Agenda and Speakers

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2015

• Bhaskar Chakravorti, Senior Associate Dean of International Business and Finance, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
• Val Smith, Director, Sustainability, Citi

In 2010, SKS microfinance became the first microfinance corporation to IPO. Hailed as a landmark in the integration of markets of meaning, the company soon became a lightning rod for criticism as well. Join SKS Founder, Author of A Fistful of Rice, and Tufts Alum, Vikram Akula for a rare off-the-record conversation about the power of profits, the role of the market, and his lessons learned on the on the road to founding his newest venture, Vaya Finserv.

Featured Speaker:

• Vikram Akula, Founder, SKS Microfinance, and Author, A Fistful of Rice

 Moderator:

• Kim Wilson, CEME Senior Fellow and Lecturer, The Fletcher School

 Respondent:

• Loretta Michaels, CEME Senior Fellow and Senior Policy Advisor to the US Treasury

This panel will examine fundamental challenges confronting investors of inclusive businesses. It will focus on two issues: how investors determine the viability of an inclusive investment, and how they measure inclusion.

Moderator:

• Alnoor Ebrahim, Associate Professor, Social Enterprise Initiative, Harvard Business School

Panelists:

• Sasha Dichter, Chief Innovation Officer, Acumen
• Masha Gordon, Former Executive Vice President, PIMCO, & CEME Senior Fellow
• Mike McCreless, Director of Strategy & Impact, Root Capital

Join trend setters across industries as they share personal insights into the slow pace of revolutionary change. In a series of short “Turning Point” talks, hear first-hand about catalyzing change on the frontlines of inclusive business.

 Presenters:

• Maureen Alphonse-Charles, Senior Vice President & COO, The Partnership, Inc.
• Dorothy Chan, Senior Manager, MTR Corporation
• Anne Erhard, SVP, Business & Social Purpose, Edelman
• Satish Jha, Founding Chairman, One Laptop per Child, India

Partnerships are critical to scaling-up social impact. Yet corporations and social innovators often struggle to establish sustainable partnerships. This session will focus on connecting diverse partners, aligning goals, and successfully scaling-up across markets.

Moderator:

• Justin Bakule, Executive Director, FSG Shared Value Initiative

 Featured Speakers:

• Lata Reddy, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, President, The Prudential Foundation, Prudential Financial, Inc.
• Dina Silver Pokedoff, Senior Manager, Branding Communication, Saint-Gobain Corporation

Discussant:

• Tim Cross, President, YouthBuild International

 Moderator:

• Marcia Greenberg, Independent Consultant

 Panelist:

• Wade Channell, Senior Economic Growth Advisor, Office of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, USAID
• Jessica Long, Managing Director, Accenture
• Rekha Mehra, Senior Associate, Cross-Functional Group, Creative Associates International

 Moderator:

• Erin Barringer, Senior Project Manager, Dalberg

Panelists:

• Jonathan Jackson, CEO, Dimagi
• Saul Kornik, CEO, African Health Placements
• Nancy Swanson, Executive Director, Linked Foundation
• Jami Taylor, Senior Director, Global Access Policy, Janssen

Beyond boardrooms and business plans, the messy reality of implementing sustainable and inclusive business activities is often fraught with difficult decisions, trade-offs, and compromise. This panel will explore practical guidance for practitioners of sustainable and inclusive business activities, comparing the experiences of three very different industries: finance and banking, consumer goods, and information systems.

Moderator:

• Rebecca Pearl-Martinez, Head, Renewable Equity Project, The Fletcher School, & CIERP Research Fellow

Panelists:

• Val Smith, Director, Corporate Sustainability, Citi
• Scott Williams, Associate VP of Quality Assurance and Environmental Stewardship, BJ’s Wholesale Club
• Katie Schindall, Consultant Program Manager, Sustainability, EMC Corporation

Join us for the inaugural Center for International Environment and Resource Policy (CIERP) Global Leadership Lecture Series Address, featuring:

 Keynote Speaker:

• Paul Polman, CEO, Unilever

Joined By:

• Patrick Verkooijen, Special Representative for Climate Change, World Bank, & CIERP Senior Fellow

 Sponsored by the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy