Q3 2020-2021 Activity Update

Before we slow down for the summer break, here are the recent updates and developments for the third quarter from the Hoffmann Institute!

We launched our podcast series – Mission to Change!

To uncover the stories and personal journeys of people behind business as a force for good, we launched our podcast series – Mission to Change! Every month, our Executive Director, Katell Le Goulven speaks to inspiring figures who harnessed the power of business to create positive impact. Find out more and listen in here.

We joined ChangeNOW as the major academic partner for the third year in a row, and supported them in their biodiversity study with BCG.

For the third year in a row, we were part of the ChangeNOW Summit from 27 to 29 May, where we convened a distinguished group of speakers, including a keynote address by Mark Carney, UN Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance, and Inger Andersen, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme. The summit saw an estimated 55,000 visitors and had a global reach of 436 million!

The following INSEAD faculty was also involved in these sessions:

• Professor Zoe Kinias in Why Women Are Powerful Agents of Change
• Professor Mark Stabile in Mark Carney’s keynote address
• Professor Spencer Harrison in Organising Change at the Industry Level

Visit our page for more details, and the ChangeNOW LinkedIn post for more on the impact of the summit.

We also supported ChangeNOW in their study aiming to accelerate biodiversity integration strategies into large organisations, alongside the Boston Consulting Group. Read more in the press release.

We held a conversation with Mark Carney with three student clubs, and over 1,000 people!

Dean Ilian Mihov, and Hoffmann Institute Executive Director Katell Le Goulven spoke to UN Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance, Mark Carney on our financial values in the face of the climate crisis, and recognising the importance of a green stimulus. The session also saw participation by students from the INDEVOR Club, Environment and Business Club and the Student Impact Fund. Watch the full recording here.

We celebrated the 2021 Cartier Women’s Initiative Laureates, and led mini-online campaigns for International Women’s Month.

As long-time partners of the Cartier Women’s Initiative since 2006, INSEAD supports the ventures of the CWI Fellows through an INSEAD Impact Entrepreneurship Programme. We continued the partnership this year, and Dean Ilian Mihov joined the CWI awards ceremony, while Katell Le Goulven held a workshop on “How to be SDG smart?”.

As part of International Women’s Month, we launched two mini-online campaigns on our social media channels to highlight the phenomenal work of the INSEAD Gender Initiative for gender equity, and also celebrate our Hoffmann Institute team and their thoughts on the occasion.

We held webinars on finance ethics, social intrapreneurship, carbon neutrality, and medicines access in emerging markets.

Kicking off the Ambition Net Zero series, our Asia Director, Vinika Rao, spoke to the Founding Director of JS Global, Jane Stevensen on the complexity of carbon neutrality, the impact of climate change and why it is difficult to tackle. Watch the session here.

Discussing how new technologies impact financial services, and ethical opportunities and challenges raised by the digitisation of finance, we organised a roundtable with leading experts from academia, the industry and winners of the global “Ethics and Trust in Finance for a Sustainable Future” prize. Access the full recording here.

Partnering with Yunus Social Business, we co-organised an Unusual Talks session on the theory and practice of social intrapreneurship featuring INSEAD Professor Jasjit Singh, and other experts to provide practical initiatives that are driving change. Watch it here.

In the SDG Tent, a distinguished panel of senior executives discussed the progress made in improving access to medicines, health products for under-served populations, and how executives and investors can also get involved. Moderated by INSEAD Professor Prashant Yadav, you can watch the session here.

We published five stories on how the school is advancing business as a force for good.

From impact investing to making medicines accessible in emerging markets, visit our stories page to stay updated on ways the Hoffmann Institute is supporting sustainability at INSEAD.

We boosted our online community and press coverage of our activities.

Our social media community stands at over 14,800 members (and growing!) who are curious about driving sustainability in business. Our involvement in the ChangeNOW Summit was shared in some of the leading media outlets like La Tribune and France24.

Thanks for joining us on this journey to drive sustainability. Stay tuned to our social media for the latest developments! See you next quarter!