CEO Works Luncheon| A Roadmap for Ethical Leadership & Market Advantage

Ticket includes lunch provided by Hotel Paradox which entails and assortment of sandwiches and wraps, chips, whole fruit, and cookies.

Customers, employees, and regulators are all asking businesses to become more sustainable but many leaders are in the dark about how to actually do better for the planet and people while also growing their margins. It’s a tricky balance but can be done with the right focus, partnerships, and transparency — plus a healthy dose of risk-taking.

In this engaging workshop, author and corporate advisor Maisie Ganzler will teach you how to craft a strategy for your company, no matter the industry, that turns creating environmental and/or social benefit into market advantage.

Many think that a company could be more sustainable if it would just pay more for its supplies, labor, and other inputs. In reality, the complexities of national and global supply chains, competing priorities, and the challenge of messaging make authentically greening a company far harder than simply writing a bigger check.

Drawing on her own successes and failures leading an almost $2 billion corporation towards a more sustainable future and insightful interviews with a dozen trailblazing businesspeople, Maisie will share five lessons for building a brand based on sustainability:

#1: How to Pick Your Battles

Navigate the myriad of issues you could take on and strategically choose the ones that speak to your values and will set your company apart from the competition.

#2: How to Make It Your Mission (Literally)

Explore the profound impact of aligning your company’s overarching goals with sustainability to drive the success you’re after.

#3: How to Make Change Meaningful

Find your leverage points and set measurable targets.

#4: How to Fix It When You Get It Wrong

Navigate challenges transparently building trust with your employees and customers and avoiding charges of greenwashing.

#5: How to Tell Your Story

Craft compelling messages about complex topics, making sustainability a central part of your brand narrative.

This workshop includes:

• Practical advice: This is no academic exercise. You’ll leave ready for action.
• Time for discussion: We’ll draw on the challenges and wisdom of those in the room as well as the featured expert.
• Real world examples: Expect storytelling and humor, not a dry lecture.

About the Speaker

Author, speaker, and corporate advisor Maisie Ganzler is the go-to expert on how companies can make positive change in supply chains and other entrenched systems. Driving strategy for Bon Appetit Management Company, a $1.7 billion company with 1,000-plus cafés at corporations, universities, and cultural institutions in 33 states serving more than 250 million meals per year, Maisie tackled local purchasing, antibiotics in meat production, sustainable seafood, humane care of farm animals, climate change, farmworkers’ rights, and food waste, positioning the company as the foodservice industry’s undisputed leader in sustainable purchasing and holistic wellness. She’s been interviewed by leading media outlets including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, Fast Company, and Bloomberg, spoken at conferences around the world, written thought leadership pieces for Forbes, Huffington Post, and the San Francisco Chronicle and is frequently called upon for strategic counsel by start-ups and big business alike. She is also the author of You Can’t Market Manure at Lunchtime: and Other Lessons from the Food Industry for Creating a More Sustainable Company (Harvard Business Review Press, April 2024), a practical how-to guide for building an authentic brand based upon sustainability, no matter the industry. https://www.maisieganzler.com/

Host or Publisher Santa Cruz Works