
BUSINESS AT ITS BEST
The world needs business at its best – creating opportunities, helping to resolve global issues, and adding value to society. So how can we change the way we do business in order to create a better future for all?
The climate emergency and social inequality are profound and pressing problems, thrown into sharp relief by the COVID crisis, that can only be solved if we harness the enormous potential of entrepreneurs, innovation and enterprise. Ultimately, what the world needs is business at its best – creating opportunities, helping to resolve global issues, and adding value to society. So how can we change the way we do business in order to create a better future for all?
The Better Business Act is a campaign supported by over 600 companies, aiming to transform the way we do business by changing the law. At this event, we explore how a simple change to the Companies Act would ensure UK companies, whether big or small, take responsibility of their social and environmental impact. We explored what this means for all stakeholders – investors, company directors, employees, wider communities and the environment. We investigated examples of businesses which are already working by these principles, and investors looking for more companies like them – This event is moderated by Pilita Clark, Columnist at the Financial Times and joined by panellists, Amy Clarke, Co-Founder & Chief Impact Officer of Tribe Impact Capital; Dr. Roger Barker, Director of Policy and Corporate Governance at the Institute of Directors; and Alexandra Meagher, Head of Regulation and Sustainability, Bulb.
Speakers:
Amy Clarke is Co-Founder & Chief Impact Officer of Tribe Impact Capital, a dedicated impact wealth manager and B Corps. She has over 26 years’ experience in sustainability, having trained as a climate and soil scientist, and studied environmental policy and law at postgraduate level. Amy has worked for Microsoft and Bank of America, leading in country and international sustainability teams, as well as PwC and EY consulting on sustainability. Amy sits on the board of B Lab UK & Big Issue Invest. She is also an advisor to the Ocean Plastics Leadership Network and sits on the Development Council of the Future Fit Benchmark (the new benchmark for investors and companies driving towards a future fit world) and the Steering Committee of the Global Ethical Finance Initiative (GEFI, based in Scotland). Amy also guest presents on the Impact Investing elective for the Said Business School MBA.
Dr. Roger Barker is Director of Policy and Corporate Governance at the Institute of Directors (since September 2020) and a member of the IoD Management Team. He is also Honorary Associate at the Centre for Ethics and Law at University College London, and a regular speaker on corporate governance issues at a variety of leading universities and business schools.
Previously, Dr. Barker was Managing Director of Governomics Ltd, a corporate governance advisory firm. And during an earlier stint at the IoD, he served as Director of Corporate Governance and Professional Standards (2008-2016).
Dr. Barker is the author of numerous books and articles on corporate governance and board effectiveness, including a new co-edited volume: ‘The Law and Governance of Decentralised Business Models: Between Hierarchies and Markets’ (Routledge, 2020). Previous books include: ‘Corporate Governance and Investment Management: The Promises and Limitations of the New Financial Economy’ (Edward Elgar, 2017), ‘The Effective Board: Building Individual and Board Success’ (Kogan Page, 2010), and ‘Corporate Governance, Competition, and Political Parties: Explaining Corporate Governance Change in Europe’ (Oxford University Press, 2010).
Pilita Clark is an associate editor and business columnist at the Financial Times. She writes a weekly column on modern corporate life, as well as features and other articles.
She has worked for the FT since 2003, covering aviation and the environment, and was previously a Washington correspondent for Australian newspapers and a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University.
Alexandra Meagher leads the Sustainability, Policy and Regulation teams at Bulb. Before Bulb, she worked for the UK Cabinet Office as part of the team that led the UK government policy on impact investment and purpose-led business. She began her career working in corporate and international law in The Hague, London and Paris.
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