Career Planning: 4 Must-Attend CSR Conferences
Published: Oct 27, 2010
As we head into the final months of 2010, several conferences promise to provide much food for thought and debate in the CSR and sustainability field in coming weeks. Through a wide variety of panels, keynotes and workshops, these events will go beyond accelerating debate on the business case for CSR. Also on offer will be leading perspectives on where the sustainability field is headed as a career field and as an increasingly dominant indicator of corporate success.
Whether your interest in CSR is career-related or personal, attending these events should be high on your radar. But if you cannot attend, stay tuned to Vault's CSR blog for daily coverage and live tweets @VaultCSR. Also look for detailed post-event analysis and editorials as we identify job and career trends to look out for 2011 and key thoughts from business leaders across a wide spectrum of businesses.
A look at what's coming up:
Vision for a Sustainable Decade: 18th Annual Net Impact Conference
When: October 28- 30, 2010
Where: Ross School of Business, University of Michigan
Who Should Go: Anyone interested in CSR, sustainability, the green economy as well as diversity and leadership. While Net Impact is a member-based organization formed and run by MBA students and alumni, attendance is open to all.
Highlights: The welcome keynote will feature Aron Cramer, president and CEO of Business for Social Responsibility (BSR); Rose Kirk, VP for public affairs, policy and communications for Verizon Communications; and Susan M. Cischke, the group VP for sustainability, environment and safety engineering with Ford Motor and address the theme of this year's conference: Corporate Responsibility 2020: The Future of Sustainable Business.
From there on, the three-day conference promises over 120 panels and 350 speakers to pick from as well as a full day career expo. I will also be moderating a panel on Diversity as a Strategic Advantage, featuring diversity officers from Fedex, KPMG and Teach for America. Check out the full details and register to attend here.
Some of the panels on my radar:
--Bridging the Generation Gap: CSR Programs that Engage and Educate Youth
--CSR Careers: Charting Your Own Course
--Transparency 2.0: The Impact of Social Media on CSR
--The Future of Management Education
--Work for Good: Making an Impact with Any Job Title
--Corporate Careers that Make a Difference
--Leadership and Careers in Sustainability: How to Succeed in Your Job Search and New Role
--Green Careers: Finding Your Place in the Growing Green Economy
For more details, see Vision for a Sustainable Decade: 18th Annual Net Impact Conference Heads to Michigan.
BSR Conference: Innovate, Integrate, Inspire
When: November 2-5, 2010
Where: Grand Hyatt New York, New York
Who Should Go: Those interested in business innovation, corporate citizenship, talent management, CSR or simply curious about learning what trends will dictate hiring, stability and growth in corporate America in coming years.
Highlights: Several interesting keynotes and panels promise an enriching week. Key speakers include Andrea Jung, Chairman and CEO of Avon and Hugh Grant, Chairman, President and CEO of Monsanto; environmental journalist Todd Woody as well as Global Editor for Fortune Brian Dumaine.
Some of the panels on my radar:
--The Gender Lens
--Objective or Opinionated: How the Media Are Shaping the Sustainability Debate
--Sustainability Ratings: Time for a Common Framework
For more details, visit BSR.
The Conference Board: Senior Marketing Executive Conference [Special Discount for Vault Readers* (see below)]
When: November 10-11, 2010
Where: InterContinental The Barclay New York, NY, New York
Who Should Go: Chief Marketing Officers, senior executives responsible for marketing and corporate communications, leadership, talent development, and ethics.
Highlights: Steve Forbes is scheduled to deliver the opening keynote on what to expect from the economy, politics and business in 2011. Other speakers include Alisa Bowen, Global Head of Business Operations with Thomson Reuters; Chip Coyle, VP for Americas Marketing with Oracle; Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos; and Anthony Freeman, SVP for Strategy with Sodexo.
Some of the panels on my radar:
-- Dramatic Growth through Innovation
-- Merging Talent and Technology
-- The Economy in 2011...What to Expect
For more details, visit The Conference Board.
The Conference Board: Senior HR Executive Conference [Special Discount for Vault Readers* (see below)]
When: November 30-December 1, 2010
Where: Waldorf Astoria New York, NY, New York
Who Should Go: Chief HR Officers, senior executives responsible for human resources, leadership, talent development, succession planning, employee engagement, strategic workforce planning, executive compensation, benefits and ethics.
Highlights: Besides Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor Seth Harris's keynote, the two-day conference promises panels featuring CSR, HR and marketing leaders from a wide spectrum of companies including Avon, IBM, Fedex, RBC, General Electric, Applied Materials, PwC, Prudential, Wal-mart and PepsiCo.
Some of the panels on my radar:
-- Speed, Complexity and Organizational Agility: Surviving and Thriving in the New Normal
-- Talent Management: Getting and Keeping your Best People
--Good Money After Bad? Making Talent Investments Deliver on their Promise
For more details, visit The Conference Board.
*Note: Take advantage of a special discount only for Vault readers. Use discount code "AS1" to shave off $500 from the registration for both the Conference Board events: the Senior Marketing Executive Conference and the Senior HR Executive Conference.