this episode of Thin Ice, Laure shares how a visit to Antarctica transformed her from someone who anxiously turned the page on troubling climate news into a leader advancing stewardship and sustainability across one of the world's leading law firms. It's a conversation about leadership, stewardship, and discovering that meaningful waves of change often begin with a single pebble.
Thierry and Laure de Panafieu during the Ushuaia beach cleanup, already making ripples. Thierry is the cofounder and managing partner of Shift4Good.
Robert Swan and Laure de Panafieu with her pebble in the Linklaters Singapore office (inset: pebble in the Brussels office). All photos courtesy of Laure de Panafieu.
Blame it on the rain
During the expedition in 2022, rain — a highly unusual event in Antarctica — triggered life vests to automatically inflate.
Singapore team holding the company flag that traveled to the South Pole with Robert and Barney Swan