Accelerate Business

Accelerate Business

There is a powerful movement building for a private sector which profits by fixing the world’s problems, not creating them. It’s true that too many CEOs still believe the priority is satisfying their shareholders, at whatever environmental and societal cost. But more are waking up to the immense opportunities that come with shifting to a cleaner and more inclusive economy. Only if business steps up can we achieve the capital, ingenuity and muscle needed to drive change with the necessary speed and scale.

$12tr a year by 2030. 380 million new jobs. The Global Goals are the business opportunity of a lifetime.

How we Accelerate Business

01

Empowering executives

Many business leaders want to do better – their employees, customers and children increasingly demand it – but they don’t always know how, and they cannot do it alone. I co-wrote Net Positive: how courageous companies thrive by giving more than they take to help with the “how”. In my time at Unilever we delivered 290% returns for our investors, while consistently ranking first in the world for sustainability. We didn’t get everything right, but we learnt lessons that we help other companies put into practice, including through SYSTEMIQ, a fast-growing systems change company. We also work to empower and improve competence on Boards and, through the IMAGINE CEO Circle, to connect proven, vanguard CEOs with current and future business leaders, so they can share their experiences and networks. I co-chair the United Nations Global Compact on behalf of the Secretary General, which helps over 21,000 organisations from around the world adopt and implement the Sustainable Development Goals.

02

Bold Coalitions

Collaboration is key. As a general rule, 25-30% of the leaders in any sector can drive a tipping point. By coming together, businesses can share risk, spread costs and find their collective courage, in order to tackle problems no company can fix alone. Through ambitious partnerships we can overhaul industry standards and embolden our governments to do more. We work with CEO-led collectives in some of the most strategically important sectors for tackling climate change and inequality, including in Food, Travel & Tourism, Energy and through The Fashion Pact. SYSTEMIQ (where I sit on the Board) helps support this work, connecting business to government and civil society, and helping accelerate the changes the world needs.

Latest updates on

Accelerate Business