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Making a Business Case for Sustainability

NYU Stern School of Business
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Foundation for Social Change, United Nations Office for Partnerships and NYU Stern School of Business team up to host the third annual Global Conference for Social Change

Companies Committed to Doing Well by Doing Good to be Honored by Foundation for Social Change and United Nations Office for Partnerships

Plus: Special Honoree Livia Firth, Founder, Green Carpet Challenge

The Foundation for Social Change, the United Nations Office for Partnerships and the NYU Stern School of Business are teaming up to host the third annual Global Conference for Social Change: Making the Business Care for Sustainability. This year’s event will recognize the annual Leader of Change award – organizations committed to FSC’s mission of building a business case for environmental sustainability.

The recipients will be honored at the third annual Global Conference for Social Change: Making the Business Case for Sustainability, on Friday, November 9 at the NYU Stern School of Business. The Global Conference for Social Change honors visionary and inspirational leaders who, through their actions, exemplify how leadership, creativity and innovation can solve environmental and social problems and drive profitability. The Leader of Change award is given to corporations and individuals that have a proven business case for solving environmental and social problems.

The 2012 Leaders of Change to be honored and their representatives are:

• Chipotle, Steve Ells, CEO/Founder
• Eileen Fisher, Eileen Fisher, CEO/Founder
• Generation Investment Management, Peter Knight, Co-Founder 
  (Al Gore, Co-Founder, Generation Investment Management via video acceptance)
• Henry Schein, Stanley Bergman, Chairman/CEO
• L'Oréal, Frederic Roze, President, USA
• Madécasse, Tim McCollum, Co-Founder
• SC Johnson, Kelly Semrau, SVP Global Affairs
• TerraCycle, Tom Szaky, CEO/Founder

Special Honoree: Livia Firth, Founder, Green Carpet Challenge

“We are committed to developing future leaders who will create value for business, as well as society,” explains Jill Kickul, Director of NYU Stern's Program in Social Entrepreneurship. “Events such as this one give our students access to some of the most influential social change agents of our time.”

In addition, the Leaders of Change will host afternoon workshops for NYU students and conference attendees to learn how each organization makes a business case for environmental practices.

Highlights of this year’s Conference:

• Opening Remarks by Jill Kickul, Ph.D., Director of NYU Stern’s Program in Social Entrepreneurship
• Special panel hosted by Livia Firth of Green Carpet Challenge on the influence of customers on fashion and sustainability
• Attendees include senior executives from corporations, NGOs and government groups such as: DSM, UN Women, Africa Schools, Acumen, Anvil Knitwear, Fundacion Pies Descalzos, Dow Chemical, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Philips, Unilever, DoSomething.org, Intel, Abbott Labs, GE, Harvard Business School, UN Foundation, IDP Foundation, Gates Foundation, Castellar Partners, SAP, IDEO, Verizon, Ashoka, Domini Social Investment Fund, Scholastic, Banco Santander, Seventh Generation, The Prudential Foundation, mWomen, NatureWorks LLC and many others
• Presentation Moderators include journalists from major publications such as Bloomberg Businessweek, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times

“The Global Conference for Social Change is an important opportunity to bring our brightest minds together to help solve global issues that affect all citizens of Planet Earth,” said Tom Szaky, CEO and Founder of TerraCycle. “I am honored to be involved and look forward to the new ideas and relationships that the conference will create.”

“This year’s Leaders of Change honorees are an exemplary group of individuals and organizations who represent the strong leadership role needed to address social issues,” said Roland Rich, Officer-In-Charge of UNOP. “Corporate engagement is essential to the international community’s efforts to alleviate poverty, ensure clean water, and help underserved populations realize healthy living. We want to recognize the creativity, technology and resources that the private sector brings to our collective efforts in solving social problems.”

A committee consisting of representatives from the United Nations Office for Partnerships, NYU Stern School of Business, Foundation for Social Change, and past Leaders of Change nominated this year’s awardees.

Organizers

• United Nations Office for Partnerships 
• NYU Stern School of Business
• Foundation for Social Change

For further information, and to arrange interviews, please contact:
Louise M. Guido | CEO | Foundation for Social Change lguido@foundationchange.org Tel: 212.203.2122

To register: http://www.GlobalChange.EventBrite.com

About the Foundation for Social Change
The Foundation works with corporations and NGOs around the world to create programs that define how doing good is good for business. It is not charity. It is not philanthropy. It is not impact investing. It is just doing the right thing. We prove that there is a bottom-line financial impact to solving problems. One example of this is through our eLife – Economic Opportunity for Women & Girls education program teaching life and business skills.

About the United Nations Office for Partnerships
The United Nations Office for Partnerships serves as a gateway for collaboration between the private sector and foundations, and the United Nations family. It promotes new partnerships and alliances in furtherance of the Millennium Development Goals and provides support to new initiatives of the Secretary-General.

About NYU Stern School of Business
Located in the heart of Greenwich Village, New York University Stern School of Business is one of the world’s premier research and teaching institutions. NYU Stern offers a broad portfolio of graduate and undergraduate programs, all of them informed and enriched by the dynamism, energy and resources of one of the world’s business capitals. Follow NYU Stern on Twitter at @NYUStern and find additional information at www.stern.nyu.edu.

2011 Leaders of Change: Billabong, Carbon Disclosure Project, Domini Social Investment, DSM, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Marks & Spencer, Nature Works, Philips Lighting, Seventh Generation, Unilever; Special Honoree: Ricky Martin

2010 Leaders of Change: Anvil Knitwear, Calvert Investments, Ceres, Coca-Cola, Danone, Dow Chemical, Interface, Nike, Reebok, Santander Bank Brazil, Stonyfield Farm. Special Honorees: Sir Richard Branson, Shakira.

For more information, please contact:
Ximena Benavente Director of Programs
Phone: 212.203.2122