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In this intimate conversation, Paul Polman, SDG ambassador and chair of IMAGINE, discusses the importance of leaders accelerating corporate responsibility efforts.[vc_quotes layout=”accordion” quotes=”%5B%7B%22name%22%3A%22Paul%20Polman%22%2C%22job_role%22%3A%22Chair%2C%20IMAGINE%20(The%20Netherlands)%22%2C%22content%22%3A%22%22%2C%22image%22%3A%2233608%22%2C%22linkedin%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fpaulpolman%2F%22%7D%5D” title=”Speaker” el_class=””][vc_quotes layout=”accordion” quotes=”%5B%7B%22name%22%3A%22Colin%20Tate%22%2C%22job_role%22%3A%22Chief%20executive%2C%20Conexus%20Financial%20(Australia)%22%2C%22content%22%3A%22Tate%20has%20been%20an%20investment%20industry%20media%20publisher%20and%20conference%20producer%20since%201996.%20In%20his%20media%20career%2C%20Tate%20has%20launched%20and%20overseen%20dozens%20of%20print%20and%5Cnelectronic%20publications.%20He%20is%20the%20chief%20executive%20and%20major%20shareholder%20of%20Conexus%20Financial%2C%20which%20was%20formed%20in%202005%2C%20and%20is%20headquartered%20in%20Sydney%2C%20Australia.%5CnThe%20company%20stages%20more%20than%2020%20conferences%20and%20events%20each%20year%20%E2%80%93%5Cnin%20cities%20which%20have%20included%20London%2C%20New%20York%2C%20San%20Francisco%2C%20Los%20Angeles%2C%20Amsterdam%2C%20Beijing%2C%20Sydney%20and%20Melbourne%20%E2%80%93%20and%20publishes%20three%20media%20brands%2C%5Cnincluding%20the%20global%20website%20and%20strategy%20newsletter%20for%20global%5Cninstitutional%20investors%20conexust1f.flywheelstaging.com.%20One%20of%20the%20company%E2%80%99s%20signature%20events%20is%20the%20bi-annual%20Fiduciary%20Investors%20Symposium.%20Conexus%20Financial%E2%80%99s%5Cnevents%20aim%20to%20place%20the%20responsibilities%20of%20investors%20in%20wider%20societal%2C%20and%20political%20contexts%2C%20as%20well%20as%20promote%20the%20long-term%20stability%20of%20markets%20and%20sustainable%5Cnretirement%20incomes.%20Tate%20served%20for%20seven%20years%20on%20the%20board%20of%20Australia%E2%80%99s%20most%20high%20profile%20homeless%20charity%2C%20The%20Wayside%20Chapel%3B%20and%20he%20has%20underwritten%20the%5Cnwelfare%20of%2060%2C000%20people%20in%2028%20villages%20throughout%20Uganda%20via%20The%20Hunger%20Project.%22%2C%22image%22%3A%2233547%22%2C%22linkedin%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Famanda-white-101a7515%2F%3ForiginalSubdomain%3Dau%22%7D%5D” title=”Moderator” el_class=””][vc_empty_space height=”10px”]
Key takeaways
The SDGs will fail if we don’t create a more inclusive world.
Although we know what needs to be done we are not able collectively to behave at the scale and speed needed to fix known issues.
We only treasure what we measure. The progress in the area of measurement has been too slow.
Achieving the SDGs is hard work. The problem is that we do not have enough leaders in business and finance prepared to place self-interest to one side and focus on the greater good.
The successful company of the future will not focus on being ‘less bad’, it will focus on doing ‘more good’.
‘The world really is in trouble. There are no healthy people on an unhealthy planet.’
Humanity will pay the price if we do not address structural issues.
If issues of unemployment persist, social cohesion issues will escalate. We need to create better and more resilient jobs by investing in R&D and education.
If we all know what needs to be done why is our collective behaviour not reflecting this?
Business and politics alike suffer from short-term goals and assessments.
We need to put a price on scarce resources and social risk.
We cannot rely on governments to bring about the required system change.
The SDGs are the biggest business opportunity in the world.
Seek out your investors, don’t respond to them passively.
‘You don’t have to eat the elephant in one bite’ – have a ten year business model that addresses known social issues.
‘The companies that don’t place sustainability at the forefront of their strategy will be relegated to the graveyard of dinosaurs.’
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