Creating Sustainable Value 

DATE: Monday, March 25, 2024

WHERE: International Ballroom, JW Marriott

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Creating Sustainable Value

Just as the creation of shareholder value demands performance on multiple dimensions, the challenges associated with sustainability are also multifaceted, involving economic, social, and environmental concerns. These challenges have implications for virtually every aspect of the firm’s strategy and business model. Yet many companies continue to frame sustainability not as a multidimensional opportunity but rather as a one-dimensional nuisance, typically involving regulations, added costs, and liabilities. Accordingly, in this session, he will develop a four-quadrant framework (the sustainable value portfolio) that links the challenges of sustainability to the creation of shareholder value by the firm. The four strategies—pollution prevention, product stewardship, clean technology, and base of the pyramid each possess their own strategic logic and unique set of challenges. Particular emphasis will be given to clean technology and base of the pyramid strategies as they are typically under-exploited by companies and offer the greatest potential return—and benefit to the world—in the long run.

About Stuart Hart

Stuart L Hart is Professor in Residence at the University of Michigan’s Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise.  Hart was the founder of the Erb Institute’s dual master’s program in the early 1990s and then went on to hold faculty positions and launch centers for sustainable business at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and Cornell University’s Johnson School of Management. Most recently, Hart was Professor and Steven Grossman Endowed Chair in Sustainable Business at the University of Vermont’s Grossman School of Business where he was co-founder and director of the school’s new Sustainable Innovation MBA Program. A Fortune 500 consultant, Hart is one of the world’s top authorities on the implications of environment and poverty for business strategy. His over 100 articles and nine books have received more than 50,000 Google Scholar citations. His article “Beyond Greening: Strategies for a Sustainable World” won the McKinsey Award for Best Article in the Harvard Business Review for 1997 and helped launch the movement for corporate sustainability.  Hart’s best-selling book, Capitalism at the Crossroads, is amongst Cambridge University’s top 50 books on sustainability of all-time. His forthcoming book, Beyond Shareholder Primacy: Remaking Capitalism for a Sustainable Future, will be published by Stanford Business Books in 2024.

Unpacking the Latest Political Developments: Insights and Analysis

DATE: Monday, April 15, 2024

WHERE: International Ballroom, JW Marriott

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Unpacking the Latest Political Developments: Insights and Analysis

Today’s political landscape is complex and confusing, with multiple pressing issues calling for our attention. In this session, Harold Ford, Jr., a former U.S. Congressman and PNC Bank Regional President New York, will join Rick Albin, political reporter for WOOD TV News 8, for a fireside conversation that is sure to spark interest in seasoned political observers and newcomers alike. Ford will offer his unique perspective of the intricate web of forces driving current events, and offer insights and expertise to shed light on recent policy changes and legislative developments.

About Harold Ford, Jr.

Harold Ford, Jr. is a former congressional representative and now serves as an executive vice president and regional president of PNC Bank, New York. In this role, Ford is responsible for new business development and deepening relationships with clients and community organizations. Prior to being named to his current role in February 2023, Ford served as vice chairman of Corporate & Institutional Banking (C&IB) for PNC Bank.

Before joining PNC in December 2020, Ford was a director of Live Oak Acquisition Corporation, a blank check company founded in 2020. He served in Congress for 10 years from 1997 to 2007 representing Tennessee’s 9th congressional district and was a member of the House Financial Services, Budget and Education Committees as well as the Congressional Black Caucus.

After serving in the House of Representatives, Ford spent four years as vice chairman and senior policy advisor of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, seven years at Morgan Stanley, where he was a managing director and senior client relationship manager, and is the former non-executive chairman of Rx Saver, a patient-directed prescription medication search engine platform. Ford has also taught public policy at Vanderbilt University and the University of Michigan.

Ford currently serves on the board of directors of the Lincoln Center, The POSSE Foundation and the River Fund New York.

Ford received a B.A. in American History from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.

Ten Global Trends to Watch

DATE: Monday, April 29, 2024

WHERE: International Ballroom, JW Marriott

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Ten Global Trends to Watch

The world is changing, fast. Whether it’s the upsurge in armed conflict, the redrawing of the global energy-resources map or rapid progress in artificial intelligence, things are moving at mind-boggling speed. From the situation in the Middle East to the adoption of electric vehicles to the treatment of obesity, things look very different from the way they did just a year or two ago. And 2024 could prove to be a pivotal year, as an unprecedented number of elections and a slowing Chinese economy intersect with growing geopolitical uncertainty. Tom Standage, deputy editor of The Economist and editor of its future-gazing annual, The World Ahead, outlines his ten global trends to watch, analyses what is going on, and considers where things might be going next.

About Tom Standage

Tom Standage is deputy editor of The Economist and editor of the yearly “The World Ahead..” series, formerly known as “The World In”. He is also responsible for the newspaper’s digital strategy and the development of new digital products, including Espresso and Economist Films. He joined The Economist as science correspondent in 1998 and was subsequently appointed technology editor, business editor and digital editor. He is the author of six history books, including “Writing on the Wall” (2013), “The Victorian Internet” (1998) and “A History of the World in 6 Glasses” (2005). He studied engineering and computing at Oxford University and has written for other publications including the New York Times, Daily Telegraph, Guardian and Wired, taking a particular interest in the internet’s cultural and historical significance.

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