EDITOR’S LETTER
GOING GREEN FOR THE GREATER GOOD
EDITORIAL Head of editorial Colette Doyle c.doyle@amba-bga.com Content editor Tim Banerjee Dhoul t.dhoul@amba-bga.com
As companies face pressure to be more sustainable, business schools can help to champion change
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Art editor Sam Price Sub-editor Heather Ford
runel Business School makes a compelling argument for integrating sustainability into all aspects of the MBA curriculum in this month’s cover story. The increasing inclusion of sustainability in management education programmes is driven by several key factors, one of which is societal demand. A growing public awareness of environmental and social issues, along with a rise in conscious consumerism and ethical investing, has led to an increased pressure on businesses to adopt sustainable practices. Regulatory scrutiny such as stricter corporate social responsibility standards, plus the need for businesses to comply with sustainability reporting requirements, must also be factored in. Then there is long-term business viability: ie recognition of the link between sustainability and financial performance, as well as understanding the impact of climate change and resource scarcity on business operations and identifying new opportunities in the sustainability sector. This all adds up to an urgent requirement to adequately prepare future leaders. Business schools are proposing a number of solutions, including offering courses on the topic, along with corporate social responsibility and environmental management, as well as incorporating sustainability principles into traditional business programmes such as finance, marketing and strategy. Meanwhile, real-world projects, such as consulting for social enterprises, or analysing the environmental impact of businesses, help engage students in sustainability projects. Moreover, field trips, case studies and simulations can expose them to real-life challenges. Sustainability was also one of the key topics at the recently held AMBA & BGA Latin America conference, reviewed in this issue. Horacio Arredondo, dean of Egade Business School, identified sustainability as one of the primary goals in the context of social impact, while Walter Schalka, former CEO of paper and pulp giant Suzano, noted that sustainability is central to any discussion around implementing change for the future. By incorporating sustainability into their curricula, business schools are equipping future leaders with the knowledge and skills needed to address the complex challenges facing both our society and our planet.
Insight, content and PR manager Ellen Buchan e.buchan@amba-bga.com CORPORATE Commercial relations director Max Braithwaite m.braithwaite@amba-bga.com
Head of marketing and communications Leonora Clement
Senior marketing executive Edward Holmes
Head of IT and data management Jack Villanueva
Head of events Carolyn Armsby
HR and employer relations manager Aarti Bhasin Finance and commercial director Catherine Walker
Colette Doyle , Editor, Ambition
THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS
Chief executive officer Andrew Main Wilson
Executive assistant to the CEO Amy Youngs a.youngs@amba-bga.com ACCREDITATION ENQUIRIES accreditation@amba-bga.com
KAMAL BOUZINAB
JESSICA CHELEKIS
CHAHNDRA DAL PONT
PATRICK FURU
PAOLO TATICCHI
FRANCISCO JAVIER VÁZQUEZ JUNIOR
CHRISTINA WALLACE
Copyright 2024 by Association of MBAs and Business Graduates Association ISSN 2631-6382 All rights reserved. Material may not be reproduced without the permission of the publisher. While we take care to ensure that editorial is independent, accurate, objective and relevant for our readers, AMBA accepts no responsibility for reader dissatisfaction rising from the content of this publication. The opinions expressed and advice given are the views of individual commentators and do not necessarily represent the views of AMBA. Whenever an article in this publication is placed with the financial support of an advertiser, partner or sponsor, it will be marked as such. AMBA makes every opportunity to credit photographers but we cannot guarantee every published use of an image will have the contributor’s name. If you believe we have omitted a credit for your image, please email the editor.
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Ambition | DECEMBER 2024 | 7
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