With love and purpose: Celebrating the life of Amber Kelleher Andrews
In early 2013, philanthropist, Cindy Mercer, organised a lunch that would be the start of a thirteen-year friendship and impact partnership with Amber Kelleher Andrews. Changing the course of both of our lives. What Amber called a “sliding door moment” in her life that “blossomed into a Universal door, impacting countless lives and contributing positively to our planet.”
From that lunch on, especially after being inspired by Richard, Amber was on an unstoppable mission to leverage her incredible company and community for positive impact in the world. Helping people connect with their purpose, find meaning in their lives, embed purpose in their businesses, and generously supporting initiatives all over the world with millions of dollars, touching millions of lives.
Amber is proof that one person can change the course of history for the better. She connected Virgin Unite and our partners to over 350+ people who she sparked into action. Giving lift off to initiatives like 100% Human at Work, The Planetary Guardians, criminal justice reform and many frontline projects like Made by Dyslexia.
As a human being, Amber was a bright light that lit up every room she entered. An endless well of joy that she generously shared with everyone in her orbit, something that will continue to fuel us all.
She was also a great example of someone who can hold a space of difference and bridge divides, always remaining loving and a friend who always had your back. We were opposites in many ways with differing political views, and I’m sure I constantly made her smile with my lack of glamour. Yet we were bonded in our mission to connect people and ignite them to act.
Amber was all about connection. Bringing the best ideas together with the best people and then watching magic happen. Richard and Virgin Unite’s ten-year partnership with Amber and her team have created ripples of impact that will keep her legacy alive for generations to come.
As Richard so eloquently put it, “Amber was a treasure to this world. Her joy, love, and sheer determination to make the world a better place was awe inspiring. We feel so fortunate to have had her as part of the Virgin Unite family for over a decade.
Her legacy will live on in the many millions of peoples’ lives she touched through her generosity and through sparking purpose in so many peoples’ lives. She will be greatly missed, and we send our love to her entire family and to her children who she was so very proud of.”
She loved to call her gatherings, “Success to Significance”, which is what she lived in her own life. Embedding purpose in all she did. She made it her mission to bring light, love, and purpose to millions of people all over the world. They are all sparkling right now like a perpetual tailwind, all sending love and strength to a world that desperately needs it.
Amber, thanks for not just walking through that sliding door, but for running through it towards a legacy that truly has created universal sliding doors of impact for so many.
We will all miss you greatly.