Robert (“Bobby”) Sager is an American photographer, writer, and activist. Born in 1954 in Boston, MA, and raised in a household actively standing for African American civil rights, he joined the Gordon Brothers Group in 1985 where he served as President and grew the company from a $10M to a multi-billion dollar enterprise in North America, Europe, and Asia.

In 2000, he left active management of Gordon Brothers and founded the Sager Family Foundation whereby he and his family traveled and lived in developing and war-torn regions. Building on the notion of hands-on, “eyeball-to-eyeball” philanthropy, he has spent 20 years working in countries to conceive, develop, and operate aid programs and initiatives to uplift communities and foster sustainable economic development, as a catalyst for change.

An engaged photographer, Sager uses his craft as a tool to raise global awareness of the consequences of conflict and hardship, in particular, the impact of the global refugee crisis on children.

Since September 11, 2001, Sager has relentlessly documented the Sager Family Foundation’s overseas relief efforts in the context of evolving world events, building a significant body of images that document his experiences. His Foundation projects find their expression in his ongoing photographic archive.

Akin to a “human-based documentary,” his photographic insights derive from the individuals themselves. He exposes the precarious living conditions that surround them, not through the landscape, but through the faces of the people and communities settled there.

Bobby’s photographs leverage the intimate bond between photographer and human subject. By creating a “visual conversation” with them, Bobby acts as a mediator, allowing audiences to feel an “authentic connection” and to see humanity as one entity. His proximity to his subjects increases our mindfulness and causes us to reflect on how we might make choices in our lives to positively impact the lives of others.

His photography has given rise to several publications where the images convey his philosophy and deliver an urgent call to action, namely, for people to take “concrete baby steps” as part of their individual responsibility to effect change.

Bobby’s books include:

The Power of the Invisible Sun (2009; new edition titled Invisible Sun released in 2019), an ongoing photographic project building on pictures of areas most stricken by war, depicting children living and dealing with conflict, showcased during The Police’s 100-concert reunion tour in 2007-2008;

Beyond the Robe (2013), which tells the story of the foundation’s partnership with the Dalai Lama as part of the Science for Monks and Nuns program; and

Untouched Octaves (2017), in collaboration with Pakistani poet Amin Hashwani. His extensive photographic archive will continue to unfold in several new publications in the coming years.

In 2010, Bobby combined the power of his longstanding entrepreneurial success and his passion for the power of photography to lead the investment group behind Polaroid’s notable revival, where he served as Chairman of the Board for eight years. Bringing relevancy back to Polaroid enriched his deep-seated belief in the power of images to elicit authentic connection, even in the signature moment of a gritty snapshot.

An active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), he founded the YPO Peace Action Network (2002), which convenes business leaders from different sides of conflicts, and the Presidents’ Action Now Chapter (2005), a philanthropic search engine that connects presidents from over 100 countries to leverage their efforts globally. His philosophy and initiatives have been saluted on several occasions; he was awarded the 2002 YPO Global Humanitarian Award and 2013 YPO Hickock Award, two of the organization’s highest honors.

In addition to his philanthropic endeavors, Bobby Sager has been an active public speaker, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly Hall, Sydney Opera House, and the Grand Mosque in Oman. He has also moderated the lndo-Pak Development Forum and the US Arab Action Forum.

Bobby served as the inspiration for the 8-part NBC television series The Philanthropist {2009) and was featured in the TEDx Talk Series (Be Selfish, Go Help Someone, 2014).