John Elkington
A world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development.
Nice piece in today’s Times on the Arctic convoy veterans’ Archangel visit this week, quoting Tim. And here’s a picture of him in his element with three young Russian, today I think. He must be twice their combined ages. No doubt remembers their grandmothers.
Quite an adventure. Last night, Tim and Tessa flew to Archangel for a reunion of veterans involved in the WWII Arctic convoys. Quite an adventure for someone now aged 95-going-on-96. Princess Royal joins Wednesday, if all goes well.
Boaty McBoatface was funny, momentarily, but thrilled to hear that Britain’s new Antarctic vessel will be called the RRS Sir David Attenborough. Last time I came across his spoor was several weeks ago, at a WWF Council of Ambassadors meeting in the Bishop of London’s home. The next seat to mine was marked out for Sir David, but he failed to materialise. Now he has, in rather magnificent reds, whites and green, with splashes of yellow – and with a helicopter pad on his nose.
The latest Volans newsletter, emailed out today, kicks off with Marilyn Monroe on the New York subway grate, before moving on to consider the winds of change in our area of business. As we move towards our seventh anniversary next April, we are considering a big pivot, to use Andrew Winston‘s term.
Gaia went to have breakfast at the RAF Club this morning with Tim (Elkington) and Tessa (Elkington), and then Tim, Tessa and my nephew Kipp (Elkington) went on to the Russian Ambassador’s residence in Kensington Palace Gardens where Tim was to be awarded the Ushakov Medal, alongside others who took part in the Arctic convoys to Russia in WWII.
Tim went to Russia on the aircraft carrier Argus. With the Putin-driven horrors in today’s Ukraine, there are real ethical issues here, but the ceremony celebrated the extraordinary endurance and courage of those who took part in the convoys in unspeakable conditions, against incredible odds.
After the presentation, tea and coffee were offered to the assembled company. When Tim muttered he wanted something stronger, Kipp found a table of shot glasses and a bottle of vodka – and the proceedings took on a distinctly Russian flavour.
