A ‘Future of Work’ That Works for Women
Wednesday November 13, 10:30 am-12:00 pm
Location: Atherton
The rise of automation and the flourishing of artificial intelligence, among many other new and profound disruptions, stand to transform labor markets around the world in a manner that holds significant implications for women in the workplace. It remains to be seen, however, whether the new dynamics of the “Future of Work” will help or hinder progress toward gender parity in the workplace. This panel will explore how companies are addressing the shifting work scenarios and disruptive technologies to ensure their female workforce is being adequately supported, afforded equal opportunities to advance, and are actively involved in creating the technology tools and solutions being deployed. Hear from a select group of corporate decision-makers working to minimize the risks to women’s employment and maximize the opportunity for women to succeed.
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
VP and Global Head, Employee Experience
HP Inc.
Luciana Duarte leads Employee Experience at HP, overseeing culture, employee communications, engagement, and change. With over 20 years of experience, Duarte specializes in helping corporate leaders achieve business results by driving culture and engaging employees with the company, their colleagues, and their work through effective programs and communications. She has led both internal and external communications teams. Prior to joining HP in 2015, she spent four years at Apple. Before that, she spent four years at PwC. Duarte began her career at Sapient. She consulted for MIT, Manulife, and Merck, among other clients.
Head of Global Advocacy and Policy
Etsy
Althea Erickson leads Etsy’s efforts to advance public policies that make it easier for Etsy sellers to start and grow their creative businesses. She developed and advanced Etsy’s position on portable benefits and economic security for the self-employed, tax and regulatory simplification, net neutrality, and global trade, among others. Althea leads Etsy’s unique strategy of empowering Etsy sellers as advocates for themselves, modeling a mission-driven approach to government relations that uses the power of business as a force for social good. Prior to joining Etsy, Althea was the advocacy and policy director at Freelancers Union. Previously, Althea worked at The Rockefeller Foundation, where she focused on strategies to build economic security within the U.S. workforce.
Managing Director, Workforce Strategy
Burning Glass Technologies
Joel Simon serves as managing director for workforce strategy at Burning Glass Technologies. He brings more than 20 years of experience supporting multistakeholder workforce and economic development initiatives across a wide range of communities, industries, and initiatives. His clients and partners include economic development organizations, chambers of commerce, colleges and universities, community-based organizations, industry associations, state and local governments, and foundations. Prior to joining Burning Glass, he worked in a variety of nonprofit and public-sector roles, focusing on employment, educational attainment, housing, and community and neighborhood development. He has served as faculty for the International Economic Development Council, the Institute for Sustainable Communities, the Institute for Higher Education Policy, and the Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago.
Director, Women’s Empowerment
BSR
(Moderator)
Aditi works with BSR members across sectors to help them improve and advance their sustainability strategies. She leads BSR’s global portfolio of work on women’s empowerment across consulting, collaboration, and research.
Aditi joined BSR after several years at Calvert Investment Management, a leading sustainable and responsible investment firm. There, she led strategic planning for Calvert’s executive committee, and held various roles within the sustainability research team. Her portfolio included companies in the information and communications technology sector, and she led corporate engagements on the subjects of gender corporate governance and gender equality, including the advancement of the Calvert Women’s Principles.
Aditi holds an M.B.A. in Finance from George Washington University, and a B.S. in International Economics from the University of Florida.
Follow Aditi @AditiMohapatra.
Advancing Gender Equality to Tackle Climate Change
Thursday November 14, 1:30 pm-2:30 pm
Location: Atherton
As the effects of climate change continue to exacerbate poverty, inequality, and other social issues, the solutions we put forth must include social focus—including empowering women to be leaders on climate action. The international community—with the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015 and the UNFCCC Gender Action Plan in 2017—is prioritizing women’s leadership on climate change solutions. Business, too, can act by empowering women leaders to act on climate throughout their value chains. Learn how doing so is a win-win-win for business, women, and society.
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
Head of CSR and Sustainability
L'Oreal USA
Danielle Azoulay is the head of CSR and sustainability for L’Oréal USA. As part of her role, she oversees the implementation of L’Oréal’s global sustainability program, Sharing Beauty With All, which addresses environmental and social impacts across L’Oréal’s value chain. Prior to joining L’Oréal USA, Azoulay established the environmental sustainability program at Marc Jacobs International and worked on supply chain sustainability issues at PVH. Throughout her career, Azoulay has developed and executed sustainability strategies to reduce supply chain impacts, drive positive change upstream, create business value, and increase stakeholder engagement. Specifically, she has designed and implemented goal-oriented programs for impact areas such as responsible chemicals management, waste management, carbon emissions, water quality, and more.
Follow Danielle @ecodanielle.
Director
WEDO
Bridget Burns specializes in policy advocacy, research, and movement- building at the intersection of gender equality, women’s rights, and environment/climate justice. She has worked on integrating gender equality into the decisions and outcomes of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). She serves as the co-Focal Point of the Women and Gender Constituency, which supports the political participation of women’s rights advocates into the climate process. Previously, Burns worked at LEAD International training environmental leaders. Burns has also spent time completing on site practicum on various development issues: renewable energy infrastructure in Beijing, global health issues in Tunisia, disaster risk and resilience in Bangkok, and women’s economic development in Costa Rica. She is currently in a number of climate activist groups, as well as a feminist writing collective.
Follow Bridget @BRIDIEKATIE .
Manager
BSR
(Moderator)
Samantha (Sam) drives the climate resilience pillar of BSR’s climate change practice, which includes how businesses can act at the intersection of people and climate change. She leads BSR’s foundational research and strategy on the intersection of climate and women’s empowerment, as well as this cluster in the Business Action for Women collaboration. Sam also leads the international policy work at the UN climate negotiations for the We Mean Business coalition.
Before joining BSR, Sam worked on the Climate Action Network international policy team, where she drove the development of common positions for hundreds of NGOs during the climate negotiations, focusing in particular on climate justice, short-term mitigation action, a long-term global goal, climate finance, and low-carbon technology. Sam was previously at the NGO Islands First, advising Pacific small island nations on climate change and oceans policy.
Sam holds an M.A. in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University and a B.A. in International Relations from Boston University.
Follow Samantha @Samantha_Lacey.
Aligning Materiality and Risk Management to Ignite Change
Wednesday November 13, 10:30 am-12:00 pm
Location: Regency Ballroom I
While a materiality assessment is a key tool for sustainability teams, it is too often developed in silo from other corporate tools such as enterprise risk management (ERM). There are opportunities to align materiality and ERM processes in a way that can build stronger connections to serve the core business. This interactive session will use a live example to understand connections between materiality and risk management and explore opportunities to bridge and enhance both risk and sustainability assessments.
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
Global Vice President, Corporate Responsibility
Millicom
Silvia M. Garrigo leads Millicom’s Corporate Responsibility team and oversees the company’s corporate responsibility policies, programs, goals, and reporting, ensuring they support the company’s business strategy and objectives while being responsive to stakeholder needs. Garrigo has broad experience across legal, public policy, sustainability, and public affairs. Previously, she held various roles at Chevron on global policy, investor relations, and major transactions and litigation. Garrigo also served as the chief sustainability officer for Cuba Strategies Inc. Prior to her in-house experience, she practiced law. Garrigo serves as an advisory board member for the Business in Society Institute at UC Berkeley Boalt School of Law, the University of Miami School of Business, UN Global Compact Human Rights and Labor Group, and the American Bar Association Business and Human Rights Group.
Managing Director, Sustainability Management
BSR
(Moderator)
Alison leads BSR’s sustainability management practice and oversees the supply chain practice and the Sustainable Futures Lab. She previously led BSR’s energy and extractives practice. She focuses on approaches to sustainability through risk management, strategy, stakeholder engagement, transparency, ethics and governance, and organizational change.
Previously, Alison was a senior managing director at Control Risks, where she helped companies operate with integrity, particularly in high-risk environments. She has also worked at Transparency International, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and IHS Global Insight. She has experience in strategic intelligence, market entry assistance, risk consulting, due diligence, internal investigations, enterprise risk management, and ethics and compliance. She speaks and writes regularly on risk and organizational culture. She is a board member of the ethics organization Center for Business Ethics and Corporate Governance and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Transparency and Anti-Corruption. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Fordham Law School and the Gabelli Business School.
Alison holds an M.A. in International Relations from the University of Chicago, an M.A. in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University, and a B.A. in Modern History from Balliol College, Oxford University.
Follow Alison @FollowAlisonT.
Manager
BSR
(Moderator)
Denielle works with BSR member companies across various industries on strategy, supply chain sustainability, and reporting. She also supports Value Creation through Natural Capital.
Prior to joining BSR, Denielle focused on greenhouse gas accounting, sustainability reporting, solid waste management, and sustainability strategy for Dartmouth College. She has experience researching the environmental, social, and economic impacts of the conflict minerals supply chain, and assessing the viability of mitigating climate change through climate finance projects such as REDD+.
Denielle holds an M.E.S.M. from the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and B.A. in Ecosystem Science and Policy, and Geography from the University of Miami.
Beyond Case Studies: Measuring and Communicating Total Impact
Thursday November 14, 1:30 pm-2:30 pm
Location: Gold
After years of focus on footprints and case studies, attention is now squarely on the sustainability impacts of an entire company and the products and services that generate its revenue. How can a company evaluate, measure, and enhance its impacts? Learn directly from the companies and investors deploying innovative new models to make sustainability part of the revenue model—driving greater impact and revenue in the process.
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
Director, External Affairs, Sustainability
AT&T
John Schulz is director of sustainability integration at AT&T. In this role, Schulz works with AT&T customers to identify and quantify how AT&T technology can play an important role in addressing pressing environmental challenges. He began his AT&T career in the Corporate Real Estate group and migrated into leadership roles with the Energy and Corporate Sustainability organizations. Before joining AT&T, Schulz held a variety of roles with several technology startups.
Senior Vice President and Credit Analyst
PIMCO
Del Anderson is a senior vice president and credit analyst in the Newport Beach office of PIMCO, covering regional banks and bank regulation, property and casualty insurance, insurance brokerage, and exchanges. He is also a member of PIMCO's global sustainability initiative, helping to oversee integration of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) factors among PIMCO’s credit research team. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2011, Anderson was an engagement manager at McKinsey, responsible for developing strategic and risk solutions for global financial institutions. He was previously a banking analyst at the Federal Reserve. He has 16 years of investment and financial services experience.
Head of Social Innovation and Strategy
Novartis
Michael Fürst has 20 years of experience in corporate responsibility, including business, social innovation, and integrity and compliance management, in business and academia. He is currently the head of social innovation and strategy at Novartis. His responsibilities span the development and implementation of the Novartis Corporate Responsibility and access to medicines strategy, inclusive business model innovation, innovative finance, ESG investor relations, measurement and evaluation, materiality analysis, global health policy, human rights, and more. Fürst is a key partner for the business to develop and run social business models such as Novartis Access or Novartis Healthy Family (Arogya Parivar). He was the Secretary of the Corporate Responsibility Board of Novartis and is an author and editor of articles and books.
