Leadership for a Sustainable Future: Business-Academic Collaboration on the UN SDGs for Long-Term Success

Brussels | 15-16 November 2017

16th ABIS Annual Colloquium

www.abis-global.org

ABOUT THE EVENT

Since their adoption in 2015, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a vision for the world and a positive

agenda to ensure future prosperity by addressing the world’s most pressing challenges. From a business perspective, they not only offer

the chance to develop innovative solutions, but also create real value for all stakeholders. Implementing the SDGs will open up new

business opportunities, build competitive advantage, strengthen supply chain resilience, help talent recruitment and retention, build

investor and stakeholder trust and generate sustainable value for consumers and society.

With a great majority of businesses already adopting and engaging with the SDGs, there is the potential to unlock US$12tn in business

savings and revenues by 2030 (Business and Sustainable Development Commission, 2017). However, there continues to be a need to

identify the right tools to do so, whether that directly relates to business strategy and innovation, leadership practices or finding the right

talent or assessing business impact against the SDGs.

Against this backdrop, we believe that companies can tap into the academic knowledge and capabilities and - together with universities

as their strategic partners - develop leadership and new business strategies to ensure long-term value creation.

Join us for dialogues and interactive sessions on:

• The benefits for businesses of partnering up with academia

• Leadership skills, mindsets and capabilities to achieve the SDGs

• Building capacities for sustainable business innovation

• Harnessing science and technology collaboration to implement the SDGs

• Leveraging new approaches to business education to develop the necessary skills and competencies

• Measuring progress and impact on the SDGs

ABIS - THE ACADEMY OF BUSINESS IN SOCIETY

ABIS - The Academy of Business in Society is a global network of companies, organisations and academic institutions whose expertise,

commitment and resources are leveraged to invest in a more sustainable future. We believe that challenges linked to globalisation and

sustainable development require new management and leadership skills, mindsets and capabilities. We create platforms and innovative

spaces that enable our members to co-develop new knowledge and capabilities, education and learning frameworks that will enhance

the business contribution to society.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Our international event is an influential forum and networking opportunity for managers and business leaders, HR, Learning &

Development professionals, sustainability and innovation experts as well as researchers from corporate sector, NGOs and academic

institutions. This event is for all professionals willing to develop and implement more sustainable business strategies, ready to innovate and

collaborate to achieve the UN SDGs.

REPRESENTED ORGANISATIONS

www.abis-global.org

HOSTS

Viscount Etienne Davignon Belgian Minister of State & Honorary Chairman, ABIS

Rudi Plettinx Chief Executive Officer, ABIS

Alfons SauquetChairman of the Board of Directors, ABIS

Joris-Johann LenssenManaging Director, ABIS

www.abis-global.org

PROGRAMME

REGISTRATION

WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONAlfons Sauquet Rovira - Chairman, ABIS

OPENING KEYNOTE: DELIVERING THE UN SDGs – A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR BUSINESS AND SOCIETYRobert Metzke - Chief of Staff Innovation and Strategy & Global Head of Group Sustainability, Philips

PANEL SESSION: PARTNERING WITH ACADEMIA – A STRATEGIC CHOICE FOR COMPANIES Léon Wijnands - Global Head of Sustainability, ING

Stefan Crets - Executive Director, CSR Europe

Tim Munden - Chief Learning Officer, Unilever

Benjamin Davies - Partnership Director, Johnson & Johnson Corporate Citizenship Trust

Celia Moore - Director Corporate Citizenship, IBM EMEA

Moderator: Rudi Plettinx – CEO, ABIS

COFFEE BREAK

INTERACTIVE SESSIONS: CAPACITY BUILDING THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS

KEYNOTE: SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS AND DEVELOPMENT – CAN THE SDGs TRULY BECOME A GLOBAL GAME CHANGER? Ruth Mhlanga - Private Sector Policy Advisor, Oxfam

