Skoll Foundation
Dunn is currently an Advisor to Social Ventures around the world and an Associate Consulting Professor at the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (a.k.a d.school) at Stanford University.
She left Hewlett-Packard in June, 2005 after 22 years, the last three years of which were spent as Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Global Citizenship. In that role, she led HP's efforts on corporate social and environmental responsibility, government and public affairs, and corporate philanthropy. Through the efforts of Debra's team, HP received widespread recognition and numerous global awards for leadership in Global Corporate Citizenship. She was elected an HP vice president in November 1999, and she was named general manager of HP's executive committee in 1998, leading the Agilent spin-off process.
Dunn holds a BA in comparative economics from Brown University, and an MBA from Harvard School of Business. She serves on the Boards of the Skoll Foundation, B Lab, Global Giving, and the Faculty of Sustainability.
Last Updated: Sat, Oct 25, 2008
The co-founders of B Lab, Jay Coen Gilbert, Bart Houlahan, and Andrew Kassoy, unveil their infrastructure play that seeks to give voice to the burgeoning panoply of green business. They explain how a higher set of corporate standards accountable to the environment, employees, and the community, can craft a healthier corporate ecosystem for all. 
Debra Dunn, former vice president of strategy and corporate operations at Hewlett Packard, and Randy Komisar, partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, believe that leadership skills and the ability to handle change comfortably are the key characteristics that have been useful in their respective careers.
Dunn discusses her foray into the business world and why she decided to work at Hewlett Packard. She describes how the values of the company strongly resonate with her and the company has provided her with many opportunitites.
Komisar talks about his transition from teaching at Stanford to getting into the structured environment of venture capital firms. He discusses the things he found appealing about his job as a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers.
Dunn talks about how the skills that she has acquired in a traditional company like Hewlett Packard will be useful in solving social problems in non-profit ventures.
Komisar talks about how many traditional companies like Kleiner Perkins are involved in making significant social differences. He believes that the entreprenuerial spirit and pursuit of innovation of these companies is consistent to the model of many social ventures in the market.
Dunn and Komisar share their philosophies about how much to plan one's careers versus creating and taking opportunities as they present themselves.
Dunn and Komisar give advice to graduating students from Stanford University to never stop learning as well as spend a considerable amount of time to figure out the things one is truly passionate about.
Dunn believes that lack of transparency has led to a lack of competition in the non-profit world, which has witnessed an absence of business rigor. She is confident that there is an opportunity for radical transformation in the non-profit world.
Komisar believes that the ability and commitment to building businesses rather than just investing in it is what makes successful venture capital firms.
Randy Komisar of KPCB and Debra Dunn, previously of HP, discuss entrepreneurship during the Entrepreneurial Thought Leader lecture series.