Beth Richmond
Manager
BSR
(Moderator)
Building Stakeholder Trust in 2019
Wednesday November 13, 10:30 am-12:00 pm
Location: Regency Ballroom II
In 2019, the question of how to build and retain trust—among investors, regulators, customers, suppliers, civil society organizations, and the general public—is the most pressing challenge facing business. The stakes have never been higher. The average tenure of a business on the S&P 500 shrank from 33 years in 1964 to 24 years in 2016 and is forecast to last a mere 12 years by 2027. Competition, innovation and technological disruption, while important drivers, tell only part of the story. If a business is not trusted by its stakeholders, it will not be able to maintain revenue, let alone grow, and soon may find its very existence imperiled. Therefore, approaches to stakeholder engagement have shifted their focus from managing risk to building trust. This interactive workshop will explore how to refine and evolve stakeholder engagement efforts to respond to these new dynamics.
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
Executive Director, Global Sustainable Finance
Morgan Stanley
Celine Suarez drives Morgan Stanley’s corporate sustainability strategy, disclosure, and stakeholder engagement and she oversees the activities of the Institute for Sustainable Investing. Before joining Morgan Stanley, Suarez was client director at the consultancy Context Group, where she led engagements with major global firms. Previously, she was also a consultant at BSR, where she drove strategic sustainability consulting with leading companies in the financial, airline, hospitality, retail, and food and beverage industries and led the Center for Sustainable Procurement. She started her career as an analyst integrating ESG factors into investment decisions at several leading sustainable asset management firms, including Citi and Domini Social Investments. Suarez is currently an adjunct professor at NYU, teaching a Master’s course on strategic Corporate Sustainability.
Associate Director
BSR
(Moderator)
With strong project management skills and a background in CSR analysis, Charlotte supports companies in the financial services, consumer products, transport and logistics, and information and communication technology industries with advice on sustainability strategy, supply chain, and human rights.
Charlotte leads BSR’s financial services practice in Europe. Before joining BSR, Charlotte was an analyst for nearly five years at Innovest and Vigeo, two socially responsible investment rating agencies. Through her work as an analyst, Charlotte covered the energy, automobile, retail, and software sectors. Charlotte is bilingual in French and English.
She holds an M.A. in CSR Management from the University of Paris XII and a B.A. in International Affairs from the University of Colorado.
Business and the Biodiversity Crisis
Thursday November 14, 10:15 am-11:15 am
Location: Gold
In the coming decades, 1 million of the world's 8 million plant and animal species are at risk of disappearing from Earth. Business intervention has never been more important. In advance of the 2020 Biodiversity Convention and the New Nature Action Agenda, participants will hone in on the crucial, but not always obvious, role of business in conservation and biodiversity protection. Explore nature-based solutions to climate, wildlife trading and its impact on conservation and livelihood, the role of business in creating healthy ecosystems, and more during this timely discussion.
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
Senior Advisor, Resilient Supply Chains
Conservation International
Dr. Helen Crowley is the head of sustainable sourcing innovation at Kering. In this role, she advises and supports Kering’s portfolio of luxury brands to implement best practices in sustainability. Specifically, she focuses on developing innovative approaches for raw material sourcing and improving manufacturing processes, and she leads the implementation of animal welfare standards and the integration of biodiversity, planetary boundaries, and circular economy principles into the business. Currently, Crowley is taking a year-long sabbatical from Kering. During this time, she will be a Lui-Walton Fellow at Conservation International and will focus on developing new approaches for business to address climate and biodiversity challenges. She is on the boards of Textile Exchange, Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network, and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. She is also a senior advisor to Conservation International and the World Economic Forum.
NRDA Program Manager
Stantec
Tim Reilly is an environmental scientist with over 30 years of experience in performing terrestrial, freshwater, marine, and coastal natural resource damage assessments (NRDA), natural resource/ecosystem valuations, and remedial oversight and restoration of habitats impacted by oil, hazardous substances, and more. He has played a key role in determining biological, physical, and chemical response strategies, ecological restoration, and remedial and damage compensation options at hundreds of contaminated sites globally. Reilly developed Quantitative Mitigation Analysis (QMA), which provides quantitative and defensible mitigation strategies for large, complex developments for any manner of resource and habitat takings, facilitating equitable and timely sustainable mitigation negotiations between project proponents and regulators alike. QMA is a published protocol and used throughout the United States and abroad. Reilly leads Stantec's Global Natural Resource Valuation Program, providing NRDA, ecosystem valuation, and natural capital accounting services.
Independent Strategic Advisor
Environmental and Sustainability Initiatives
Sissel Waage, Ph.D., has over 25 years of experience working on sustainability and environmental issues--in North America, Europe, and Africa--with the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF’s) Africa Program, Sustainable Northwest, The Natural Step, Forest Trends, and BSR. She has edited two books on climate change and sustainable business and delivered more than 50 invited speeches and briefings, including at the U.S. Capitol Congressional Center, the Commonwealth Club, and numerous universities as well as conferences around the world. Waage is currently partnering with private-sector clients on a range of initiatives, including investments in maintaining and restoring natural systems and assessments of business risk and opportunity related to climate change, water, biodiversity, and ecosystem function.
Managing Director
BSR
(Moderator)
Elisa leads BSR’s consumer sectors practice globally and oversees the BSR global membership network. She works with companies in the luxury, beauty, fashion, hospitality, retail, and food industries to better integrate sustainability into core business strategy, products, and operations.
She helps companies understand the world’s big disruptions, create resilient and inclusive business models and practices, and evolve brand strategy to integrate changing consumer expectations. Elisa also leads BSR’s Responsible Luxury Initiative and the Southeast Asia Reptile Conservation Alliance (SARCA).
Prior to joining BSR, Elisa was an account manager at CHANEL and a consultant at Accenture and Ernst & Young.
Elisa is French-American. She holds an M.B.A. in Luxury Goods Marketing and Management from Sup de Luxe, an M.A. in International Relations from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques Paris, and a B.A. in French from the University of Pennsylvania.
Follow Elisa @ElisaN.
Climate’s Impact on Health: Why Every Business Should Care
Climate change affects each and every human around the globe, with profound and potentially lasting implications that could undermine decades of progress in public health. Companies operating at the intersection of health and climate have a critical role to play and a massive opportunity to contribute to solutions. As climate change intensifies, so do its impacts on human health—and on business. These impacts affect companies in all sectors. Join representatives from healthcare; financial services; information and communications technology; and food, beverage, and agriculture to learn how to build climate resilience.
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
Ted Monk
Vice President, Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility
Sodexo North America
Director, Climate and Health
Health Care Without Harm
Jessica Wolff is the U.S. director of climate and health for Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) and Practice Greenhealth (PGH). She leads the HCWH team in developing strategies to engage and support the health care sector in working on climate solutions and in becoming a leading voice on climate change. Prior to her current position, Jessica was the environmental sustainability advisor at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health (D-H), where she worked to develop and drive the system’s environmental sustainability program. Jessica worked as a women’s health nurse practitioner and health center director for many years. In 2009, she returned for her MBA, focusing on strategy and sustainability, and then held positions at Waste Management in their recycling and sustainability services.
Senior Program Officer
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Physician, attorney, and health policy advocate Michael Painter is a senior program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). He and his colleagues scour the nation and the world looking for great ideas that help build a healthy, just, and equitable future on a warming planet. To Painter, a healthy future is one where humans thrive in harmony with all living things and serve as sacred protectors of our home. From 2003-2004, Painter was a RWJF Health Policy Fellow with Senator William H. Frist, M.D., then majority leader. Prior to that, he was the chief of medical staff at the Seattle Indian Health Board, a community health center serving urban American Indians and Alaska Natives. Michael is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.
CSR Head
Takeda Pharmaceutical
Cecile Oger
Director
BSR
(Moderator)
Content Moderation in the Era of Virality
Thursday November 14, 1:30 pm-2:30 pm
Location: Regency Ballroom I
How can social media platforms respect users’ freedom of expression while also protecting them from harm? With more than 3 billion people active on social media, it’s a challenge of unprecedented scale in human history. Over 400 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute; Facebook removes around 8 million pieces of content per quarter for violating standards for hate speech, bullying, and terrorist propaganda; Twitter takes action against around 250,000 unique accounts each quarter for violating hateful conduct rules. Are social media platforms fighting a losing battle against the sheer volume of content? Companies are ramping up content moderation efforts, but they face major questions about how to create content standards, how to balance global rules with local context, and what the role of each stakeholder should be. Investigate some of the ways companies can solve these challenges in a way that balances security, privacy, and freedom of expression.
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
Cynthia Wong
Director, Human Rights
Twitter
Biography coming soon.
Follow Cynthia @cynthiamw.
Manager, Product Policy
Facebook
Kim Malfacini is manager of Product Policy at Facebook, the team responsible for writing and interpreting global policies governing what users can share on the platform. Malfacini focuses on stakeholder engagement, ensuring Facebook’s Community Standards are informed and strengthened by the views of outside experts and Facebook users across the globe. Prior to joining Facebook, she served as director of public policy for Sunrun Inc., the largest residential solar energy provider in the U.S., where she advocated for the rights of residential energy producers with state legislators and regulators. She spent two years in the West African nation of Benin with the United States Peace Corps, leading projects in environmental health and young women’s empowerment.
General Manager
GOOD Worldwide and Upworthy
Kevin Thompson spent 15 years at IBM in executive and management roles in corporate citizenship, marketing, and global strategy in business units spanning healthcare, government, commerce, mobile, social, and financing. An IBM career highlight was the design, launch, and scaling of the Corporate Service Corps (CSC), often called a “business version of the Peace Corps.” Thompson is adjunct faculty at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. He is a First Mover Fellow with the Aspen Institute. He also co-founded a leadership development consultancy called World Action Teams that designs and delivers immersion experiences in rapidly developing markets. Prior to IBM, he spent two years managing a farm and micro-enterprise in rural Ghana, West Africa, as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer and performed as a musician based in Massachusetts.
Research Scholar and Associate Director, Research, GDPi
Stanford University
Megan Metzger is a research scholar and associate director for research at the Global Digital Policy Incubator (GDPi) Program. Metzger’s research is focused on how changes in technology change how individuals and states use and have access to information, and how this affects protest and other forms of political behavior. Her dissertation was focused primarily on the role of social media during the EuroMaidan protests in Ukraine. She has also worked on projects about the Gezi Park protests in Turkey and has ongoing projects exploring Russian state strategies of information online. In addition to her academic background, Metzger has spent a number of years studying and working in the post-communist world. Her scholarly work has been published in <em>The Journal of Comparative Economics</em> and <em>Slavic Review</em>. Her analysis has also been published in the Monkey Cage Blog at <em>The Washington Post</em>, The Huffington Post, and Al Jazeera English.
