On April 27th 2016, the World Environment Centre (WEC) organised an Executive Round Table in London on ”Business Planning for the Future: Business Models, System Level Governance, and Innovative Collaboration Strategies”. This event was attended by Sustainability Managers from corporations including Marks and Spencer, BUPA, Unilever, Shell, Dow, Jaguar Land Rover, Nestlé, BT, Ricoh, Novozymes, Otto Group, Ingersoll Rand and H&M.
John Barrett of Nimbus Centre was the invited opening speaker in a session on the theme of “What Will the Business Models of the Future Look Like?”. He spoke on the potential for business transformation from the Internet of Things and the impacts that this and other “Fourth Industrial Revolution” technologies will have on sustainability. This was followed by a panel discussion involving Jaideep Prabhu (Professor of Marketing and Jawaharlal Nehru Professor of Indian Business at Judge Business School, University of Cambridge), Jonathan Garrett, (Sustainability & CSR Director, Jaguar Land Rover) and Mike Barry, (Director of Sustainable Business, Marks and Spencer).
At a time of rapid climate change and diminishing world resources, sustainability has become a very important theme across areas of global business activity. Smart technologies such as those developed by Nimbus, while not a panacea for these global problems, have much to contribute to a more frugal and sustainable economy through increasing efficiency, reducing energy consumption, limiting pollution, conserving water and improving societal health. It was agreed by the panel and attendees that smart technology will be both a major component of future business models and a major agent of change in these business models. It will be essential that security and privacy issues are addressed if these technologies are to be used to maximum potential.
Speakers in the following two sessions of the round table were Claus Stig Pedersen (Head of Corporate Sustainability Affairs, Novozymes) and Dominic Waughray (Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum). They spoke on the themes of “Building Market-Scale Collaboration Strategies” And “Design of Governance to Manage System-Level Risks”.
Nimbus is already much involved with sustainability through its research in Energy, Water and Smart Cities & Communities. Our mission is to advance, develop and use smart technology to help solve some of the fundamental challenges our world faces for the personal and economic benefit of people, enterprise, and society.
The World Environment Centre is an independent, global, non-profit, non-advocacy organization that advances sustainable development through the business practices of member companies and in partnership with governments, multi-lateral organizations, non-governmental organizations, universities and other stakeholders. WEC members represent a variety of business sectors and conduct operations in all regions of the world. Members are selected based on their practice of sustainable development in their own operations and their commitment to advance sustainability globally in partnership with stakeholders. http://www.wec.org/
Panel discussion following presentation. L-R: Mike Barry (Marks and Spencer), John Barrett and Jaideep Prabhu, (Jonathan Garrett of Jaguar Land Rover out of picture).
