What would you do if you lost 70% of your workforce in one day? If you lost your brother as well? What if your building was destroyed along with all of your records? And what if you had to pay back $78 billion dollars in trades from the weekend? How would you react and move forward? For Edie Lutnick and her brother Howard, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, it was an obvious decision: to help the families first in the process to rebuild their business.

On September 11th, 658 men and women at Cantor Fitzgerald lost their lives in One World Trade Center. Among them was Edie's youngest brother Gary, whom she had raised when their parents died at an early age. In the aftermath of the attacks, Edie answered the call from Howard to create a fund for the firm's families who had lost loved ones and to address the short and long term needs of victims of terrorism, natural disasters and emergencies. Under Edie’s leadership, The Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund has raised and distributed over 180 million dollars to over 800 families of the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and has been instrumental in assisting them to heal. The fund has now provided more than $270 million and has also supported those affected by Hurricane Katrina, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and last year’s superstorm Sandy.

Over the past decade, in their effort to give aid and comfort to victims and their families, Edie and Howard unexpectedly found themselves in a battle of issues from political jockeying to class biases. Edie chronicled their story in her book An Unbroken Bond, a powerful, sometimes infuriating and ultimately heart rendering story of the mission to fulfill an important legacy, and give meaning to the lives of the victims of 9/11.

Edie Lutnik has forever changed the way we look at social responsibility. She has initiated Cantor Fitzgerald’s annual Charity Day, a day in which 100% of the company’s global revenues go to hundreds of not-for-profits. This effort has earned the support of such celebrities as Eli Manning, Mark Sanchez, Edie Falco, Mickey Rourke, Michael J. Fox, Anna Sophia Robb, Carol Alt and Petra Nemcova among countless others. Together, they have raised over $89 million for charities focused on curing cancer, Parkinson's disease, diabetes, mental health issues, children's causes, veterans concerns and 9/11 education. All efforts combined, the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund has distributed over a quarter of a billion dollars.

In honor of her brother Gary, Edie has also launched IHAVENEVERHEARDOFYOU.com, which features not-for-profits that most have never heard of, but who are making a big difference in the world. IHAVENEVERHEARDOFYOU.com allows people to nominate a charity you admire by submitting their story. With 86% of charitable giving going to only 1% of the 1.6 million registered not-for-profits in the United States, this effort is shining a spotlight on the countless organizations doing phenomenal work.

Edie shares the true meaning of leadership in action, especially when the odds are stacked against you and the world watching your every move. With seemingly everything lost, Cantor Fitzgerald rose from the ashes from just a few hundred surviving employees to more than 3,000 today. The leadership lessons as to how they managed thru such a devastating crisis, and how they have become the model for financial rebirth and social responsibility, are extremely important for today’s organizations.

Inspirational, Jewish, Spirituality, Women in Business, Caregiving, Mental Health, Philanthropy, Keynote, Leadership,