Managing Director
BSR
(Moderator)
Dunstan oversees BSR’s human rights, women’s empowerment, and inclusive economy practices.
Previously, Dunstan led BSR’s information and communications technology and heavy manufacturing practices.
He brings significant experience working in North America, EMEA, and Asia on a diverse range of issues such as technology and human rights, privacy and freedom of expression, sustainability reporting, sustainability strategy, and stakeholder engagement.
Dunstan facilitated the multistakeholder process of developing global principles on freedom of expression and privacy, which led to the launch of the Global Network Initiative in October 2008. He also helped create the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition, a collaborative initiative of more than 100 ICT companies improving conditions in their supply chains. Dunstan participated in the process of creating the Global Reporting Initiative G3 guidelines, and is a regular commentator on issues of corporate accountability, reporting, and human rights. He also co-authored the 2010 book, Big Business, Big Responsibilities.
Prior to joining BSR in 2004, Dunstan was part of British Telecommunications' corporate responsibility team.
Dunstan has an M.Prof. in Sustainable Development from Forum for the Future.
Follow Dunstan @dunstanhope.
Countdown to 2030: Innovating for the SDGs
The 17 goals and 169 targets that comprise the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide an ambitious roadmap for the global community to achieve real progress for humanity. A business-as-usual approach is not enough to reach these ambitious targets, and in response, a growing number of innovative and interconnected approaches are emerging. Examine the role that innovation can play for companies, donors, and civil society in their pursuit of the SDGs.
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
Director, Social Responsibility
Verizon
Amanda Gardiner leads social responsibility strategy at Verizon, working across the company to implement responsible business practices that drive digital inclusion, climate resilience, and stakeholder well-being. Previously, Gardiner led sustainability and social innovation at Pearson. She developed Pearson’s 2020 sustainability plan, founded a company-wide incubator to innovate for 'Tomorrow's Markets,' and established a partnership with Save the Children supporting Syrian refugees. She
spent three years at UNDP leading the 'Business Call to Action,' advancing global development goals through business model innovation. She was previously program director at the International Business Leaders Forum in London, advising on CSR in emerging markets and heading the Voluntary Principles on Security & Human Rights secretariat. Gardiner chairs the Board of Children in Conflict and also serves on the Board of The Partnering Initiative.
Director, Strategy and Global Partnerships
Unreasonable Group
Shankari Mylvaganam is the director of strategy and global partnerships at Unreasonable Group. A career strategist and deals professional, Mylvaganam is focused on how commercial solutions and enterprise can drive social innovation. She has substantial experience in M&A advisory, having worked with private equity and corporate clients, across the deal continuum, on IPOs, acquisitions and divestitures ranging from $50m to $20bn in size. Prior to this, she worked in strategy consulting advising the C-Suite at Fortune 200 and private companies, as well as leadership of federal governments and international institutions on growth, operations and organizational transformation. Mylvaganam also acts as a Private Sector Delegate to the United Nations on issues of Public Private Partnerships and private investment into the social sector. She currently resides in New York but is a proud Australian with a global background, having lived in the Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and North America.
Program Officer
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Dr. Seth Garz manages the research and measurement portfolio for the Financial Services for the Poor strategy at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation, Seth was a post-doctoral fellow at UC Berkeley’s Center for Effective Global Action, where he was the lead researcher for a large-scale randomized control trial in the Dominican Republic, evaluating innovations to the country’s G2P conditional cash transfer program. Garz has previously worked for Goldman Sachs and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and has conducted a variety of policy consulting work for organizations such as the World Bank Gender Innovation Lab and the City of San Francisco Office of Financial Empowerment. He remains actively engaged in research at the intersection of G2P programs, financial inclusion, and gender.
Director, Partnership Development
BSR
(Moderator)
Kate develops BSR’s grant-funded initiatives, focusing on women’s empowerment, human rights, and supply chain issues. She works specifically with foundations and bilateral donors in the EMEA region.
Before joining BSR, Kate led the development team at the International Federation for Human Rights, where she successfully built partnerships with a broad array of public and private donors and led significant growth in the organization’s resources. Previously, she held development roles within an INGO with programs aiming to improve access to quality education for all in countries across the globe, with a focus on corporate partnerships.
Kate holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, and a B.A. with Honors (first class) in International Relations from Victoria University of Wellington, specializing in the politics of development. She also holds a certificate in teaching English as a second language from Cambridge University. She speaks fluent English and French.
Facing the Future: The Implications of Facial Recognition
New technologies are transforming private and public spaces as facial recognition becomes more accessible and consumer-facing. From crime prevention to checkout-free stores, there are many opportunities to benefit from human-sensing tools. However, risks of discrimination and privacy violations also exist. In fact, some cities have already gone so far as to create “facial recognition free zones.” Discover how business, government, and civil society are thinking about how to respect human rights throughout the development and deployment of this new technology.
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
Senior Manager, Global Human Rights
Microsoft
Michael Karimian has responsibility for Microsoft’s implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which includes Microsoft’s human rights policy, due diligence, transparency, and training, as well as external engagement with human rights organizations. The human rights team is also responsible for implementing the Global Network Initiative Principles on Freedom of Expression and Privacy and for strategic partnerships with the UN, the World Economic Forum, and other key partners. Prior to joining Microsoft, Karimian worked in trade finance at the Royal Bank of Scotland in London and in business and human rights at the UN in Bangkok and New York.
Chief Privacy Officer and Counsel
Cisco
Harvey Jang is chief privacy officer and counsel for Cisco Systems, Inc. He leads a team of lawyers, privacy professionals, and engineers responsible for developing and orchestrating Cisco’s global data protection policies, compliance capabilities, privacy engineering methodologies, and accountability frameworks and certifications. Prior to joining Cisco, Jang was senior director at McAfee. He was part of Intel Security and served as lead counsel for privacy, security, marketing, consumer protection, and antitrust compliance. Before McAfee, Jang was the director of privacy and information management and chief privacy and security counsel for HP; senior compliance counsel for Symantec; and litigation counsel with O’Melveny & Myers LLP.
Director, Policy
Partnership on AI
Lisa Dyer is the director of policy at the Partnership on AI (PAI). She leads PAI’s policy activities to collaborate closely with policymakers, Partners, and other key stakeholders to advance PAI’s mission of benefiting people and society. Dyer also represents PAI’s work to a global audience of stakeholders, including the general public and the public policymaking community. Dyer previously worked at the U.S. Department of State, where she collaborated with global companies, small and medium-sized enterprises, academia, civil society, think tanks, and foreign governments to achieve consensus in resolving challenges facing the global community. She created and implemented policy on such issues as information and data sharing, privacy, intellectual property rights, export controls, and the regulation of commercial satellite operations. She also served in the U.S. Air Force as a program manager and systems integrator for satellite, drone, and sensor technologies.
Research Manager, Digital Intelligence Lab Research
Institute for the Future
Katie Joseff is the research manager of the Digital Intelligence Lab at Institute for the Future (IFTF). She works to investigate computational propaganda—the use of automation, disinformation, and algorithms to manipulate public opinion online—and the ethical implications of emerging technologies. At IFTF, she has conducted research on a wide variety of topics, including the "human consequences" of computational propaganda during the 2018 U.S. midterm elections—a series of eight studies on impacted social groups and issue-publics (e.g. Jewish Americans and immigration); the effects of false information on journalism and journalists; nuclear disinformation; psychological biases underlying propaganda; technology policy in the U.S.; and Ethical OS (a training series meant to illuminate future ethical risks related to technology).
Manager
BSR
(Moderator)
Michaela advises multinational companies on how to drive impact through human rights, sustainability, and multistakeholder collaboration. She specializes in the intersection of tech and human rights and covers the cross-industry implications of issues like privacy, security, and free expression.
She also supports the cross-industry Human Rights Working Group and Building Responsibly.
Before joining BSR, Michaela was awarded the CORO Fellowship in Public Policy, through which she drove cross-sector collaboration among government, business, labor, and nonprofit organizations. She has also done field research in West Africa to examine the use of mobile phones and educational apps by women-led microfinance and savings groups. She has additional experience with an international policy firm helping companies open, access, and expand into international markets in the food, beverage, and agriculture sectors. She is proficient in French.
Michaela holds a B.A. in International Relations and a B.A. in Economics from University of California, Davis.
Follow Michaela @twisterlee.
Future-Proofing Human Rights Due Diligence
Thursday November 14, 10:15 am-12:30 pm
Location: Regency Ballroom II
The world around us is changing at an increasingly rapid pace, with new technologies, shifting social norms, and turbulent politics transforming the circumstances in which business is expected to meet its responsibility to respect human rights. In this context, one big question looms large: Is the business and human rights field equipped to identify, and effectively mitigate, the potentially adverse impacts of the future? This interactive, extended, two-hour workshop will explore new approaches to human rights due diligence designed to help companies identify and address the uncertain human rights impacts of a rapidly changing world. Participants should expect to attend for the full two hours.
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
Alexandria Walden
Counsel, Free Expression & Human Rights
Google
Global Head, Business and Human Rights
Verizon Media
As the leader of the Business and Human Rights Program, Nicole Karlebach drives efforts to respect and promote human rights across Verizon and Verizon Media and works to identify innovative solutions to human rights challenges. She previously led the Yahoo Business & Human Rights Program. Prior to joining Yahoo, Karlebach worked as an attorney at Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP in New York; as an international policy fellow at Human Rights First, examining issues of business and human rights and national security law and policy; and as a human rights consultant to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Karlebach also worked at the UN in the Office of the Legal Counsel, as well as at the State Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Special Department for War Crimes in Sarajevo. Currently, she co-teaches a course on Corporate Sustainability and Transnational Business and Human Rights at Fordham University School of Law.
Director, Sustainable Futures Lab
BSR
(Moderator)
Jacob leads BSR’s Sustainable Futures Lab, a new practice using strategic foresight techniques to help businesses engage with emerging issues that are reshaping the global landscape.
Before joining BSR, Jacob was the lead futurist in the New York office of Forum for the Future, where he used scenario planning and other futures techniques to develop sustainability strategy and drive innovation for leading businesses, foundations, and multistakeholder groups. Prior to that he worked at Adaptive Edge, a boutique strategic foresight consultancy, on collaborative scenario planning. Jacob began his career doing human rights research and advocacy at Human Rights First and the Center for Economic and Social Rights. He speaks English and French.
Jacob holds an M.B.A. in Sustainability from Presidio Graduate School and a B.A. in History from the University of Chicago.
Follow Jacob @jacobpark.
Manager
BSR
(Moderator)
Hannah works with multinational companies to align business and human rights strategies and facilitate incorporation of sustainable practices into business operations across sectors.
She focuses on the intersection of human rights and new, disruptive technology and leads the Tech Against Trafficking collaborative initiative.
Prior to joining BSR, Hannah worked with the Skoll Foundation, where she co-led the portfolio and investments team’s efforts to identify social entrepreneurs with the potential to drive large-scale social change. Her work led to over US$20 million in grants and investments between 2015 and 2018. Before Skoll, Hannah spent six years working in anti-human trafficking in West Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Bay Area. She is fluent in French.
