Building Ethical Enterprises: How to Blend Profit with Purpose

In this month's seminar, co-hosted with the Aspen Institute UK, we will be joined by:

• Anjali Sarker, The Oxford Character Project;
• Ruth Girardet, Aspen Institute UK and the University of Edinburgh; and
• Athol Williams, Saïd Business School

In a conversation moderated by Professor Marya Besharov, the speakers will discuss the delicate balance between profit-making and delivering social good, a key challenge for organizations striving to create lasting impact. Key discussion topics will include strategies for embedding purpose at the core of businesses and how ethical considerations play a crucial role in driving long-term sustainability. Additionally, we will examine how leaders can ensure that values such as fairness, transparency, and responsibility are integrated into the very fabric of their organizations. Join us for an engaging conversation on how businesses can thrive while staying true to their social mission and fostering a culture of ethical leadership.

Speakers:

is the Programme Director of the Global Leadership Challenge (run by The Oxford Character project), where she leads a wide range of leadership and character development programmes for a diverse, global group of students and professionals. Her work in higher education focuses on leadership, innovation, and human development. She deeply believes that everyone has the potential to be a leader, and character can humanise leadership. Trained as an international development practitioner, she previously worked at BRAC, one of the largest NGOs in the world, to bring digital financial services to one million women in Bangladesh. She is a Senior Atlantic Fellow at the London School of Economics, a Dalai Lama Fellow, a New Voices Fellow at the Aspen Institute, and a former Global Shaper at the World Economic Forum. She is a Skoll Scholar alum and holds an MBA from Saïd Business School and an MSc in Inequalities from the LSE.

is an executive and leadership coach with over 20 years of professional experience in the field of corporate responsibility and corporate ethics. She has worked at senior management levels in the corporate and charity sectors and regularly advises Boards on matters of ethics and corporate culture. Ruth grew up in Berlin and has a BA (hons) degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford. She also holds MA degrees in Social Sciences from Humboldt University in Berlin, and in Applied Ethics from the University of Leeds. From 2007 to 2013, Ruth was the Group Corporate Responsibility Director at Tesco Plc, formulating company strategy across a wide range of governance and ethical issues. She then went on to become CEO of the criminal justice charity Just for Kids Law until 2018. For the past decade, she has also been working with Aspen Institutes in the UK and across Europe to deliver the Aspen Executive Leadership Seminar. Ruth was a Member of Council at the Open University from 2014-2021 and in 2021 joined the Court of the University of Edinburgh as a Non-Executive Board member.

is a South African academic and author based at the University of Oxford in the UK. He draws on two decades of professional experience holding executive roles in corporate strategy and management consulting (USA, UK, South Africa) to inform his teaching and research. He holds seven university degrees including five masters degrees from five top-ranked global universities and a PhD from the University of Oxford. Williams has a long history of public service promoting youth literacy and resisting corporate corruption. A core theme of his work is the possibility of ethical behaviour by individuals, corporations and broader societies. He has published eighteen books and over 100 poems and has received numerous awards for his public service, academic work and writing. In 2023 he received the Mayor's Medal for Extraordinary Bravery from the City of Cape Town, and in 2019 the Cultural Affairs Award for Contribution to the Literary Arts from the Western Cape Government. In 2024, Hertford College, University of Oxford elected Williams an Honorary Fellow, their highest recognition.

Moderator:

is Professor of Organisations and Impact and Academic Director of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship. Her research and teaching focus on leadership, social impact, and hybrid organisations. She engages with leaders and organisations worldwide to help them manage competing demands of social impact and financial performance. Marya received a BA in Social Studies, an MA in Sociology, and a PhD in Organisational Behaviour from Harvard University. She also holds an MBA from Stanford University.

Please note: the link to access the event online will be emailed to you approximately 24 hours before the event, and on the day of the event.

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