Delighted to have been invited to be on the roster of potential facilitators of board-level sessions for the UN Global Compact LEAD initiative. Told Georg Kell of the UNGC that I accepted when we met in New York a few days back.
As the UNGC explains, some 50 companies are now part of LEAD, which is “an exclusive platform designed to engage the most committed companies within the Global Compact to lead the way to a new era of sustainability. With participation from sustainability leaders from all regions and sectors, LEAD brings a wealth of expertise to the challenge of achieving higher levels of corporate sustainability performance.”
More background can be found here. An interesting comment from the blog: “Board involvement with sustainability is a study in good intentions that quickly dissipate in the light of day. In theory, CEOs and boards seem to highly prize sustainability: in 2013, for example, the UNGC’s annual implementation survey (pdf) found that 94% of CEOs felt that their boards should be involved with sustainability, and a massive 85% of boards agreed. Unfortunately, as boards became involved with sustainability, their enthusiasm dwindles. For example, only 57% of boards approved reporting on corporate responsibility, and only 54% agreed to appoint a board member or subcommittee to oversee sustainability. Only 51% established clear-cut sustainability targets.”
A review of the pilot phase of the LEAD Program can be found here.
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