Hannah holds a Master’s in NGOs and Development from the London School of Economics and a B.A. in Political Science and French from the University of Michigan. She currently serves on the advisory boards of Oxfam’s Women in Small Enterprise initiative and Convening17.
Follow Hannah @hdarnton.
Investor Relations in the New Era of ESG Scrutiny
Wednesday November 13, 3:15 pm-4:15 pm
Location: Crystal
After years of hard work by investors and NGOs, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink’s annual letter to CEOs shows how sustainability has vaulted to the top of the agenda in investor relations. Investors are increasingly pushing companies to take new actions, improve their reporting, and come up the learning curve—quickly. What should companies do to respond to the increase in investor scrutiny, and how can they work with their investor relations teams to turn ESG demand into sustainable business impact? Learn from speakers as they share their experiences at the intersection of corporate sustainability, investor relations, and shareholder demand.
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
Senior Vice President
As You Sow
Conrad MacKerron is senior vice president at As You Sow, a non-profit that promotes corporate social responsibility through shareholder advocacy. MacKerron manages corporate dialogues and initiatives on social and environmental issues. He specializes in recycling and resource efficiency of products and packaging. His current focus challenges consumer brands to stop plastic pollution by making plastic packaging recyclable, taking financial responsibility for recycling, and reducing use of plastic overall. He was formerly director of social research at Piper Jaffray Philanthropic & Social Investment Consulting and Washington Bureau Chief for <em>Chemical Week</em>. He is author of <em>Business in the Rainforests: Corporations, Deforestation and Sustainability</em>.
Follow Conrad @cmackerron.
Head, Corporate Responsibility and Corporate Reporting
GSK
Sarah Dyson is head of corporate responsibility and corporate reporting in GSK’s global corporate affairs department. Having joined the company in 2012, she is responsible for GSK’s annual report, ESG reporting, external indices and benchmarks, and human rights work. Dyson has also previously worked on RELX’s corporate responsibility team as well as at an investment advisory firm.
Head of Global Sustainability Reporting
Diageo
Harriet Howey is responsible for global non-financial reporting at Diageo. With a career spanning reporting and communications in not-for-profits and corporates in Europe and Asia Pacific, Howey is a passionate advocate for sustainability and impact communication. She also firmly believes in the power of leveraging data to engage stakeholders and, ultimately, drive change. Her current role encompasses reporting on all sustainability and responsibility work delivered across Diageo’s 23 markets and activity across more than 180 countries in all. Every year, her team delivers one of the fastest published integrated annual reports in the world, including a comprehensive GRI submission, UN Global Compact advanced-level index, Task Force for Climate-related Financial Disclosures update, and Sustainability Accounting Standards Board response.
Senior Manager, Investor Network
Ceres
Dazzle Bhujwala is responsible for strengthening and expanding Ceres’ Investor Network on Climate Risk and Sustainability. Ceres Investor Network consists of North America's leading institutional investors with a collective AUM of $26 trillion. Bhujwala supports the largest and most influential investors with strategies to decarbonize portfolios, advance corporate engagement, and construct portfolios with investments for impact in developed and emerging markets. He is the founder of Columbia University’s Sustainable Finance Network, that connects academia with practitioners to promote well researched sustainable and impact investing practices. Prior to joining Ceres, Bhujwala has extensive international experience in US, Asia, and Middle East in investment advisory with leading international banks, most recently with UBS Wealth Management.
Associate Director
BSR
(Moderator)
With a background in consulting, private equity, and international development, Karlyn brings rigorous thought leadership and a focus on financial value to BSR’s consulting work in Asia.
She supports companies across sectors to design and implement strategies linking corporate sustainability policies to on-the-ground realities in the areas of shared value, sustainable supply chains, and inclusive economy.
Prior to BSR, Karlyn was vice president of strategy and transformation for TAU Investment Management, a private equity firm founded on principles of ESG integration. She was also a management consultant, first with IBM Global Services and later with the Boston Consulting Group, where she advised Fortune 500 clients in the financial services, technology, and healthcare industries. She has also worked in international development in Chile, Namibia, and the Republic of Guinea.
Karlyn holds a B.A. in Economics from Stanford, an M.B.A. from Wharton, and an M.A. in International Affairs from Johns Hopkins SAIS. She speaks fluent French and Spanish.
Leading Radical Change through Collaboration
Wednesday November 13, 3:15 pm-4:15 pm
Location: Atherton
Business leaders who are steering BSR’s largest collaborations will share what it takes to tackle a company's most critical sustainability challenges. What mindsets, talents, and business model transformations are needed to collaborate with peers and stakeholders, and what leadership qualities enable companies to achieve radical change?
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
Partner
Bruchou, Fernández Madero & Lombardi
Fernando Basch is a partner at Bruchou, Fernandez Madero & Lombardi. With almost 20 years of professional experience, he specializes in corporate compliance and business crime. He advises companies and international organizations such as the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Economic Forum’s Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI), and the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN). Basch led MACN’s collective action in Argentina, which resulted in a 90 percent reduction in illegal solicitation to bulk carriers in the country. He also obtained an Anti-Bribery Specialist Accreditation (Trace International, 2012). He is a senior researcher at the Center of Anti-Corruption Studies at Universidad de San Andrés.
Chief of Staff
SAP Ariba and SAP Fieldglass
Soo Shim has a career that spans more than 18 years in the high-tech industry leading and managing teams across software development to partner management to her current position playing an integral role in sales and business development for global organizations. In 2011, Shim participated in a board-sponsored initiative to bring technology to underserved communities in Africa as part of a sustainability strategy focused on economic equality. Today, in addition to her role overseeing the strategy execution at SAP Ariba and SAP Fieldglass as part of the executive leadership team, she advocates the role of innovation and Ariba Network to drive sustainable and responsible business. Shim challenges the status quo by striving for better solutions that help businesses create social impacts that produce profits.
Director, Sustainability
Crowley Maritime
Dan Smith is corporate lead for the identification and management of sustainability issues at Crowley Maritime, one of the principal United States-based marine transportation and logistics companies. He also manages policy engagement for environmental issues impacting Crowley’s domestic and international vessel operations. Prior to joining Crowley, Smith served as a fellow on a United States Environmental Protection Agency regulation-writing team and as an environmental response consultant in the marine and energy sectors. Smith also sits on SASB’s Standards Advisory Group and on the steering committee of the BSR Clean Cargo Working Group.
Director
BSR
(Moderator)
Cecilia leads BSR’s Copenhagen office and the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN).
She was one of the front drivers for MACN’s establishment in 2011. Under Cecilia’s leadership, MACN has grown significantly, won multiple awards, and is considered one of the pre-eminent examples of collective action to tackle corruption.
Prior to joining BSR, Cecilia built more than eight years of compliance and shipping experience as senior compliance officer in the Maersk Group. She has been responsible for anti-corruption efforts globally; trained management and staff worldwide; implemented whistle-blowing systems; rolled out country-specific anti-corruption campaigns; and conducted risk assessments, audits, and misconduct investigations. In 2015, she was awarded “Compliance Officer of the Year” by the C5 Women in Compliance Awards.
Cecilia sits on the International Advisory Board for the Port Efficiency and Public Private Capacity in Ghana and is guest lecturer at the World Maritime University. She speaks English and Swedish and holds a Master of Laws from Lund University in Sweden.
Making Big Bets: From Pilot Testing to Scalable Impact
Thursday November 14, 11:30 am-12:30 pm
Location: Crystal
Today’s rapidly changing world requires companies to make big bets in order to achieve their future goals—but how do they make the initial leap? There are innumerable factors to weigh before identifying the right pilot and testing it. And once a pilot is in place, how do companies transition to scaling the program to meet the desired commitment? Join us for this candid discussion and learn from companies that have made progress on their ambitious goals.
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
Chief Sustainability and Social Impact Officer
General Mills
Mary Jane Melendez is chief sustainability and social impact officer for General Mills. She also serves as president of the General Mills Foundation. Melendez stewards the company's sustainability and philanthropy efforts, working closely with key business leaders to develop, coordinate, and execute programs to achieve companywide targets. She is responsible for advancing collaboration to drive change by promoting environmentally and socially responsible practices across the company’s entire value chain. She serves on the boards of Partners in Food Solutions, the Saint Paul and Minnesota Community Foundations, and the Dougherty Family College at the University of St. Thomas. She was recognized by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal as a 2018 40 Under 40 Award Winner and named one of Latino Leaders’ Top Latina Executives in Corporate America in 2018.
Director, Head of Global Citizenship
KKR
Ali Hartman joined KKR in 2011 to support the firm’s growing work on ESG issues and stakeholder engagement across its investment portfolio. Over the course of five years, she helped to build the ESG platform to encompass a range of asset classes and focus areas. In 2016, Hartman was named the head of global citizenship for KKR. In this role, she oversees the firm’s approach to strategic philanthropy, community impact, and employee engagement. Previously, Hartman worked at The Coca-Cola Company in the public affairs department, where she oversaw a range of social and environmental issues in North America and Europe. Prior to this role, she studied worker rights at the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Paris and completed fieldwork in child labor issues at the Working Boys Center in Quito, Ecuador. Hartman is involved in a number of philanthropic activities and is also a long-time volunteer with Camp Fatima of New Jersey and a chapter leader for Moms Demand Action.
Global Director, Sustainability Fund and Accelerator
AB InBev
Maisie Devine is the global director of the AB InBev Sustainability Accelerator. Before her role in sustainability, Devine was a technology investor at ZX Ventures, the global incubator and venture capital arm of AB InBev. Earlier in her career, she co-founded a recruitment app for busy, professional women and in 2015, she was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, Tech.co Top 20 Startup Founders Under 30 list, and 26 Women to Watch in Tech list by AlleyWatch. Devine also worked in digital media advertising supporting large Fortune 500 clients including Comcast, Johnson & Johnson, P&G, and Walmart.
Follow Maisie @Maisie_Devine.
Director, Consumer Sectors
BSR
(Moderator)
Jorgette leads BSR’s consumer products practice for the United States, and the global food, beverage, and agriculture practice. She focuses on aligning innovative sustainability practices with business strategy and operations, working with executives from the food, beverage, and agriculture; consumer packaged goods; apparel; footwear; and retail industries, among others.
Jorgette brings more than 10 years of experience consulting with multinational companies and governments, with expertise in supply chain management, procurement, strategy, and employee engagement. She has worked at Arthur Andersen, Great Place to Work, and Unisys. She also spent four years at PepsiCo leading global supplier CSR assurance. Jorgette speaks English and Spanish.
Jorgette holds a B.A. in Economics and Policy Studies, with a minor in Marketing, from Syracuse University.
