Environmental issues, including climate change, are now at the top of the agenda in executive suites around the world. Sustainability initiatives can be defined as adopting business strategies that meet the needs of the enterprise and its stakeholders today while protecting, sustaining and enhancing the human and natural resources that will be needed in the future. Activities that support sustainability are transitioning from annual PR exercises to a strategic business function with shorter decision cycles and greater demand for intelligence.
Executive thought leaders will discuss their experiences and global perspectives on what initiatives will have the greatest impact and how to turn complex information into effective strategies.
Panellists include Lord Stern of Brentford, Andrew Winston, Clara Gaymard, Mikael Hagström and Nicolas Owen (moderator).
About Various panelists
Lord Stern of Brentford
Climate-change economics expert and author of the Stern Review
Lord Stern of Brentford made headline news around the world and became an instant household name when he published his long-awaited, groundbreaking, 700-page Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change to critical acclaim. A former Chief Economic Advisor to the UK government, he was also the Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of the World Bank from 2000 to 2003. Stern also played a key role in Europe's economic development as the Chief Economist and Senior Advisor to the Director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Stern outlines building an economic climate that facilitates investment and growth, and empowering companies and individuals to participate in that growth. He also examines in depth the far-reaching economic implications of climate change and offers organisations his valuable insights into the short- and long-term effects of global warming on the business world. In short, he clarifies complex economic issues and looks not only at the factors affecting today’s global markets but also at the factors which will affect organisations and global markets in the long term.
Andrew Winston
Co-author of Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage
Andrew Winston is founder of Winston Eco-Strategies and works with leading companies to use environmental thinking to drive growth. He has consulted with startups and FORTUNE 500 companies such as Bank of America, Reuters, Coca-Cola and IKEA. He is co-author of the bestseller Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage, which highlights what works – and what doesn't – when companies "go green." Winston, a nationally recognised expert on green business, has written for Time, Newsweek, BusinessWeek, Forbes, The New York Times and The Washington Post, and appeared on ABC News, National Public Radio and CNBC.
Winston is a sought-after and engaging speaker, providing audiences with a timely and dynamic view on how companies turn green to gold. He gives keynote addresses and also moderates Q&A and panel discussions at events of all sizes and venues – from small meetings to large conferences, from world-class universities to corporate campuses.
Winston bases his work on significant on-the-ground, in-company business experience, including executive positions and P&L responsibility at global companies, startups and dotcoms. With the Boston Consulting Group, he helped Fortune 500 companies grow and prosper. He also served as Marketing and Development Director for Time Magazine, Director of Business Development for MTV and VH1, and Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for the online arm of a national retailer.
Winston also served as the Director of the Corporate Environmental Strategy Project at Yale’s renowned School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and he is currently a Fellow of the Center for Environment and Business at Yale. He received a BA in Economics from Princeton, an MBA from Columbia and a master's degree in environmental management from Yale. Andrew lives in Riverside, Connecticut, with his wife and two sons.
To find out more about Andrew Winston and to contact him, please visit www.andrewwinston.com.
Clara Gaymard
National Executive
GE France
From February 2003 and until her nomination as GE’s National Executive for France, Clara Gaymard was Ambassador, President of Invest in France Agency.
Prior to her appointment, Gaymard served for seven years as Deputy Director at the Foreign Economic Relations Department of the French Finance Ministry. In 1999, she became Head of the Small and Mid-Cap Businesses Division. From 1991 to 1993, she was an Economic and Commercial Advisor at the French Trade Office in Cairo, Egypt.
Gaymard is a graduate of the French National School of Administration (ENA) and the Institute of Political Studies (IEP) in Law and History.
Mikael Hagström
Executive Vice President
SAS Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific
As the Executive Vice President of EMEA and Asia Pacific for SAS, Mikael Hagström is passionate about providing a culture where innovation can flourish, resulting in market leadership both for the organisation and its customers.
Hagström is responsible for optimising business performance, delivering revenue and managing operations in more than 50 countries with individual Profit and Loss centres. He has extensive executive sales management experience with a successful record of growing business and fostering strong leadership in local geographies.
As a member of the American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union (AmCham EU) Executive Council, Hagström is a frequent speaker on the multinational business climate.
