BSR Conference 2010: ‘Innovate. Integrate. Inspire.’

The BSR Conference 2010—“Innovate. Integrate. Inspire.”—brought together more than 1,100 senior business executives, entrepreneurs, and leaders from the public sector and civil society to connect with their peers and define the business models essential for future success.

The BSR Conference 2010 was a central gathering point for BSR member companies and a diverse array of partners and innovators.

The 44 sessions at the Conference provided the unique insights and diverse perspectives business leaders need to shape a sustainable future. Breakout sessions ranged from one-hour conversations with industry experts, such as internet policy specialist Rebecca MacKinnon and Walmart’s global sustainability leader Matt Kistler, to interactive, two-hour workshops covering topics as wide-ranging as “Sustainable Investment in Emerging Markets,” “Responsible Sourcing and Conflict Minerals,” the “Art and Science of Reporting Water-Related Risk,” and “CSR and Policy: Improving Collaboration Between Business and Government.”

I³ plenary presentations, a new addition to the Conference, featured personal reflections on the Conference theme from visionary leaders. Highlighting universal aspirations and innovative leadership, presentations from the Museum of Modern Art’s Paola Antonelli, Women for Women International’s Zainab Salbi, and Naif A. Al-Mutawa, creator of the comic series “The 99,” demonstrated how each of us has the potential to create awareness and drive change on important issues like health care, access to information, and education.

Plenary and breakout sessions emphasized how innovative partnerships are essential to the creation of solutions with large impact. “Company leaders who understand our globalized, integrated, collaborative world will be best positioned to succeed,” said BSR President and CEO Aron Cramer. “They will be the ones who capture increased market share and access to markets through new products and services that deliver sustainable value. They will create new business models that take advantage of the collaborative spirit of our times. And they will be more likely to meet the needs of vast new markets in rising economies. The result will be more prosperous companies and a more sustainably prosperous world.”