The New Climate for Activism: Employees Take the Lead
Thursday November 14, 1:30 pm-2:30 pm
Location: Crystal
Employee engagement is changing as employees are increasingly rallying around issues that are personal to them. Employees are raising their voices when they find themselves building products that might jeopardize human rights, want more company action on climate change, see discrimination in the workplace, and more. When employees perceive their company’s actions or products are inconsistent with their values, we’ve seen them write letters to CEOs, organize protests, submit shareholder resolutions, and even walk off the job entirely. Learn first-hand how companies are handling these issues today and working to develop policies and products that reflect the deep respect for sustainability that they promote in their cultures and systems.
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
Corporate Responsibility Leader
IBM
Jeff West is the corporate responsibility leader for the IBM Corporation. He leads IBM’s global corporate responsibility and sustainability strategy. West manages global ESG reporting across IBM’s value chain, engagement with socially responsible investor analysts, and partnerships that help scale IBM initiatives. His cross-functional role includes leading the IBM working group on corporate responsibility, which involves stakeholders from IBM’s corporate citizenship, environment, governance, supply chain, public policy, human resources, and research functions. Prior to joining IBM, West served as director of corporate Philanthropy at the Council on Foundations. West is an expert in developing public-private partnerships and spent eight years at the Peace Corps, the last five as the agency’s lead on strategic partnerships with the private sector. West also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine.
Reporter
The Information
Priya Anand is a reporter for The Information, where she has broken news on various facets of Amazon's expansive business, from its ambitions to open more bricks-and-mortar retail stores to the company's culture. She previously reported for BuzzFeed News, where she uncovered stories on Uber's finances, self-driving car program, and cultural crisis. Priya's reporting has also appeared in <em>Bloomberg</em>, the <em>Houston Chronicle</em>, MarketWatch, <em>Politico</em>, and <em>The Wall Street Journal</em>.
Follow Priya @priyasideas.
Founder & CEO
WeSpire
Susan Hunt Stevens is the founder and CEO of WeSpire, an award-winning employee experience technology platform focused on engaging people on purpose-driven initiatives. After her son was diagnosed with serious food allergies, she was inspired to use her digital behavior change expertise to help people embrace healthier and more sustainable lifestyles. She was named an EY Entrepreneur of the Year for New England, a Boston Business Journal Woman of Influence, and to the Environmental Leader 100 list. Prior to WeSpire, she spent 9 years at The New York Times Company, most recently as SVP/General Manager for Boston.com, a $60M digital media division.
Director, Information and Communications Technology
BSR
(Moderator)
Michael leads BSR’s work with companies in the information and communications technology (ICT) industry.
His experience in sustainability with global ICT companies includes addressing climate, human rights, and ethics issues in various settings, including mines, the factory floor, and cyberspace. From drafting reporting regulations and audit protocols on greenhouse gas (GHG) to advising on renewable energy procurement for data centers and human rights opportunities with blockchain, his experience touches all parts of the sector.
Before joining BSR, Michael was the senior program director at the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) and acted as the director for the Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative. He also served in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) climate change and stratospheric protection divisions, focusing on mitigation of and reporting on GHG emissions. In addition, he previously worked for a sustainability consulting firm in Hong Kong.
Michael holds a J.D. and a Master’s in Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School and a B.A. in International Relations from Michigan State University.
Follow Michael @MjRohwer.
The New Climate for Business Responsibility: Modernizing the Social Contract
Fair and effective social contracts enable businesses, workers, and society to thrive together. The social contract that has shaped our economy over the past 75 years needs to be adjusted so that it meets the demands of a rapidly changing world of work and global business environment. In the context of such profound changes, there are significant business incentives to modernize social contracts for the work models of the 21st century to enable all people to successfully adapt to this shifting nature of work, to allow businesses to develop the talent needed to innovate and compete, and to help build social consensus about the relative roles and responsibilities of government, business, and citizens. Insights from this session will be relevant to debates over social safety nets, healthcare, and education.
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
Policy Counsel
Microsoft
Stephanie Beers is policy counsel at Microsoft, advising on issues including the interplay between technology and global labor trends. Her work focuses on diversity and inclusion in tech, economic security, and the impact of automation and artificial intelligence on skills and employability.
Chief Innovation Officer
Schmidt Futures
Tom Kalil leads initiatives to harness technology for societal challenges, improve science policy, and identify and pursue 21st-century moonshots. Prior to Schmidt Futures, Kalil served in the White House for two presidents (Obama and Clinton), helping to design and launch national science and technology initiatives in areas such as nanotechnology, the BRAIN initiative, data science, materials by design, robotics, commercial space, high-speed networks, access to capital for startups, high-skill immigration, STEM education, learning technology, startup ecosystems, and the federal use of incentive prizes.
Vice President, Policy and Strategy
National Partnership for Women & Families
Sarah Fleish Fink oversees private-sector engagement, including the Business Working Group for Gender Equity, working with companies to strengthen gender equity through internal corporate policies, culture change, and public policy solutions, with a focus on safety at work, non-discrimination, and portable benefits. Fink also serves as a policy expert on key workplace priorities, including paid leave, paid sick days, fair pay, and pregnancy discrimination. Prior to joining the National Partnership, Fink practiced employment law at Hogan Lovells in Washington, D.C. Previously, Fink worked in the communications department at the Center for American Progress and at David Axelrod & Associates (now AKPD Message and Media).
President and CEO
BSR
(Moderator)
Aron is recognized globally as a preeminent authority on sustainable business. In addition to leading BSR, which has grown substantially throughout his tenure as President and CEO, Aron advises senior executives at BSR’s more than 250 member companies and other global businesses on the full spectrum of social and environmental issues.
Aron joined BSR in 1995 as the founding director of its Business and Human Rights Program, and later opened BSR's Paris office in 2002, where he worked until becoming President and CEO in 2004. Aron serves on advisory boards to CEOs at Barrick Gold, Marks & Spencer, and SAP, and previously for AXA, Shell, and Nike. He is also a director of the Natural Capital Coalition, the International Integrated Reporting Council, and We Mean Business, and serves as a member of the Steering Council for the World Economic Forum’s Board of Stewards of its Future of Consumption System Initiative.
Aron speaks frequently at leading business forums and is widely quoted in top-tier media such as the Financial Times, Le Figaro (France), The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. He is co-author of the book Sustainable Excellence: The Future of Business in a Fast-Changing World, which spotlights innovative sustainability strategies that enable business success.
Prior to joining BSR, Aron practiced law in San Francisco and worked as a journalist at ABC News in New York. He holds a B.A. from Tufts University and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.
The New Climate for Business: The Retreat of Universal Values
Thursday November 14, 1:30 pm-2:30 pm
Location: Regency Ballroom II
All around the world, respect for human rights, the operating space for civil society, and respect for journalists is under pressure. It is no longer the case that businesses can be certain that universal values supporting these principles are widely shared, or widely practiced. For companies operating globally, this raises the risk that companies themselves will be constrained, and that global trade will also be constrained. In this context, companies face new questions. What is their role in promoting open societies when they increasingly run counter to prevailing views in many places? What is the role of business in promoting rule of law? And how can companies support civil society and journalists in places where governments are cracking down?
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
Deloitte & Touche Professor of Management
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Witold Henisz is the Deloitte & Touche Professor of Management at The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania. His research—which examines the impact of political hazards on international investment strategy, including efforts by multinational corporations to engage in corporate diplomacy to win the hearts and minds of external stakeholders—has been published in top-ranked journals in international business, management, international studies, and sociology. He is also the author of the book Corporate Diplomacy: Building Reputations and Relationships with External Stakeholders. He has won multiple teaching awards and teaches extensively on the topic of corporate diplomacy in executive education programs. Henisz is also a principal at PRIMA LLC, a political risk management consultancy.
Senior Advisor, BSR
Principal, Bennett Freeman Associates LLC
As principal of Bennett Freeman Associates LLC and as a senior advisor to BSR, Freeman advises multinational corporations, foundations, and NGOs on international human rights and labor rights. He is chair of the advisory board of Global Witness; co-founder and board secretary of the Global Network Initiative; chair of the advisory board of the Responsible Sourcing Network; and serves on the governing board of the Natural Resources Governance Institute. He co-founded and serves on the board of advisors of the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark.
Freeman has previously served as senior vice president for sustainability research and policy at Calvert Investments, managing director for global corporate responsibility at Burson-Marstelle, and principal of Sustainable Investment Strategies. Freeman served as a Clinton presidential appointee in three positions at the U.S. Department of State: as deputy assistant secretary for democracy, human rights, and labor; senior advisor to Under Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs Stuart Eizenstat; and as deputy assistant secretary for public affairs and chief speechwriter for Secretary of State Warren Christopher. He was manager of corporate affairs for GE after beginning his career as a speechwriter and presidential campaign aide to former Vice President Walter Mondale.
Freeman authored <em>Shared Space Under Pressure: Business Support for Civic Freedoms and Human Rights Defenders</em> for the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre and International Service for Human Rights. Launched in September 2018, the report provides analytical and operational guidance for companies and was endorsed by the American Bar Association in August 2019.
Manager, Global Social Performance
Chevron
Linsi Crain serves as manager of global social performance in Chevron’s Corporate Responsibility department. Her team helps brings Chevron’s purpose of enabling human progress to life around the world with a focus on best practices in stakeholder engagement, building social license, and investing in communities. Over the last two decades, Crain has served in various roles of increasing responsibility across the energy industry in California, London, Kazakhstan, Houston, and Oklahoma.
Human Rights Director
BSR
(Moderator)
Jenny leads BSR’s human rights practice across consulting and collaboration.
Prior to joining BSR, Jenny worked at Mercy Corps for over a decade in both field management and advisory roles to better understand, prevent, and mitigate conflict. As the organization’s first Peace & Governance Director in Myanmar and later as the Director of the Peace & Conflict technical advisory team, she launched, built, and implemented programs that aimed to reduce violence, build the preconditions for peace and development, and address critical and emerging threats – from climate change and disruptive technology to poor governance and gender inequality. She has experience in context analysis, stakeholder engagement, mediation and negotiation, project design and implementation, and strategic planning. Jenny has lived and worked in countries including Myanmar, Indonesia, Nepal, Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Central African Republic, and Cameroon.
Jenny holds an M.A. in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
The New Climate for Ever-Evolving Technology
Wednesday November 13, 3:15 pm-4:15 pm
Location: Regency Ballroom II
New and disruptive technologies, such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the Internet of Things, are being deployed across all industries—everything from financial services to retail, mining to automotive, and logistics to healthcare. The adoption of these technologies brings significant implications for company sustainability strategies: New material issues will arise, salient human rights impacts will change, and different stakeholders will need to join the table. What can companies from outside the technology industry learn from those that have faced these issues over the past decade?