NETWORKING DRINKS

12:30

13:30

14:00

14:40

16:00

16:30

17:45

18:30

THE FUTURE BOARD – STEWARDSHIP FOR

SUSTAINABLE SUCCESS

Anthony Carey - Partner Board Practice, Mazars

Olivier Boutellis-Taft - CEO, Accountancy Europe

Annemieke Roobeek - Professor, Nyenrode Business

University

Moderator: Randall Peterson - Academic Director,

Leadership Research Institute, London Business

School

MAKING SDG PERFORMANCE RELEVANT TO

GENERAL MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP

PIPELINES

Paul Begley - Programmes Director, University of

Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership

Patrick Hull - Global Learning Director, Unilever

Nadia Tortel - Director, Global Talent Development,

Candriam

Moderator: Joris-Johann Lenssen – Managing

Director, ABIS

SDG IMPACT THROUGH INVESTMENT – THE ROLE

OF INVESTORS

Mandy Kirby - Director of Reporting, Assessment

and Accountability, UN Principles of Responsible

Investment

Ophelie Mortie - Head of Responsible Investment,

Deroof Petercam

Harry Hummels - Professor of Ethics, Organisations

and Society, Maastricht University

Moderator: Ulrika Hasselgren - Managing Director and

Global Head of Responsible Investment Strategy &

ESG Integration, ISS Ethix

DAY 1: WEDNESDAY, 15 NOVEMBER

PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS, 15 NOVEMBER

09:00

11:00

RESEARCH WORKSHOP ON THE SDGsPrior to the official start of our event, we are hosting a number of research workshops dedicated to our Special Issue with Corporate Governance: The international journal of

business in society. The audience will hear from selected participants about their research on the topic of “Governing SDGs: From Universal Agenda to Local Action”.

If you want to learn more about the call or wish to contribute to the Special Issue, visit bit.ly/AbisPapers

2050 SCENARIO EXPLORATION WORKSHOP In addition to the research workshop, the morning will feature an interactive scenario exploration workshop on achieving sustainable lifestyles by European Commission

representatives. The session draws on resources developed through our EU-InnovatE project which received funding by the European Commission. ABIS members will receive a free

copy of the scenario exploration tool at the day of the event.

OPENING DAY 2Joris-Johann Lenssen - Managing Director, ABIS

PANEL SESSION: RESEARCH AND INNOVATION PARTNERSHIPS IN PURSUIT OF THE SDGsKurt Vandenberghe - Director Policy Development & Coordination, DG Research & Innovation, European Commission

Sue Szabo - Director of Inclusive Economies, Canada’s International Development Research Centre

Martin Kern - Interim Director, European Institute for Innovation and Technology

Sherif Hassane – Director, Global Health Academic Partnerships, GSK

Moderator: David Grayson - Director, Doughty Centre for Corporate Responsibility, Cranfield School of Management

INTERACTIVE SESSIONS: SUPPORTING AND DEVELOPING A RELEVANT RESEARCH AGENDA FOR THE SDGs

COFFEE BREAK

PANEL SESSION: PARTNERSHIPS FOR BETTER EDUCATION AND LEARNING IN THE SDGs ERAClaire Preisser - Associate Director, Aspen Business in Society Institute

Katrin Muff - Thought Leader, Lausanne Business School

Peter Baur - Policy Officer, DG Education and Culture, European Commission

Rodney Irwin - Managing Director, Redefining Value & Education, WBCSD

Moderator: Mollie Painter Morland - Professor, Nottingham Business School & Africa Director, ABIS

INTERACTIVE SESSIONS: DRIVING CHANGE IN BUSINESS EDUCATION TOWARDS THE SDGs

NETWORKING LUNCH & POSTER MARKETPLACE: BUSINESS-ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABILITY

PANEL SESSION: MEASURING IMPACT AND PROGRESS – HOW NEW COLLABORATION MODELS CAN INSPIRE BETTER RESEARCH AND DATA ANALYTICSJikyeong Kang - President and Dean, Asian Institute of Management

Charlotte Portier - Senior Coordinator SDGs and Sustainable Development, GRI

Michel Bande - Senior Executive VP for Sustainable Development, Solvay

Dirk Voeste - Vice President Sustainability Strategy, BASF

Moderator: Joris-Johann Lenssen - Managing Director, ABIS

CALL FOR ACTION - AWARDS CEREMONY Viscount Etienne Davignon - Belgian Minister of State & Honorary Advisory Board Chairman, ABIS

CLOSING REMARKSRudi Plettinx - CEO, ABIS

NETWORKING DRINKS

08:45

09:00

10:00

11:00

11:30

12:30

13:30

14:30

15:30

16:30

17:00

OPEN DATA AND OPEN SCIENCE FOR THE SDGS

Geoffrey Boulton - President, CODATA

Erik Wetter - Assistant Professor, Stockholm School

of Economics

Celia Moore - Director Corporate Citizenship, IBM

EMEA

Moderator: (TBC)

BUSINESS MODEL INNOVATION FOR THE SDGS

Esben Pedersen - Professor, Copenhagen Business

School

Rob Hayward - Director, Sustainability Strategy,

Accenture

Marcello Palazzi - Founder, B Lab Europe

Moderator: (TBC)

INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH IN THE UN SDG ERA

Sue Szabo - Director of Inclusive Economies, Canada’s

International Development Research Centre

Sally Randles - Professor, Manchester Metropolitan

University

Sherif Hassane - Director Global Health Academic

Partnerships, GSK

Moderator: May Seitanidi - Director of Graduate

Studies (Research), Kent Business School

EMBRACING THE MILLENNIAL CHALLENGE

Niels Caszo - Global President, AIESEC

Levan Pangani - President, Oikos International

Amr Dawood - Young Leader & Entrepreneur

Moderator: Annemieke Roobeek - Professor,

Nyenrode Business University

DIGITALISATION & CHALLENGE-BASED EDUCATION

Christian Acosta-Flamma - CEO, Telanto

Thomas Osburg - Professor, Fresenius Business School

& Board Member, ABIS

Peter Baur - Policy Officer, DG Education and Culture,

European Commission

Moderator: (TBC)

REDEFINING CURRICULA FOR THE UN SDG ERA

Claire Preisser - Associate Director, Aspen Institute

Business and Society Program

Ismail Erturk - Director for Social Responsibility and

Engagement, Alliance Manchester Business School

Michel Bande - Senior Executive VP for Sustainable

Development, Solvay

Moderator: (TBC)

DAY 2: THURSDAY, 16 NOVEMBER

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What is the ABIS Sustainability Award?

The ABIS Sustainability Award honours initiatives and projects aiming to contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and in

particular, strengthening business-academic collaboration. ABIS will reward successful projects and initiatives that have demonstrated

impact and replicability and are relevant to any of the targets under the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Jury and Awarding Procedure

The jury is chaired by Viscount Etienne Davignon – Belgian Minister of State & Honorary Advisory Board Chairman of ABIS. The awarding

procedure will be based 50% on the votes of the international jury and 50% on the votes given by the participants of the Colloquium. The

award ceremony will be held on second day of this event and will give a great visibility for the submitted projects.

Why?

The contest aims to boost innovation in sustainability projects and to strengthen business-academic collaboration. The ABIS Sustainability

Award provides the opportunity for your organisation to receive recognition of your work from the ABIS network – around 100

international companies, leading academic and affiliated institutions. The award can also increase your brand recognition, visibility and

create opportunities for new partnerships. ABIS will publish an official awards report – featuring all projects submitted for this contest, and

will also share information on ABIS website and social media.

Who?

The award scheme is open to companies, academic institutions and networks – from a local initiative to industry-wide multi partner

programmes.

How?

To participate, please send a one page abstract of your project, mentioning the UN SDGs you are contributing to marco.matrisciano@

abis-global.org by September 30, 2017.

ABIS AWARD

CALL FOR PAPERS

For our Special Issue with Corporate Governance: The international journal of business in society, we welcome high-quality submissions

which advance our knowledge on relevant topics related to SDGs. The special issue does not favour any special theoretical perspectives or

methodological approaches and is open to conceptual as well as empirical contributions.

The objective of this Special Issue is to explore the various manifestations and usages of SDGs across organisations, sectors, and national

borders. SDGs can be addressed from a number of different perspectives, ranging from the negotiations leading up to the formulation

of the global themes to the individual sensemaking and sensegiving processes at the local level. In particular, we welcome contributions

cutting across levels (micro, meso, macro) and/or perspectives (governance making, taking and breaking), as academic research is often

biased towards one-level/one-perspective analyses of organizational phenomena.

Guest Editors

• Esben Rahbek Gjerdrum Pedersen, Copenhagen Business School

• Manuela Brusoni, SDA Bocconi School of Management

• Joan Fontrodona, IESE Business School

• Ivo Matser, ISM School of Management

• Alfons Sauquet, ESADE

Submission

More information on the possible topics, submission details and deadlines at:

bit.ly/AbisPapers

Interested in sponsoring this event or becoming our media partner? For more information regarding a partnership, contact us at:

colloquium@abis-global.org

BECOME OUR EVENT PARTNER

EVENT FEESABIS Members

Corporate Partners

Academic Partners

Corporate Members

Academic Members

PhD Students

Affiliates

Price

625 EUR

425 EUR

750 EUR

510 EUR

69 EUR

300 EUR

ABIS Non-Members

Corporate

Academic

NGO

PhD Students

Price

1,250 EUR

850 EUR

500 EUR

115 EUR

Register at: bit.ly/abisglobal

CONTACTABIS - The Academy of Business in Society

Av Moliere 1281050 IxellesBrusselsBelgium

Rudi PlettinxChief Executive Officer

rudi.plettinx@abis-global.org

Telephone: +32 (0)2 539 37 02 Twitter: @abisglobal

www.abis-global.org

ABIS PARTNERS

ABIS MEMBERS