Symposium - Advancing Sustainable Business in Uncertain Times: Strategies for Effective Decision Making

Date: 14 June 2023

Time: 0900 - 1400

Cost: free (refreshments and lunch included)

Place: Management School - Seminar Room 2 (First Floor)

Reaching sustainability goals while dealing with risk uncertainty

The climate emergency poses unprecedented levels of uncertainty for business, policymakers and society. 

While environmental, social and legislative changes put pressure on organisations to take an urgent ‘business-not-as-usual’ approach, businesses are faced with little practical guidance on how to effectively manage the risks involved in their transition to eco-centric and socially-just models. 

This challenge requires organisations to rethink their operational models with difficult questions, such as 'How do we account for social and environmental risks? To what extent does our organisation consider the impact on people’s lives that result from our decisions?

To answer some of these questions, the symposium, co-hosted by the University's Centre for Sustainable Business (CSB) and the Institute for Risk and Uncertainty, explores the intersection of risk, uncertainty, decision-making and sustainability in business.

This one-day interactive workshop brings together experts in sustainability and risk uncertainty, to provide an opportunity for business leaders to consider how to integrate sustainability risks into their decision-making.

Attending the symposium will give you access to invaluable insights and practical advice from researchers and business leaders, on how to consider the impact of business decisions on people’s lives and on the planet.

You will also have the opportunity to participate in interactive discussions and share your experience on the key challenges of integrating sustainability risks into decision-making.

The event is particularly useful for non-executive directors, business leaders, risk experts and sustainability leaders, from any industry or sector.

Agenda

Keynote speakers

Professor Scott Ferson, Director of the Institute for Risk and Uncertainty, University of Liverpool

For many years Scott was a senior scientist at the Applied Biomathematics in New York and taught risk analysis at Stony Brook University.  He has around two hundred publications, mostly in risk analysis and uncertainty propagation, and is a fellow of the Society for Risk Analysis. His recent research, funded mostly by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), National Institutes of Health (NIH) and NASA, focuses on reliable statistical tools when empirical information is very sparse, and distribution-free methods for risk analysis.

Professor Jo Meehan, CSB Director and Professor of Responsible Procurement, University of Liverpool Management School

Prior to joining academia, Jo had extensive commercial experience in the private sector working in procurement management for a global blue-chip company. Jo’s research centres on modern slavery in supply chains, social value in public procurement, and corporate power. Her work explores the commercial practices that allow social inequalities and environmental harm to persist, and crucially, what might be done to enable systemic change.

Jeremy Nicholls, SDG Assurance Framework Lead, United Nations Development Programme

With a background in chartered accounting, Jeremy is now Assurance Lead for the UN’s SDG Impact Standards. He is an ambassador for the Capitals Coalition, a global collaboration to integrate sustainability into business decision-making, a member of Accounting for Sustainability’s Expert Panel, and chairs the project team for ISO 37005, selecting, creating, and using indicators for governing bodies. He is also a Non-Executive Director for FRC Group, and founder and then CEO of Social Value International. Jeremy is also an Advisory Board member for Centre for Sustainable Business.

Professor Elizabeth Maitland, Professor of International Business, University of Liverpool and AI-Sight

Elizabeth is the Chair of International Business, at the University of Liverpool and Chief Strategy Officer of AI-Sight, a commercial Artificial Intelligence () spin-off of the University. Elizabeth is recognised as one of the world’s leading researchers in international business strategy and has also published extensively in management decision making, healthcare management and policy. Elizabeth has provided consulting advice to multinational companies and entrepreneurial start-ups, and specialist policy advice to Australian and Chinese government departments. Elizabeth is also the Treasurer and a Trustee of St George’s Hall Charitable Trust, which is responsible for the historical preservation and stewardship of the iconic Grade 1 listed building in the centre of Liverpool.

Professor Charlie Cai, Professor of Finance, University of Liverpool

Charlie is a Professor of Finance at the University of Liverpool’s Management School. He began his research journey by investigating the market microstructure of the London Stock Exchange. His research examines the impact of technology on financial markets in emerging markets, corporate governance and banking. Charlie's recent work focuses on risk and sustainability in finance.

Damian Meyers, Managing Director, Clan Contracting Limited

Damian has worked for Clan Contracting for 30 years and led a management buyout four years ago.  He holds a degree in Project Management and Construction Management and is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Building.  Damian is passionate about social value and sustainability in construction and how this impacts on the communities around us.

Timetable

Details on the event's schedule will be confirmed soon.

Important information

Accessibility

The Management School is located in the heart of the University precinct, in Liverpool city centre, with plenty of options to travel to the event via public transport.

The building is fully DDA compliant, and exceeds current legislative requirements to ensure it is accessible and useable by all.

Join online

The event is available for those who cannot attend in person via a Zoom link, which will be sent via email once you secure an Eventbrite ticket.

On site, we will try to make the event as eco-friendly as possible, by avoiding the use of paper, and substituting print-outs with digital screens and QR codes for guests to access relevant information.

Catering

During the event, we will provide lunch, tea, coffee and water.

We will ask if there are any dietary requirements we should be aware of on the booking form.

We have also thought about other elements to make catering as sustainable as possible:

• Locally sourced foods
• No paper or plastic cups/cutlery
• Water dispensers
• Vegan and vegetarian options only
• Whole fruits that will not be wasted after the event
• Guests can take any leftover food home
• Feel free to bring your own food container, water bottle or cup!

Accessibility

The building is fully DDA compliant, and exceeds current legislative requirements to ensure it is accessible and useable by all.

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