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
Google Sustainability Officer
Google
Kate Brandt leads sustainability across Google’s worldwide operations and products. In this role, she works with Google’s data centers, real estate, supply chain, and product teams to ensure the company is capitalizing on opportunities to strategically advance sustainability and circular economy. Previously, Brandt served as the United States’ first federal chief sustainability officer. In this capacity, she was responsible for promoting sustainability across federal government operations, including 360,000 buildings, 650,000 vehicles, and US$445 billion annually in purchased goods and services. Prior to the White House, Brandt held several senior roles in U.S. federal government, including senior advisor at the Department of Energy, director for energy and environment in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, and energy advisor to the secretary of the Navy. She is the recipient of the Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest award the U.S. Navy can give to a civilian, for her work helping the Navy go green. Outside Magazine also named her, in honor of the magazine’s 40-year anniversary, as one of 40 women who has made the biggest impact on our world.
Follow Kate @KateEBrandt.
Director, Global Sustainability
UPS
Patrick Browne serves as director of global sustainability for UPS, a worldwide leader in supply chain and logistics solutions. Working with cross-functional teams and executive leadership, Browne leads strategies and initiatives to advance the company’s long-term sustainability vision. Browne has managed UPS’s sustainability programs since 2008, including overseeing the company’s global greenhouse gas inventory and reporting, and has held various assignments in Plant Engineering and Environmental Affairs during his 30-year tenure with UPS. He is an active participant in organizations focused on advancing sustainable business practices around the world, including BSR’s Future of Fuels initiative and Global Reporting Initiative’s Community Program.
Managing Director
BSR
(Moderator)
With more than 20 years of sustainable development experience, John leads BSR's global infrastructure and financial services practices, advising companies on corporate sustainability strategy, responsible investing and project development, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risk management.
Before BSR, John was the founder and president of SunOne Solutions, a leading carbon project developer in North and South America. John worked as a staff member in the World Bank's sustainable development group, where he managed global energy and transport infrastructure projects and the vice president for sustainable development's front office, and served as the infrastructure advisor in the Thailand and Kosovo country offices. He has also held positions in the airline transport industry, with a private infrastructure project developer in Chile, and with an impact investing fund in the Balkans.
John holds an M.P.A. from Harvard University, an International M.B.A. from the University of South Carolina, and a B.S. in International Trade and Finance from Louisiana State University.
The New Climate for Inclusive Growth: The Business Response to Income Inequality
Wednesday November 13, 3:15 pm-4:15 pm
Location: Regency Ballroom I
Growing income inequality and declining social mobility have created social, economic, and political instability in many parts of the world. In addition, this presents a challenge to the social license to operate for business. Failure to address a growing sense of economic vulnerability is leading to a backlash against the very idea of capitalism. At the same time, many businesses are exploring ways in which they can modernize their approach to wage dispersion and stagnation, and affordability of goods and services, to address economic insecurity. This session will explore questions on living wage, executive pay and tax structures, and experiments on introducing a universal basic income, which are increasingly garnering attention.
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
Vice President, Global Sustainability
Mars
Marika McCauley Sine is vice president of global sustainability at Mars, Incorporated, responsible for the company’s economic and social sustainability strategy, policy, programs, and partnerships worldwide. She also represents Mars as co-lead of the Consumer Goods Forum’s global forced labor taskforce and is a member of the Aspen Institute Leaders Forum. Sine’s expertise is in driving business growth and profitability in ways that deliver positive societal impact. She joined Mars in 2015 after a decade at The Coca-Cola Company, where she led award-winning sustainability strategy and programs and developed 5by20, a global women’s economic empowerment initiative that has reached 3.2 million entrepreneurs in 92 countries to date. Sine began her career at Oxfam. She was selected as an Aspen Institute First Mover Fellow in 2010.
Director, Private Sector Department
Oxfam America
Irit Tamir is the director of Oxfam America's private sector department. In her role, she is focused on working with companies to ensure that their business practices result in positive social and environmental impacts for vulnerable communities throughout the world. Tamir leads Oxfam America’s work on business and development including shareholder engagement, value chain assessments, and collaborative advocacy initiatives, such as the successful “Behind the Brands” campaign. Tamir is co-author of <em>Community Voice in Human Rights Impact Assessments</em> and has contributed to numerous reports at Oxfam focused on business and human rights issues. She is a frequent commentator on agricultural policies, labor, human rights, and their intersection with business. Tamir has had years of experience in government relations and is a former prosecutor who supervised civil rights prosecutions and hate crimes.
Follow Irit @itamir77.
Senior Vice President, Global Prepaid and Financial Inclusion
Mastercard
As senior vice president, global prepaid for Mastercard, Laura Mackenzie is responsible for developing, executing, leading, and adapting the global product strategy for Mastercard’s core prepaid products. In addition, she is responsible for driving product solutions to deliver Mastercard’s commitment to the World Bank to include 500 million people into the formal economy by 2020 through the development and deployment of innovative products and delivery channels. Prior to this role, she spent 12 years leading Mastercard’s U.S. Merchant acceptance for core merchant verticals. Mackenzie began her career in fashion with luxury global brands Ralph Lauren, Ann Klein, and Nicole Farhi before making a move into the financial realm with South African startup joint venture e-commerce companies.
Associate Director
BSR
(Moderator)
Working with companies in the food and agriculture and oil industries, Roger advises on sustainability policies and programs in the areas of supply chain management, community development, stakeholder relations, reporting, and strategy.
He has worked with Tate & Lyle on code of conducts, Archer Daniels Midland on CSR strategy and supply chain management, and Threemile Canyon Farms on developing a sustainability vision and metrics.
Prior to joining BSR, Roger worked for the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, doing research and consulting on international and domestic labor issues for multinational corporations.
Roger holds an M.S. in International Affairs from George Washington University.
The New Climate for Leadership: Business Voice in a Tribalized World
Today, businesses are taking public stances on emotive issues such as abortion rights, immigration, and gun control—all of which would previously have been considered matters for only governments to consider. In the context of today’s polarized social environment, the traditional approach of political neutrality may no longer be the least risky approach. Consumers and even investors are increasingly expecting companies to walk the talk when it comes to their values. But this requires making difficult, values-based decisions that by definition will alienate some constituents. How can companies navigate this fraught new external landscape in a way that is coherent and consistent, and how can business best use its influence to enable a positive policy environment?
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
Vice President, Public Policy and Social Impact
Zendesk
Tiffany Apczynski is vice president of public policy and social impact at Zendesk, a customer support software company founded in Denmark, with its global headquarters in San Francisco. In this role, she drafted the City of San Francisco's first-ever Community Benefits Agreement, a controversial piece of policy borne out of legislation tied to pre-IPO tech companies. Other policy work includes serving on San Francisco’s Workforce Investment Board from 2012-2016, founding the Mid-Market Business Association in 2014, and sitting on the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association’s Tech Council since 2014. She is a passionate supporter of the arts and currently serves as the vice president of the board of directors for the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus.
Senior Manager, Corporate Sustainability
Lockheed Martin
Raheem Cash joined Lockheed Martin in 2017 as the senior manager for corporate sustainability. He is responsible for executing the corporation’s Sustainability Management Plan, leading Lockheed’s Enterprise Energy and Chemical Stewardship programs, enhancing the understanding of sustainability concepts across the corporation, and identifying opportunities to maximize the business value of sustainability innovations. Cash is a veteran sustainability professional with 25 years of experience developing and implementing business-focused sustainability strategies for a variety of organizations. Cash’s prior experience includes serving as director of environment, health, and safety for the U.S. General Services Administration and 13 years as an environmental management consultant to clients in the real estate, defense, postal services, and transportation sectors.
Director, Social Impact and Philanthropy
Chobani
Jason Rahlan is the director of social impact and philanthropy at Chobani. In this role, he oversees philanthropic investments and grants for the company. He manages the organization’s nonprofit and public sector partnerships on issue- and policy-related initiatives, advocacy campaigns, and natural disaster response efforts. In this work, he partners with senior internal leaders to define goals and priorities and seeks to drive meaningful change at the local, state, and national level through an effective use of the company’s voice, profits, and people. He also co-develops internal wellness initiatives that establish policies of greater inclusion, diversity, and equity for Chobani's more than 2,000 employees. Prior to Chobani, Rahlan served as communications director for the Human Rights Campaign, as communications director for Ambassador Capricia Marshall at the U.S. Department of State, as press secretary for Congresswoman Jackie Speier, as press aide at the Center for American Progress, and on then-Senator Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign.
Managing Director, Sustainability Management
BSR
(Moderator)
Alison leads BSR’s sustainability management practice and oversees the supply chain practice and the Sustainable Futures Lab. She previously led BSR’s energy and extractives practice. She focuses on approaches to sustainability through risk management, strategy, stakeholder engagement, transparency, ethics and governance, and organizational change.
Previously, Alison was a senior managing director at Control Risks, where she helped companies operate with integrity, particularly in high-risk environments. She has also worked at Transparency International, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and IHS Global Insight. She has experience in strategic intelligence, market entry assistance, risk consulting, due diligence, internal investigations, enterprise risk management, and ethics and compliance. She speaks and writes regularly on risk and organizational culture. She is a board member of the ethics organization Center for Business Ethics and Corporate Governance and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Transparency and Anti-Corruption. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Fordham Law School and the Gabelli Business School.
Alison holds an M.A. in International Relations from the University of Chicago, an M.A. in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University, and a B.A. in Modern History from Balliol College, Oxford University.
Follow Alison @FollowAlisonT.
The New Climate for Resilience: Leveraging TCFD Scenario Analysis to Manage Climate Risks
Wednesday November 13, 10:30 am-12:00 pm
Location: Gold
Over 450 companies have now expressed their support for the TCFD Recommendations, which include integrating climate risks and opportunities into business processes and conducting climate scenario analysis. Learn from companies using the TCFD recommendations as a framework for both reporting and climate change management. Those implementing the recommendations on scenario analysis have a further opportunity not only to engage with investors but to enhance strategic resilience. This interactive session will also provide participants with hands-on experience using scenarios to navigate an uncertain climate future.
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
Director, Sustainability
NRG Energy
Laurel Peacock is a director of sustainability for NRG Energy, a U.S.-based integrated power company that brings energy to more than three million residential and commercial customers and focuses on delivering value to all stakeholders. Peacock drives strategy creation and execution of company-wide sustainability initiatives. She also leads all voluntary reporting processes to foster industry leadership and create shareholder value. Over the past six years at NRG, she has helped set industry-leading, science-based carbon reduction goals and led practical, innovative initiatives that address key societal and environmental issues.
Associate Director, Global Sustainability
BD
Sarah Hill is Associate Director, Global Sustainability at BD. In this role, Hill leads key programs within the Office of Global Sustainability, including stakeholder engagement, publication of BD’s annual sustainability report, and ongoing strategy development for the function. She also represents BD in BSR’s Future of Reporting working group. Prior to joining BD in March 2016, she was product stewardship and sustainability program manager at Covidien (now Medtronic) for over 15 years. Hill is a Practitioner member of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment.
Director, Climate
BSR
(Moderator)
David leads BSR’s climate practice to maximize the impact of our applied research, collaborative initiatives, and work with individual companies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build climate resilience. He is also the international policy lead for the We Mean Business coalition.
