The inaugural Sustainable Business Conference takes place on Tuesday 15 October in Guernsey and on Wednesday 16 October in Jersey and will include a series of keynote speakers, panel interviews and solutions-driven interactive round table discussions with renowned industry experts and thought leaders to inspire positive change for a more sustainable future. Both events will conclude with a speaker panel, audience Q&As and networking drinks.

The vision of the conference is to bring together leaders from a diverse range of organisations across the Channel Islands to drive innovation and to discuss best practices in sustainable business. The event will focus on practical tools that will help delegates to take the necessary steps to support the current and future wellbeing of people and planet.

The conference’s headline sponsor is law firm-led professional services business, Mourant. Supporting sponsors include Handpicked Hotels, Investec, The International Stock Exchange (TISE) and TPA. The events are supported by The Institute of Directors branches in both Guernsey and Jersey as well as by The Jersey Association of Sustainability Practioners (JASP) and the Guernsey Chamber of Commerce.

Speakers are the following

Dr Victoria Hurth, an Independent Pracademic and Fellow from the University of Cambridge Institute of Sustainable Leadership. Dr Victoria Hurth works at the intersect of academia and hands-on decision-making to help drive long-term wellbeing for all. She enables decision-makers to cut through the chaos via operational clarity on purpose, governance, marketing, leadership, culture, sustainability and ESG. In her keynote speech, she will discuss the shared objective of long-term wellbeing for all and will explain how to supercharge the capacity for transformative change. She will also guide interactive round table discussions and demonstrate how to use the CISL Business Transformation Tool to inform and inspire the transformation journey of a modern-day business.

Joining Victoria as a speaker at the conference is Steve Kenzie, the Executive Director of the UN Global Compact Network UK. The Global Compact is the UN’s corporate sustainability initiative. It calls upon participants to align their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. The UK Network coordinates UN Global Compact activity for 900 UK-based member organisations. The Network facilitates learning, knowledge exchange and networking, while promoting the UN Global Compact and advocating for business engagement in sustainable development. Steve Kenzie’s keynote speech at the conference will examine the need for businesses to support the transition to a sustainable future, including a deep dive into practices and governance that need to change.

The final speaker is Dr Marc Kahn, Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer at Investec Plc where he chairs the group’s ESG Executive Committee and heads the group strategy function. He is also a senior associate at the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership, Cambridge University. Prior to joining Investec in 2008 he led a management consulting firm specialising in large scale change initiatives and executive development. He is a chartered business coach, psychologist, author and teacher. Dr Mark Kahn’s keynote speech will highlight transforming organisational models that embrace sustainability and will reinforce the practical guidance from the Business Transformation Framework and link a sustainable strategy to exceptional performance.

Estelle Levin-Nally will chair the speaker panel at the Guernsey conference. Estelle has been working in sustainability research, advisory and assurance for twenty years, beginning her career in shipbroking, gorilla conservation and international trade & development. She is CEO & Founder of B CorpTM advisory firm, Levin Sources, which, since 2010, has helped 160+ clients mine, trade, source, invest in & regulate minerals more responsibly & sustainably through more than 260 projects on approximately 150 minerals in over 80 countries.

The speaker panel in Jersey will be chaired by Michelle Ryan, Chair of the Jersey Association of Sustainability Practitioners (JASP) and Director of True Limited. Michelle is a passionate leader in sustainability and not-JUST-for-profit businesses and has coupled a Maths degree with 20 years’ experience in Private Banking in both Jersey and London, becoming a Chartered Fellow of the Securities Institute. She has grown her experience, skills and qualifications in sustainability, studying with IEMA, the University of Cambridge and the CFA, and now advises international clients on their sustainability strategies and reporting from a base in Jersey

Both conferences will be hosted by Sally Rochester. Sally is a Director of Mourant Consulting with over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. She has developed her regulatory expertise over the last decade through delivering engagements both for clients and local regulators and more recently held the role of Executive Director of Supervision for a local regulator. She has also built on her knowledge of sustainability through studying for a Masters of Studies in Sustainability Leadership with the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, supporting the delivery of the IOD Guernsey Branch sustainability work and spearheading the development of the Mourant Sustainability Strategy.

Jonathan Rigby, Global Managing Partner of headline sponsor Mourant, commented:

“As business leaders, we are responsible for the impact of business operations on our people and planet, and have a crucial role to play in promoting sustainability. By fostering collaboration, and sharing cutting-edge solutions, we can drive meaningful change and ensure a sustainable legacy for future generations.”

The events take place on 15 October from 13:45-19:00 at St Pierre Park Hotel in and on 16 October from 14:00-19:00 at the L’Horizon Hotel in Jersey. Tickets are priced at £75 per person or £750 for a table of 10. Both conferences will be run in line with sustainable principles as outlined in the organiser’s sustainable event policy. For further information and to book tickets please visit: www.sustainablebusinessconference.com