About Michael Kalb
Michael Kalb, Executive Vice President, Treasurer & Chief Financial Officer at Enanta, was named Philanthropist of the Year at a 2024 philanthropy awards ceremony. In his remarks, Kalb described a ten-year personal journey that began when he embraced his sexuality. He stated that his involvement with the LGBTQ community is about supporting good causes and political activism rather than social activities. Kalb said his work on a shelter for unhoused LGBTQ youth, Sunshine Pride House, helped him learn to love himself as a proud gay man. He attributed the project's success to the community's collective effort and said he was giving the recognition back to the community.
In a 2023 collector conversation, Kalb discussed his watch collection, describing his preferences for contemporary timepieces he will wear. He spoke about specific watches including a Patek Philippe 5960/1A, an H. Moser & Cie. perpetual calendar, and a De Bethune, and commented on the engineering of an A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk. Kalb also noted that he looks for innovation and differentiation in watch brands and stated that the watch industry has moved on from the "Holy Trinity" of traditional manufacturers. Separately, in a 2020 musical performance, Kalb sang covers of songs including "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" and "The Needle and the Damage Done."
Source: AI-verified profile updated from Michael Kalb's recent appearances.
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Transcript (2 segments)
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Unknown0:03
I first met Michael three years ago and his philanthropy was strong from the start. He challenged us to get more donations in our fundraising gala and he matched those donations, which was greatly appreciated. The other thing I'd say about Michael is he has something I'd call a sort of benign impatience that I relate to. We all know that there are communities that have needs and Michael says let's stop talking about what can we do and he makes things happen. So Michael's journey with our fund began at a meeting at the Infinity Lounge on Wilton Drive, at which he told me that his passion was to create a place for unhoused LGBTQ youth to go. And I remember thinking that is a very, very tall order. With absolute certainty, I can say that the Sunshine Pride House would not have occurred had it not been for Michael's vision, for his intellect, for his passion for this project. You know, it's just easy to say that it was a check that he wrote, but it's so much more than that. I think the way that Michael approached this project is a model for other philanthropists to follow: that you come to the table not just with a check but with a very specific vision of how that can be accomplished, and you stay on task. You stay on task not only with your own goals but also moving the fund foundation forward. We've never taken on a project this large in scope and scale in investment, and the Arund Foundation will be a different organization going forward because of the lessons that we learned from Michael.
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Michael Kalb1:48
This has been a real journey for me. It really was a ten-year journey for me, and it started when I first embraced my sexuality ten years ago. I still had yet to really figure out for myself what does LGBTQ community mean. It's not about going to bars, it's not about going to parties, it's not about hanging out with your friends. It's about getting involved in good causes that support the community, it's about getting involved in political activism, it's about getting involved in things that are near and dear to your heart. Community to me means love, and that's what this shelter is about. It's about love, it's about love for this community. And interestingly, I came out, I embraced my sexuality ten years ago. Even though I embraced it, I had yet to figure out that I could love myself, and doing this project actually helped me realize I could love myself. And now that I can love myself as a proud gay man, it's time for us to do what's right for the community and spread that love to everybody in the community. And that's what this house is about. It's about spreading the love, it's about showing kids in need that we care and that we're willing to work together for everybody. I really appreciate this recognition that I'm getting from our fund. It means a lot to me, but that's not the reason why we did this. We did this for love. So with this recognition, I'm actually turning around and giving it back to the community, because it's the community that came together to make this happen. And that's why we're here today. Not because of me. We're here because of the community and the love that's in the community.