Before joining BSR, David was a climate diplomat for the Marshall Islands with the advisory group Independent Diplomat and led on transparency issues in the UN climate negotiations for the Alliance of Small Island States. As an international lawyer with the Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development, David built up the environmental treaty expertise of countries across the globe. He began his career as a securities litigator with Fried Frank in New York before focusing on climate change and energy.
David holds a LL.M. in International Law from New York University, a J.D. and M.A. in International Relations from the University of Toronto, and a B.A. in Ethics, Politics, and Economics from Yale University.
Follow David @ClimateWei.
Director, Sustainable Futures Lab
BSR
(Moderator)
Jacob leads BSR’s Sustainable Futures Lab, a new practice using strategic foresight techniques to help businesses engage with emerging issues that are reshaping the global landscape.
Before joining BSR, Jacob was the lead futurist in the New York office of Forum for the Future, where he used scenario planning and other futures techniques to develop sustainability strategy and drive innovation for leading businesses, foundations, and multistakeholder groups. Prior to that he worked at Adaptive Edge, a boutique strategic foresight consultancy, on collaborative scenario planning. Jacob began his career doing human rights research and advocacy at Human Rights First and the Center for Economic and Social Rights. He speaks English and French.
Jacob holds an M.B.A. in Sustainability from Presidio Graduate School and a B.A. in History from the University of Chicago.
Follow Jacob @jacobpark.
Next-Generation Sustainability Governance and Organizational Change
Thursday November 14, 11:30 am-12:30 pm
Location: Regency Ballroom I
Organizational change requires governance structures that break through silos and enable cross-functional strategy and accountability. These structures require closer coordination between the sustainability, ethics and compliance, and government/corporate affairs functions, among others. Yet when sustainability governance structures rely on shared ownership and indirect influence, how can we ensure effectiveness? At the same time, the sustainability function has evolved significantly over the last decade, yet governance structures have not. As of 2018, there were still only 44 chief sustainability officers at publicly traded companies in the U.S., highlighting the fact that sustainability does not gain the C-suite visibility it deserves. How can real progress be made without integrating sustainability into the agenda of executive-level committees? Hear from companies who have created unique organizational structures to help embed sustainability into core business strategy.
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
Vice President, Corporate Legal and Secretary
PayPal
Brian Yamasaki leads PayPal’s corporate legal function as company secretary and VP of corporate, strategy, and growth. He is responsible for multiple teams that support PayPal’s securities, corporate governance, compensation/benefits, ESG strategy and reporting matters, mergers and acquisitions, strategic investments, corporate strategy, and payment product and engineering matters. Yamasaki joined eBay Inc. in 2007 on the corporate legal team and moved to management in 2013. He served as lead on several acquisitions, including Braintree and Xoom. Brian was a member of the core team managing PayPal’s separation. In September 2016, he took on the role of company secretary for PayPal. Prior to PayPal, Yamasaki worked in private practice. He also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Bruce M. Selya of the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals.
Chief Operating Officer
BSR
(Moderator)
Laura is a global expert on corporate sustainability, with two decades of experience in strategy consulting and has advised senior executives at global companies across a range of industry sectors and sustainability issues.
Laura has also been a leader in BSR’s organizational growth and impact. She launched BSR’s financial services practice and New York office, and she is currently the Chief Operating Officer, leveraging her strengths in strategy, organizational change, and people management.
Laura works with leading global companies to develop and enhance their sustainability strategies to maximize value for business and society. She is sought after to facilitate senior-level strategy workshops and multistakeholder collaborations. She has published reports on environmental, social, and governance trends among investors as well as sustainability integration and leadership. From 2006 to 2010, she facilitated the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition, growing the initiative from 15 to more than 50 companies.
Laura previously worked for Deloitte Consulting, where she acquired extensive strategy experience advising multinational financial services companies. She also worked on several community and economic development projects in Latin America.
Laura holds an M.B.A. from Stanford University and a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. She is an adjunct professor in the Bard M.B.A. in Sustainability program and a member of the UN Global Compact Expert Network.
Follow Laura @LauraGitman.
The Secret to Transparent, Traceable Supply Chains
Wednesday November 13, 10:30 am-12:00 pm
Location: Crystal
Explore how to design and implement deliberately transparent, traceable, and sustainable supply chains. During this interactive workshop, participants will look at real-life case studies of companies that are using technology, new collaborative approaches, and unusual partnerships to transform supply chains and create traceability stories for consumers. Participants will then work in groups to apply the learnings to a supply chain of their choice.
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
Vice President, Product Development and Innovation
Mastercard
Leandro Nunes is vice president of product development and innovation at Mastercard. In his role, Nunes leads initiatives that de-risk the development and execution of new technologies in the market both internally within the company and externally with key customers. One of his key focus areas is in commercializing Mastercard’s Provenance Solution, leveraging blockchain to establish trust, transparency, and traceability across the supply chain ecosystem for the authenticity and origin of goods. Prior to joining Mastercard, Nunes served in a number of roles at IBM, leading global teams to drive growth in corporate finance, business operations, partnerships, and sales. In his last role, he successfully led the go-to-market strategy of blockchain solutions.
Manager, Coffee Traceability
Starbucks
Abigail Kroon leads Starbucks’ Digital Traceability program, a continuation of the company’s C.A.F.E. Practices ethical sourcing requirements, which include a comprehensive set of environmental, social, and economic standards. In this role, she has spearheaded efforts to revolutionize Starbucks’ coffee supply chain with new and innovative technologies in support of the more than 400,000 coffee farmers from which it buys around the globe, and the customers who enjoy Starbucks coffee every day. This effort to digitally connect each member of the Starbucks supply chain provides a new level of transparency that will change the relationship customers have with the products they purchase. But the primary aim of the work is to drive positive impact for coffee farmers. Kroon also supports the broader ethical sourcing and traceability team’s sustainability efforts in coffee, tea, and cocoa sourcing.
Project Director
Open Apparel Registry
Natalie Grillon is the director of the Open Apparel Registry (OAR). Launched in March of 2019, the OAR is a directory and interactive map of global apparel facilities. The registry's name and address-matching algorithm normalizes uploaded facility names and addresses and assigns each facility a unique identifier code. Users can upload and normalize a factory list, search a factory profile, and explore data contributors and their corresponding affiliations. Before this role, Grillon was the co-founder of Project JUST, an online platform to help to bring transparency to fashion supply chains and empower consumers to shift their purchasing behavior. She is an Acumen Fellow and a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer.
Partner
(en)visible
Jayson is a co-founder and technology lead at Envisible, a sustainable food marketing company and the creators of Wholechain traceability system. He has more than a decade of leadership experience in mobile technology and has worked in partnership with organizations such as BSR, the GSMA, Unilever, and the U.S. Department of State on developing digital innovations for food and agriculture supply chains. Prior to his work at Envisible, Berryhill lived in Indonesia for more than five years working for XL Axiata, one of the largest mobile network operators in Southeast Asia, leading their flagship sustainability initiative. Prior to that, he served as head of marketing for a Swiss-based mobile game payments company with distribution in over 50 countries worldwide.
Director, Information and Communications Technology
BSR
(Moderator)
Michael leads BSR’s work with companies in the information and communications technology (ICT) industry.
His experience in sustainability with global ICT companies includes addressing climate, human rights, and ethics issues in various settings, including mines, the factory floor, and cyberspace. From drafting reporting regulations and audit protocols on greenhouse gas (GHG) to advising on renewable energy procurement for data centers and human rights opportunities with blockchain, his experience touches all parts of the sector.
Before joining BSR, Michael was the senior program director at the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) and acted as the director for the Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative. He also served in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) climate change and stratospheric protection divisions, focusing on mitigation of and reporting on GHG emissions. In addition, he previously worked for a sustainability consulting firm in Hong Kong.
Michael holds a J.D. and a Master’s in Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School and a B.A. in International Relations from Michigan State University.
Follow Michael @MjRohwer.
Managing Director
BSR
(Moderator)
Tara leads BSR’s global supply chain sustainability practice.
She advises chief product officers and senior directors at leading global companies on the development of supply chains that create business value and address urgent and long-term risks and opportunities. She drives strategy and implementation projects across industry sectors covering sustainable procurement, supply chain strategy, collaboration, traceability, blockchain and supply chain finance.
She has authored several reports, including The Supply Chain Leadership Ladder 2.0, Win-Win-Win: The Sustainable Supply Chain Finance Opportunity, The Future of Supply Chains 2025, the UN Global Compact Supply Chain Sustainability Guide, and the UN Global Compact Guide to Traceability. Tara also teaches on the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership Sustainable Business certificate courses.
Before joining BSR, she directed supply chain work at 2degrees, the sustainability collaboration platform, and was the general manager of Sedex, where she ran and significantly grew the world's largest not-for-profit sustainable supply chain membership organization and database. Previously, Tara worked in sustainable procurement at BAA, was project manager at the World Trade Center Association Los Angeles, and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kherson, Ukraine. She is a dual citizen of the United States and the United Kingdom, has lived in five countries, and speaks fluent French.
Tara holds an M.B.A. from London Business School and a B.A. in International Studies and French from Northwestern University.
Follow Tara @tnnw1.
Smashing the Patriarchy: The Limits and Risks of Corporate Feminism
Thursday November 14, 10:15 am-11:15 am
Location: Crystal
As women’s rights have risen on the political agenda, companies have sought to align themselves with feminism as a social movement. This has led to successful advertising campaigns, revamped brand images, and product marketing that connects with women. Yet the backlash against ‘corporate feminism’ is growing, with many pointing out that feminism is a political movement for the liberation of women, requiring political changes that will threaten and disrupt existing business models. Are companies aware of the demands of feminism? What role can companies play in supporting women’s rights, without exposing themselves to charges of hypocrisy or deliberate diluting of radical demands?
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
Founder and CEO
Remake
Ayesha Barenblat has over a decade of leadership promoting social justice and sustainability within the fashion industry. She founded Remake to ignite a conscious consumer movement. Remake’s films, stories, and immersive journeys rebuild human connections with the women who make our clothes. She has worked with brands, governments, and labor advocates to improve the lives of the women who make our clothes. She led brand engagement at Better Work, a World Bank and United Nations partnership to ensure safe and decent working conditions within garment factories around the world. She was head of consumer products at BSR, providing strategic advice to brands including H&M, Levi Strauss & Co., Marks and Spencer, Nike, The Walt Disney Company, and Pou Chen on the design and integration of sustainability into business.
Hilary Pickles
North American Grant Maker and Charitable Giving Ambassador
LUSH
Global Vice President, Managing Partner
Publicis Sapient
As GVP, Managing Partner, Jennifer Berry is the Account Lead for Unilever which includes a Global relationship with Dove. Berry played an Integral part in the launch of Project #Showus which is an initiative led by Dove to change the representation of female identifying and non-binary individuals in Media and Advertising around the world. Project #ShowUs is an open source solution that rally’s the industry to take action, and has taken Dove to a place of driving change beyond traditional advertising. As part of Publicis Sapient for 12 years, Berry previously led the Citi account in New York City after transferring from the Sydney, Australia office in 2011 where she was responsible for half the client roster. Berry is a passionate, intuitive and creative thinker who loves working with large, cross-functional teams to do market leading work for her clients.
