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John Elkington

John Elkington

A world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development.

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Sunrise Atop The Gherkin

John Elkington · 22 November 2023 · Leave a Comment

Up very early to take train and Drain (Waterloo & City line) to Bank station, ahead of an event at the very top of The Gherkin. Watched the sun come up in the east from the top of the Gherkin. The event was hosted by Tech Nation and a range of other organisations. Our CEO, Louise Kjellerup Roper, co-chairs their Climate Committee.

We kicked off with my fireside chat with Elisa Moscolin, EVP for sustainability at Sage Group. Our theme – and that of the event – was the rise of CSO (Chief Sustainability Officer) and the challenge of Sustainability Leadership.

Early on, I recalled being taken around the building by the then site engineer, Sara Fox, a formidable Texan managing 200 male construction workers, while some of the glass was still going in. And, some time later, I had also chaired a long-ago Nestlé dinner atop the Gherkin when their Shared Value Advisory Council, of which I was a long-standing member, came to town.

One highlight today, I think for most of us, was the concluding address from Sir David King. Bracing, to put it mildly.

As I exit Bank station
The Gherkin looms – if that’s the word
The very top of my favourite London skyscraper
My fireside chat with Elisa Moscolin, EVP of Sustainability at Sage Group
In full flow
Richard (Roberts) reports back
Sir David King concludes with an alarming climate forecast
A brilliant summary of the climate challenge
As Richard and I head back to Somerset House

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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.

Contact

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

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