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John Elkington

John Elkington

A world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development.

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Towards the New Capitalism with SID, SingTel, Hong Leong and CLD

John Elkington · 4 September 2014 · Leave a Comment

SID WC

Willie Cheng opens the conference

SID books

Various of my books on sale, including The Breakthrough Challenge

SID JL

Jacqueline (Lim)

SID seascape

Part of the view from my bedroom window in the Marina Bay Sands hotel

Flew in day before yesterday for the annual Singapore Institute of Directors event for directors, this time on the theme of ‘Towards the New Capitalism’. I was keynoting the conference, which was huge. Great to be in the company of Jacqueline Lim, a key member of our London team.

I was invited to speak by Willie Cheng, a former Managing Partner of Accenture, who is now Chairman of SID. He is also a member of the Volans Advisory Board.

Then, after the keynote yesterday, I was part of a discussion panel, chaired by Professor Tommy Koh (Ambassador-at-Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs), and otherwise including Euleen Goh (Chairman, Singapore International Foundation), Lim Boon Heng (Chairman, Temasek Holdings), Peter White (COO, World Business Council for Sustainable Development) and Stephen Young (Executive Director, Caux Round Table).

A striking feature of the event was the Social Enterprise Marketplace, held over the extended lunchtime. The social enterprises featured were:

Adrenalin

Beat’abox

BettrBarista

Bizlink Centre

Bliss Restaurant & Catering

Circus in Motion

Dialogue in the Dark

Dignity Kitchen

Dream+

Employment and Employability Institute (e2i)

Ecosoftt

Edible Gardens

Eighteen Chefs

Ground-Up Initiative (GUI)

iNKFusion

Milaap

Newton Circus

NTUC FairPrice Cooperative

NTUC First Campus Cooperative

NTUC Learning Hub

PlayMoolah

ProAge

SATA CommHealth

Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (SCORE)

SilverSpring

TagBio

Think Your Way Out (TYWO)

T.Ware

Wonderful to talk to many of the social entrepreneurs and their team, though several are having a tough time of it. That said, the evolution of the sector since Volans first got involved here has been quite remarkable – and the fact that SID is now pulling them in is very encouraging. social entrepreneurs are truly part of the new capitalism.

Today Jacqueline and I visited SingTel, then had lunch with Willie (Cheng), then did two sessions for the Hong Leong Group, the first for senior executives, the second for a team from City Developments Ltd (CDL). Both sessions convened by Esther An, CDL’s Chief Sustainability Officer. Impressed by the quality of the discussion – and by what I learned about CDL’s sustainability-repeated activities in particular. Then out to Changi Airport, for the flight back to the UK – reading I Am Pilgrim, by Terry Hayes. Gripping.

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Introduction

I began this blog with an entry reporting on a visit to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on Cape Cod, on 30 September 2003. The blog element of the website has gone through several iterations since, with much of the older material still available.

Like so many things in my life, blog entries blur the boundaries between the personal and the professional. As explained on this site’s Home Page, the website and the blog are part platform for ongoing projects, part autobiography, and part accountability mechanism.

In addition, my blogs have appeared on many sites such as: Chinadialogue, CSRWire, Fast Company, GreenBiz, Guardian Sustainable Business, and the Harvard Business Review.

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About

John Elkington is a world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development. He is currently Founding Partner and Executive Chairman of Volans, a future-focused business working at the intersection of the sustainability, entrepreneurship and innovation movements.

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john@johnelkington.com  |  +44 203 701 7550 | Twitter: @volansjohn

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