As Frédéric Mazzella, founder of BlaBlaCar, states that “90% of people expect companies and brands to act,” the Alliance for Sustainable Business, coordinated by the B Lab Switzerland Foundation, launches a manifesto for the recognition of sustainable businesses in Switzerland. This is about driving voluntary corporate participation to develop Swiss standards for sustainability accounting, and to accelerate the transition to sustainable business practices. A new facet of the economy is emerging, for which the Geneva EMBA is preparing future leaders.
On December 11, 2023, the Council of States approved a Postulate presented by Josef Dittli1, on the challenge faced by Swiss SMEs due to the increasing importance of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) rules in international competition. This text proposes the integration of ESG criteria to create opportunities for innovation and differentiation, invites the design of an appropriate framework to allow organizations to adapt to this innovative environment while maintaining their financial performance. Several countries have already introduced such legal forms, like the “Benefit Corporation” in the United States, “Entreprise à mission” in France, and “Societa Benefit” in Italy.
An ethical journey that has become the paradigm of the 21st century
The current ecological, climate, and social crisis calls into question our ways of working, consuming, and more broadly, our way of living. Civil society, increasingly selective, demands that companies commit and contribute to a sustainable future. This pressure leads them to quickly formalize a “raison d’être” and to collaborate for the common good, lest they be considered polluting entities, driven by purely mercantile motivations.
But, all of this is not new. During the 1990s, companies gradually took part in the debate on collective responsibility, be it social or environmental, sometimes voluntarily, through patronage or sponsorship of causes, sometimes under regulatory constraint.
The Geneva EMBA trains a new generation of ethical leaders
Since then, the ESG vision has continued to be appreciated in our country, encouraged by the Confederation2 as well as business representatives. The transition towards mission-driven companies is gaining strength, appealing to decision-makers keen on creating value, not only for their shareholders but also for their stakeholders, employees, customers, suppliers, and local communities.
The Geneva EMBA trains the leaders of this new era, possessing the conceptual and introspective skills necessary to implement economic models born from digital transformation and environmental awakening. Many courses converge on this, such as “Creating Shared Value in the Fourth Industrial Revolution” taught by Sebastien Buckup and Tom Philbeck. Strong encounters between businesses and our students are also organized, and soon at the “Talent Synergizer 2024” event, around the theme of responsible leadership.
Our curriculum provides a framework for immersion in reality but also for investigation to develop synergies between economic objectives and ESG goals, thus encouraging holistic reflection on the role of businesses in society and through the 4th industrial revolution. If you want to give a new breath, a new dimension to your career, do not miss this turn!
1 https://www.parlament.ch/fr/ratsbetrieb/suche-curia-vista/geschaeft?AffairId=20234062