Director, Partnership Development
BSR
(Moderator)
Chhavi oversees BSR’s relationships with governments and foundations in North America, where he seeks to create cross-sector partnerships between the private sector and donors to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
Prior to joining BSR, Chhavi worked for a socially responsible investment firm, where he combined financial and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) analysis to make sustainable investment recommendations. He also spent several years as an operations manager for Oracle’s Asia-Pacific and Americas regions, opening a new operation in India. He also developed a CSR strategy for a spirits company in Mexico, developed sustainability reports for companies in India and Saudi Arabia, and worked as a freelance CSR consultant for the Institute of Public Health. He speaks English, Spanish, and Hindi.
Chhavi holds an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business and an M.A. in International Studies from the Lauder Institute of the University of Pennsylvania. He holds a B.A. in English and Computer Science from Rutgers University.
Standardizing and Scaling Up: Climate Resilience Across Value Chains
Wednesday November 13, 3:15 pm-4:15 pm
Location: Gold
Climate change impacts—including more frequent and intense extreme weather events, warming temperatures, and drought—already affect businesses and communities along company value chains. As more companies recognize the urgency to reduce climate risk to maintain productivity, they face a significant challenge in developing resilience strategies: the absence of universal metrics and standards to quantify the benefits. Explore the opportunities and options in setting adaptation targets, defining a framework for results, and maximizing the benefits of resilience for communities along company value chains.
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
Manager, Climate Strategy and Sustainability Initiatives
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Shannon Siart is the manager of climate strategy and sustainability initiatives at HPE, responsible for setting and overseeing the company’s environmental strategy and goals and enhancing reputation through industry-leading programs, reporting, and rankings. She is the force behind HPE’s ambitious new commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2025; she earned HPE an A on CDP’s 2018 Climate Change disclosure to maintain the company’s position among the top 2 percent of companies globally; and she constructed HPE’s first disclosure applying TCFD recommendations. At the heart of Siart’s work is belief that a sustainable future will transform our economy, nurture innovation, and create new markets ready to be seized by leading technology companies. Prior to joining HPE, Siart was on Northrop Grumman’s corporate sustainability team.
Senior Manager, Public Policy, Global Sustainability
The Coca-Cola Company
Yui Kamikawa is the strategy and analytics lead for climate risk and resilience at The Coca-Cola Company. He also works across the Company’s environmental sustainability pillars on strategy development and disclosure. He has a passion for innovation in the space of climate change, packaging, and sustainability. He has worked in Asia, Europe, Africa, and North America and has worked in The Coca-Cola Company and its bottling system for seven years. He has a background in supply chain, engineering, and packaging recycling technology.
Director, Sustainability
Micron Technology
Marshall Chase leads the development of the company’s sustainability strategy, works with key stakeholders including customers and investors, and coordinates company activities on priority environmental and social issues. Chase previously supported the development of Micron’s sustainability program as the manufacturing industry lead at BSR, where he worked for 10 years as a consultant on a range of sustainability strategy issues.
Manager
BSR
(Moderator)
With a background in sustainable business and exploring the impact of climate change on vulnerable populations, Eileen fosters private-sector engagement to accelerate climate resilience in Southeast Asia.
Before joining BSR, Eileen was vice president at Edelman, where she implemented strategic sustainability plans for Fortune 500 companies to drive climate action, responsible sourcing, resource optimization, and community engagement. While at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., Eileen advanced policy solutions on climate change, sustainable development, and urban resiliency.
Eileen holds a Master’s of Environmental Management from Duke University and a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Connecticut.
Follow Eileen @etgallagher.
The New Climate for Corporate Political Accountability
Thursday November 14, 11:30 am-12:30 pm
Location: Gold
As companies taking stands on social and political issues has become the norm, business find themselves on the receiving end of calls for corporate political accountability. lobbying practices, political contributions, and political associations are being heavily scrutinized by stakeholders across the spectrum, from shareholders to employees, customers, and investors. This session explores reasons why political accountability matters to all stakeholders, best practices in corporate efforts, and lessons learned by corporations and stakeholders on this topic. Though the Corporate Political Disclosure and Accountability Index shows there has been a, “trend toward enhanced accountability, transparency, compliance, and oversight across all corporate sectors,” since 2011, but there remains much more to be done. We will dive into the three pillars of this issue: direct corporation and corporate sponsored PAC contributions, corporate lobbying efforts on ESG issues, and corporate involvement in industry associations that take positions on ESG issues. Join us for this timely discussion in the midst of a polarizing U.S. election cycle that affects business now more than ever.
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
Executive Director
Center for Responsive Politics
Sheila Krumholz is the executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan watchdog group that tracks and reports on money in politics. Krumholz became executive director in 2006, prior to which she was CRP’s research director for eight years. As research director, she supervised data and analysis published on CRP’s website, OpenSecrets.org, and research for investigative journalists and CRP’s partners and clients in the media, academia, and elsewhere. Krumholz has testified before Congress and the Federal Election Commission on issues related to government transparency and accountability and is cited frequently in prominent national news outlets. She regularly makes presentations to citizen’s groups, scholars, government officials, NGOs that conduct research and advocacy, and at meetings of professional news organizations.
Follow Sheila @skrmhlz.
Senior Vice President, Shareholder Advocacy
Trillium Asset Management
Jonas Kron is responsible for leading and coordinating Trillium’s extensive advocacy program, which works to engage companies on their environmental and social performance, as well as good governance. His advocacy work includes direct communications with company leadership, investor education and awareness, shareholder proposals, and public policy advocacy. As a recognized legal expert in the field and a leader in shareholder advocacy, Kron regularly represents Trillium in the media and before policymakers. Kron currently serves on the board of US SIF and as co-chair of the organization’s policy committee. Prior to joining Trillium, Kron was an environmental attorney and public defender as well as outside counsel to many socially responsible investment organizations.
Former Senior Director, Business and Corporate Responsibility
Microsoft
With a background in public policy and government affairs, Dan Bross has led corporate social responsibility, government affairs, and public policy teams at two Fortune 100 companies. Bross joined Microsoft in 1998 and was instrumental in developing and managing Microsoft’s global corporate social responsibility program. He founded and served as executive director of the Microsoft Technology and Human Rights Center. In addition to his internally facing responsibilities, Bross was responsible for Microsoft ’s global outreach and engagement with a variety of key stakeholders, including the socially responsible investment community and the World Economic Forum. Having retired from Microsoft at the end of 2016, he is now leading the Partnership for Global LGBTI Equality, a global leadership platform to accelerate LGBTI inclusion in collaboration with the World Economic Forum.
Managing Director
BSR
(Moderator)
With more than 20 years of sustainable development experience, John leads BSR's global infrastructure and financial services practices, advising companies on corporate sustainability strategy, responsible investing and project development, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risk management.
Before BSR, John was the founder and president of SunOne Solutions, a leading carbon project developer in North and South America. John worked as a staff member in the World Bank's sustainable development group, where he managed global energy and transport infrastructure projects and the vice president for sustainable development's front office, and served as the infrastructure advisor in the Thailand and Kosovo country offices. He has also held positions in the airline transport industry, with a private infrastructure project developer in Chile, and with an impact investing fund in the Balkans.
John holds an M.P.A. from Harvard University, an International M.B.A. from the University of South Carolina, and a B.S. in International Trade and Finance from Louisiana State University.
Using Technology to Monitor and Improve Supply Chains: Lessons from the Field
Thursday November 14, 10:15 am-11:15 am
Location: Regency Ballroom I
Thanks to new technology, supply chain management is going digital. Technological advances are changing how products and services are made and delivered and enabling the creation and sharing of supply chain information in new ways. This has extended to the growing ability to monitor and manage sustainability impacts in supply chains. This panel will explore how digital tools actually work in practice to gain traceability and visibility and better manage those impacts: How are brands using technology to mitigate climate risk in supply chains? How does forest satellite monitoring really work? We will also debate whether using technology is always better—what are its limitations, and how can we use these new tools to benefit those in the supply chain, such as smallholders, who are most in need?
Scheduled Speakers
Additional speakers to be announced.
Global Director, Sustainability Supply Chain
ABinBev
Virginia Covo is the global director of supply chain sustainability at AB InBev, the world’s largest brewer. In her role, she leads the climate action agenda and non-financial reporting. She is responsible for GHG emissions reduction, providing guidance to achieve AB InBev’s 25 percent reduction goal by 2025. She was responsible for setting AB InBev’s science-based target and setting the strategy in emissions reduction across the supply chain. Covo has over 10 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, working in roles from research and product development to sales, supply chain, and sustainability.
Follow Virginia @CovoVirginia.
Thibault Gravier
Co-founder
TRANSITIONS
Head of U.S. and Canada
Earthworm Foundation
Robin Barr brings over fifteen years of international experience working with companies to procure responsibly produced materials and achieve corporate sustainability goals to her work leading the Earthworm Foundation. This includes working with international brands; multinational commodity processors; and producing companies in the palm oil, pulp and paper, soy, and solid wood sectors to develop responsible global supply chains, especially with regard to policies ensuring traceable supply chains, respect for human rights, and protection of forests and other critical ecosystems. Prior to managing the U.S. and Canada, Barr worked extensively with programs in Latin America and Southeast Asia on building responsible palm oil, soy, and timber supply chains for international buyers. She has worked throughout Southeast Asia to implement policies that protect tropical forests and indigenous peoples’ rights and benefit local communities.
Follow Robin @Earthworm.
Managing Director
BSR
(Moderator)
Tara leads BSR’s global supply chain sustainability practice.
She advises chief product officers and senior directors at leading global companies on the development of supply chains that create business value and address urgent and long-term risks and opportunities. She drives strategy and implementation projects across industry sectors covering sustainable procurement, supply chain strategy, collaboration, traceability, blockchain and supply chain finance.
She has authored several reports, including The Supply Chain Leadership Ladder 2.0, Win-Win-Win: The Sustainable Supply Chain Finance Opportunity, The Future of Supply Chains 2025, the UN Global Compact Supply Chain Sustainability Guide, and the UN Global Compact Guide to Traceability. Tara also teaches on the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership Sustainable Business certificate courses.
Before joining BSR, she directed supply chain work at 2degrees, the sustainability collaboration platform, and was the general manager of Sedex, where she ran and significantly grew the world's largest not-for-profit sustainable supply chain membership organization and database. Previously, Tara worked in sustainable procurement at BAA, was project manager at the World Trade Center Association Los Angeles, and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kherson, Ukraine. She is a dual citizen of the United States and the United Kingdom, has lived in five countries, and speaks fluent French.
Tara holds an M.B.A. from London Business School and a B.A. in International Studies and French from Northwestern University.
Follow Tara @tnnw1.