Balancing profit and sustainability: Examples from the coal face

The Institute of Directors Sustainable Finance Week fringe event looks at the theory and the practice of conscious capitalism.

Attendees will learn about the rationale for developing a broader set of stakeholders than just shareholders and the opportunities and challenges that brings. Using the b corp movement as an example, local business leaders will share their experiences with the audience.

The IoD Guernsey Branch’s September breakfast webinar, taking place on Friday 22 September and sponsored by Butterfield, will examine the theory and practice of conscious capitalism.

The webinar, which is part of the fringe schedule of Guernsey Finance’s Sustainable Finance Week, will focus on sustainability beyond climate for businesses in Guernsey. The conscious capitalism movement seeks to demonstrate that businesses can be a force for good and create positive impacts on society while still being successful and profitable.

The event will welcome Ravi Rai, an SME impact adviser, to discuss the rationale of running a business with purpose. Ravi is an experienced operational leader who helps companies create aligned, positive, sustainable outcomes. He has previously worked for eBay, Amazon, Santander and many other global organisations.

The webinar will also host Estelle Levin-Nally, Founder and CEO at Levin Sources, Jessica Regnard, Corporate Governance Consultant at Aspida Group, and Justin Sykes, Managing Director at Innovest Advisory for a panel session discussion led Ravi Rai. They will share their experiences of the B Corp process, the benefits and challenges of the certification or their reasoning for not pursuing.

Sally Rochester, the IoD’s Sustainability Champion, said, “I’m proud to deliver our fourth Sustainable Finance Week event. This year we want members to consider sustainability beyond climate change and learn more about the various frameworks that exist to support businesses that want to integrate sustainability and purpose into their strategy.

“By talking to local business leaders about their experiences with b corp we want to bring to life the opportunity and challenges of the process. We hope attendees will think about their broader stakeholders rather than just shareholders. Including how they can bring a sustainable purpose to their business’s operations and the benefits that can bring.”

The event will take place from 8-9am via Zoom on Friday, 22nd September.