“Only when companies disclose their impact - negative and positive - will we live in a transparent, holistic economy.” - Paul Allard, CEO & Co-Founder, Impak Finance.
Watch our panel from EVPA’s Annual Conference.
We started into 2020 with a heavy focus on reshaping our economy – away from shareholder capitalism towards stakeholder capitalism. As the COVID crisis struck, it became even more apparent, which company has “systemic relevance” and which ones lack a purpose in this time of need. How does social innovation help companies to (re-)discover that relevance and turn it into action? Will the COVID crisis accelerate our push towards stakeholder capitalism? Or will it trigger a return to business as usual? We will bring together business and impact leaders to discuss the role of companies and their shareholders in reshaping our economy. We will deep-dive on 1) Trends in capital allocation in financial markets 2) The role of executives in shaping long-term corporate agendas 3) Bottoms-up versus Top-down transformation 4) The role of social innovation and intrapreneurship in corporate transformation 5) Purpose-washing and accountability.
Speakers: - Jayanth Bhuvaraghan, Chief Mission Officer, Essilor - Shannon Klinger, Chief Legal Officer, Novartis - Joachim Drees, Former CEO in the Automotive Industry - Mercedes Gutierrez, Head of Communities Engagement, Ingka Group (IKEA) - Andreas Bluethner, Director Nutrition, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - Paul Allard, CEO & Co-Founder, Impak Finance - Saskia Bruysten, Co-Founder & CEO, Yunus Social Business - Daniel Nowack, Managing Director, Yunus Social Business
%20(1).jpg)
Imagine that when you cook a meal, your only means of doing so is by lighting an open fire inside your kitchen. Thick plumes of black smoke fill the room where you and your family cook and eat every evening. Since this is your only means of cooking, you pay significant amounts every year to buy the fuel for it.

What must be done now, during the COVID-19 crisis, to avoid returning to assured humanitarian and ecological disaster? In our special panel on Friday, Professor Muhammad Yunus made one thing clear: There is no going back.
Social entrepreneurs are incredibly busy people - but it’s important for them to take time out of the day-to-day to reflect and learn from each other. It’s not only fundamental to finance social entrepreneurs but to develop an eco-system where businesses focussed on impact are both supported and celebrated.