How a Top Banker Became a Vegan Hero
From vice-president of Citibank to living legend
It may be strange to say this about a public figure — but after reading this article, you will hopefully understand why I absolutely love this man.
His name is Philip Wollen. And he is one of the greatest animal rights champions and philanthropists of our time.
“Anybody who eats the murdered carcass of an innocent animal cannot claim to be compassionate – not with a straight face anyway.”
— Philip Wollen
Today, I want to:
Revisit the historical speech that turned Wollen into an eternal hero for the animal rights movement
Briefly analyze the speech and list key quotes
Give a glimpse into Wollen’s extremely fascinating and inspiring life
1 — Wollen’s phenomenal speech
Some of you may already know this 10-minute speech that Wollen gave at a public debate on animal rights in 2012. Even if you do, it is certainly worth a re-watch!
And with that, let me pass the mic to Wollen…
The only thing I don’t like about it:
Since 2012, the speech has collected nearly 1 million views on YouTube. That’s impressive — but not nearly enough! It has earned much more. Please share this post to help ensure more people appreciate the work of Philip Wollen, understand his story, and watch his deeply inspiring speech.👇
2 — Analyzing the speech
Appearing in suit and tie, Wollen is a rather unconventional figure in the vegan movement — yet precisely this draws in new audiences. His activism reaches far beyond the “vegan bubble”.
The above speech at the Melbourne Town Hall clearly reached a broad audience, including many non-vegans. The simplicity and brevity of his speech also make it highly accessible and easy to watch.
His infectious passion, his charisma, and his humor — delivered authentically, eliciting laughter from the entire room — these are what make his speech truly special and so extremely effective.
Key quotes from the speech:
“I heard the screams of my father as cancer ravaged his body, and then I realised I had heard those screams before — in slaughterhouses, in the dog meat markets, in cattle ships, and the dying mother whale as a harpoon explodes in her brain as she calls out to her calf. Their cries are the cries of my father. And I realised that when we suffer, we suffer as equals.”
“In their capacity to suffer, a dog is a pig is a bear … is a boy.”
“Every morsel of meat we eat is slapping the tear stained face of a hungry child.”
“Animal rights is now the greatest social justice issue since the abolition of slavery.”
“The Stone Age did not end because we ran out of stones. The meat industry will end because we run out of excuses.”
3 — Wollen’s incredible life
Born in Bangalore, India in 1950, Philip Wollen moved to Australia as a young man. He had an astonishing career, becoming the vice-president of Citibank at the age of 34. At the time, he was rated by Australian Business Magazine in their Top 40 Australian Head-hunted Executives.
A few years later, he suddenly left the business world. He decided to give away all his wealth and become a political activist.
This earned him a long list of awards, including the Medal of the Order of Australia, the Australian Humanitarian Award, Vegan of the Year, Sea Shepherd Volunteer of Decade, Albert Schweitzer Award USA, Peter Singer Medal, and Victorian of the Year.
How did this happen?
Visiting a slaughterhouse changed his life
One day, Wollen was mandated to visit a corporate client’s subsidiary. It turned out to be a slaughterhouse. The terrifying scenes he witnessed there turned his life around. Wollen remembers:
“I had never seen a slaughterhouse before. My blood ran cold. This didn’t just turn me into a vegetarian. It turned me into a genuinely compassionate human being.”
“I ultimately became vegan when I saw what happens to millions of chickens — their beaks burned off, millions of tiny male chicks being hurled to their death into grinders, premature calves being deliberately induced and being killed by crushing to death. It is a crime of unimaginable proportions.”
He gave away all his wealth
After these defining experiences, Wollen — who had become a rich man — decided to give away everything he possessed: houses, apartments, factories, commercial buildings, and his share portfolio.
Instead of following the selfish path that many of today’s rich pursue, he decided to spend all his wealth for good causes and “die broke”.
His incredible passion and commitment
Since then Wollen has donated millions to help the powerless — children, animals and the terminally ill — around the world. For this purpose, he founded the Winsome Constance Kindness Trust, named after his mother and grandmother.
Together with his amazing wife, Trix Wollen, he has supported over 500 projects in more than 40 countries, including schools, shelters, sanctuaries, orphanages, clinics, ambulances, and animal rights groups.
Here are just some examples of their impact:
The Wollens helped Sea Shepherd financing their anti-whaling vessels
They funded “retirement homes” for abused cows in India
They supported a Korean group advocating against the practice of beating dogs to death in market places “because [some] Koreans believe that the more fear and suffering these animals experience, the tastier the meat”.
They helped saving moon bears in China, which are kept in cages with catheters attached to them to collect their bile. “They can't move, they can't scratch themselves and they try to kill themselves, and the Chinese smash out their teeth and chop off their fingers.”
They rescued sloth bears in India who were used as a source of income by the Kalander people. “They kill the mother and they drive a hot poker through the nose of the cub and they put a piece of glass in there.” The bears then “dance” when a cord is pulled. In exchange for freeing the bears, the Kalander people were offered a small-business opportunity, such as a fruit and vegetable shop.
In addition to the his significant investments and donations, Philip Wollen has always been an outspoken advocate himself. He has shared his views with parliaments, heads of state, prime ministers, and in universities across the globe.
A rare role model
Wollen is a prime example of how to use wealth and influence responsibly. The rich and influential should take him as a role model — not only because the world direly needs it, but also because Wollen seems happier than most of them.
His smiling kindness sends a clear message: having a real purpose and a clear conscience are worth more than all material wealth.
Let’s continue his legacy
The animal industry remains one of the greatest threats to animals, climate, the environment, and humanity
While there is hope on the horizon, currently the industry continues to rapidly expand its global production. We need to stop it!
My promise to you is that I will continue to energize the vegan movement and disrupt the harmful disinformation spread by ‘Big Meat’ and ‘Big Dairy’.
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