Societal Impact Conference: Leaders Accelerating Change

Join us for a conference welcome message from Nicholas Igneri, AACSB’s SVP and Global Chief Product Officer. Nicholas will kick off the conference by sharing AACSB’s strategy in societal impact and the work focused on societal impact leadership.

To ensure a positive and sustainable future we need to go deep and change the systems, rather than provide temporary band-aids. Systemic change will require each of us to transform, along with our institutions, communities, and structures that govern society. This session will explore the societal challenges facing organizations, and the need for systemic change across all sectors. Panelists will engage in conversation on how organizations must implement systemic change in order to solve pressing global issues and ensure a healthy and sustainable future.

From magazine covers to journal articles to regulator investigations, ESG is at the center of many corporate debates, yet many are still confused about its definition. With calls for the sunsetting of the term and others espousing ESG as the future of sustainability, we revisit questions not of terminology but of intentions behind this trend. Join this panel discussion to hear how companies define ESG, how ESG correlates to or is distinguished from an organization's societal impact strategy, the potential impacts beyond financial materiality, and what kind of talent is needed to support the future direction of ESG.

Learn how business schools can become the catalysts for change and develop leaders and partnerships to collectively make positive impact. B-schools must be committed to solving problems affecting not just business, but humanity as a whole. Join this session to hear what changes are needed across all value chains at business schools in order to change the value proposition of business education.

The growing magnitude and complexity of socioeconomic problems that face societies globally has generated the urgency for cross-sector collaboration to emerge. In this session, hear from a range of organizations to learn what kinds of challenges they are facing—including funding, governance, and collaboration—as they pursue social and ecological change.

Today’s generation of college students are concerned about the environment, sustainability, social justice. They want to attend schools and work for organizations aligned to their values. Join this session to hear from students, and what drives their school and employer selection.