The Responsible Business Summit 2008

Responsible Business is in the spotlight more than ever before. Climate Change is never off the news, ethical supply chain awareness has filtered down to the general public, anti-corruption is seen as one of the most pressing corporate concerns of the day.

The Responsible Business Summit is a seventh-time event, and brings all the benefits such an established event offers:

• Excellent networking opportunities from an engaged and active CR community. Last year, 450 CR experts came along to the Summit. This year we expect over 500.
• Unrivalled speakers, from CEOs of multi-national corporations to thought leaders in the field of CR. Current keynote speakers include the European Presidents of DuPont and Starbucks, the European Chairman of Microsoft, the Executive Editor of the Economist, and CEOs from Wilhelmsen and Kraft (UK).
• The most insightful and challenging topics and sessions available – The Responsible Business Summit is the longest-running CR conference around, and Ethical Corporation have the most expertise in running events like this. We are well used to creating conferences on this topic, and have lent our considerable expertise to making this the best ever CR conference.

This year, as always, we are directly reflecting the concerns of the CR community. Topics we’ve been asked to address include:

• Mainstreaming Corporate Responsibility – how do you embed CR in your company, and will it kill your CR department as a result?
• Measurement – we have a whole selection of sessions dealing with different aspects of measurement of your CR initiatives.
• Controversy and CR – the whole conference will have a controversial bent – we will be asking tough questions in an environment designed to robustly challenge the preconceptions of corporate responsibility.
• Quick Solutions – if you’re just coming to CR, (you’re late! and) we’re running a session on how to make quick gains, and tighten up your operation quickly. Pick the 'low lying fruit’ here.

Expert speakers we have already confirmed include:

• Ian Hudson, President, Europe , DuPont
• Cliff Burrows, President, Europe , Starbucks
• Jan Muehlfeit, Chairman, Europe, Microsoft
• Ingar Skaug, CEO , Wallenius Wilhelmsen
• Daniel Franklin, Executive Editor, The Economist (author of January 08’s Economist special report on CSR
• Ben Clark, Managing Director (UK) , Kraft
• Sajeev Viswanathan, Managing Director, Global Transaction Services (EMEA), Citi
• Rob Cameron, CEO , Fairtrade Labelling Organisation International
• Patricia O’Hayer, VP Communications & Corporate Responsibility , Unilever
• Stephane Quere, Senior Vice-President, Sustainable Development , Suez
• Edward Bickham, Executive Vice-President, External Affairs , Anglo-American
• Charlotte Grezo, Global Head of Sustainability , Lehman Brothers
• Janet Blake, Global Head of CSR , BT
• Alberto Andreu, Director of Reputation, Brand, CSR and Sustainability , Telefonica
• George Jaksch, Senior Director, Corporate Responsibility and Public Affairs , Chiquita
• Mike Nightingale, Director of CR , British American Tobacco
• Matthew Gwyther, Editor , Management Today
• Russel Mills, Director of External Technology and Innovation, Dow Europe
• Ann Loughrey, Head of Responsibility and Brand UK , Iberdrola
• Richard Ellis, Head of CR , Alliance Boots
• Dr Steven Phillips, Medical Director for Global Issues & Projects, ExxonMobil
• Jeffrey Sturchio, Head of Corporate Responsibility , Merck
• Andre Veneman, Director of CSR , Akzo Nobel
• Santiago Gowland, Director of CR , Unilever
• Joel Posters, Head of Sustainability, Asia , ABN Amro
• Mike Patrick, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility , TNT Express
• Hilary Parsons, Head of Corporate Affairs , Nestle
• Simon Henderson, Director of Corporate Reputation , Centrica
• Zoltan Valcsicsak, Senior Manager, Community and Corporate Citizenship , Levi Strauss
• Massimo Pacelli, Director , Italia Lavoro SpA
• Antoni Ballabriga, Corporate Responsibility and Reputation Director , BBVA
• James Graham, Associate Director of Science Policy, Pfizer
• Glenn Manoff, Head of Communications , O2
• Olaf Weber, Head of Central Sustainability Unit , KfW
• Stefan Crets, Deputy General Manager – CSR, Toyota
• Emanuela Angori, Group Identity and Communications Executive , UniCredit Group
• Torben Moller, Dean, AVT Institute of Executive Education
• Jean-Louis Duqeroix, Communications Manager, Caisse d’Epargne
• Peggy Cunningham, Director, Centre for CSR, Queen’s School of Business, Ontario
• David Grayson, Director, Doughty Centre for Corporate Responsibility , Cranfield University
• Christine Jenkins, Managing Director, CC Works
• Alessia D’Amato, Research Fellow, Research & Innovation Dept , Center for Creative Leadership
• Justin Bettey, EMEA Audit and Assessment Technical Manager , Bureau Veritas
• Dominique Gagneux, Partner , ERM