Humanity-Centric Innovation at the Core of Impact-Driven Leadership: A Chat with Pete Dulcamara

"Success isn’t defined by how much wealth you accumulate, but by how many lives you can positively impact."

Pete Dulcamara, the founder of Pete Dulcamara & Associates and former Chief Scientist at Kimberly-Clark, lives by this principle, aiming to redefine what it means to be a billionaire—measured not in dollars, but in the number of lives transformed.

A veteran of the science and innovation space, Pete's mission is clear: tackle the world’s most pressing problems in ways that are both economically sustainable and rooted in the well-being of humanity. Through his work, Pete encourages businesses to shift their focus from traditional profit models to what he calls “humanity-centric innovation”—a philosophy designed to create solutions that improve people's lives while remaining economically viable.

The We Make Change team had the privilege of sitting down with Pete to explore how this vision came to be, how his past experiences have shaped his approach to innovation, and what lies ahead for his mission to make a positive impact on a global scale.

From Family Roots to Global Innovation

Pete's career journey is marked by a consistent drive to create businesses that improve people's lives. As he shared, the inspiration for his work is deeply personal: “My mission was born from my family,” Pete explained. “When we were expecting our first child, I wrote a personal mission statement in 1997, and that’s been my North Star ever since—to help raise children who live a fulfilled life and to help create businesses that improve people's lives.” 

This mission led Pete to pivot from his senior role at Dow Chemical to a new position at Kimberly-Clark, where he became the company’s Chief Scientist. He saw this as an opportunity to merge his passion for innovation with his desire to positively impact society, ultimately leading him to start his own consultancy, Pete Dulcamara & Associates.

The Power of Humanity-Centric Innovation

At the core of Pete’s philosophy is what he calls “humanity-centric innovation,” a framework that he believes can solve the world’s biggest challenges. But what does this mean in practice?

Pete explains it as a three-pillar approach: first, identifying what humanity truly needs—something the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have outlined clearly; second, developing innovative business models, like the data-driven economies of companies like Google or the sharing models of Airbnb; and third, utilising exponential technologies such as AI and robotics to make these solutions economically viable.

"I have this crazy idea that we can all become billionaires," Pete said with a smile, “if we redefine a billionaire not as someone who accumulates a billion dollars, but as someone who positively impacts a billion lives.”

Humanity-Centric Innovation in Action

Pete’s work and vision are not just theoretical. His leadership with the Toilet Board Coalition, where he worked on accelerating impact startups solving the global sanitation crisis, is a prime example of humanity-centric innovation at play. Pete highlighted two standout initiatives: 

One was FreeWater.io, a business model that provides free water to people in need by funding it through advertising on the packaging. Another was SatSense, a company in India using satellite data and AI to monitor water quality for local businesses, helping address water pollution and scarcity issues.

These examples illustrate Pete’s belief that businesses can—and should—be vehicles for social good. “It’s not just about profit anymore. It’s about purpose,” he emphasised.

Tip: Another example of these businesses are the 1,300+ We Make Change Startups.

The Role of Corporations in Driving Change

In Pete’s view, large corporations have a critical role to play in humanity-centric innovation. “I believe charities are important, but charities aren't necessarily scalable and businesses are,” he explained. He believes corporations need to shift from merely fulfilling their legal obligations to actively pursuing sustainability and social impact to attract the best talent and foster customer loyalty.

“I always like to say, a rising tide lifts all boats—not just yachts. It's how we create systems that really lift us all up. And that's what corporations need to do.” Pete reflected, emphasising the need for businesses to create systems that benefit everyone, not just the wealthiest.

He also touched on what he calls the "sustainability maturity curve." At the bottom of this curve, companies only do the bare minimum to keep their licences to operate. At the top, NGOs push for sustainable development purely for the planet’s sake. “But right in the middle is doing sustainable development to create a competitive advantage. And as soon as you use sustainable development to create a competitive advantage, you actually achieve all three.”

Fostering a Breakthrough Mindset

Pete’s vision for humanity-centric innovation doesn’t stop at corporations. He encourages individuals to adopt a “breakthrough mindset,” a way of thinking that embraces change, supports others’ success, and drives continuous improvement.

Drawing on the example of Kodak, which failed to capitalise on its own invention of the digital camera, Pete stressed the importance of getting outside one’s comfort zone. “All the magic happens outside of your comfort zone,” he remarked. He encouraged individuals to seek out diverse perspectives and to have the courage to be authentic in the workplace.

“Don’t think of yourself as an employee of your company. Think of how your company can work for you to achieve your purpose,” Pete advised. For him, aligning personal purpose with the mission of an organisation is the key to finding passion and fulfilment in one’s career.

And What About the Future? Innovating for Future Generations

Pete’s work is as much about the future as it is about the present. He frequently references the idea that our actions today will impact not just the 8 billion people currently living on Earth, but the 6.75 trillion people yet to be born over the next 50,000 years. “It’s not about saving the planet,” he pointed out. “It’s about saving our species by saving the planet.”

As Pete put it, “We’ve got a great fixer-upper right here. Let’s make Earth the best place to live in the entire universe.”

Final Thoughts: Paint Your Masterpiece

In closing, Pete shared one of his favourite pieces of advice from the book “Orbiting the Giant Hairball” by Gordon MacKenzie. The last line of the book reads: “Every single one of us has a masterpiece inside us that nobody else can paint but us.”

For Pete, that masterpiece is his lifelong mission to create businesses that improve people's lives. And he believes that everyone, no matter their role or position, can find their own masterpiece if they align their passion with purpose.

"Go paint your masterpiece," Pete urged. “And help others achieve their purpose.”

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This is part of our ChangeLeaders interview series with corporate impact leaders sharing their journeys, learnings and lessons from making impact in the corporate world. If you are a ChangeLeader we should interview, please email us at info@wemakechange.org.

Interview: James Sancto & Laura De Alba (We Make Change)
Article: Laura De Alba