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Fall 2024 Sustainable Business Forum

October 24th, 2024
Leading Change: Leveling Up Your Organization to be Future Ready

Join us for our flagship event, the Sustainable Business Forum, where we curate and host cross sector conversations that generate visionary sustainable business solutions.

 

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More Details

Representatives from Member Companies should contact Dan Lampmann for Registration information, dlampmann@pitt.edu.

Questions regarding our refund policy should be directed to Dan Lampmann, dlampmann@pitt.edu.

Table of Contents

  1. Agenda
  2. Recommended Reading
  3. Getting Here

Agenda

08:30 a.m. - 09:00 am - CSB Updates & Meta-Analysis Primer 

CSB Leaders will provide an overview of the intersection between the disciplines of Strategy and Change Management in today’s context. Both disciplines are multifaceted, but, when used together, can support the firm’s ability to navigate disruptions in the unpredictable + unprecedented market and identify Blue Ocean opportunities to bring even more resilient value to the firm. Preview the CSB approach to strategic management and navigating societal, technological, environmental, and economic disruptions. 

John Camillus, Donald R. Beall Professor of Strategic Management & CSB Faculty Director  

Chris Gassman, Executive Director, Center for Sustainable Business

09:00 a.m. - 09:40 a.m. - Academic Keynote Speaker & Fireside Chat

Title: Embedding Purpose

As a leading authority on the implications of environment and poverty for business strategy, Stuart L. Hart brings his extensive academic and consulting experience in supporting businesses to develop strategies for sustainable value creation. In his most recent impactful work, Prof. Hart argues we are at an inflection point in our current understanding of capitalism that offers the opportunity to create a radically sustainable and just capitalism with purpose and sustainability embedded within its structure.

Stuart L. Hart, Professor in Residence, University of Michigan’s Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise 

Moderator: Ann Sokalski, Sustainability Director, World Group  

09:50 a.m. - 10:20 a.m. - Table Activity: Corporate Strategy & Change Management

Corporate Strategy & Change Management are invariably linked in the effort of positioning your business to be resilient in the context of the unprecedented and unpredictable changes in the 21st Century. During this interactive session, practitioners will discuss the relationship between Corporate Strategy and Change Management through the lens of Wicked Strategies. Groups will have the opportunity to work together to evaluate and reflect on how to manage change in a disruptive world. 

Chris Gassman, Executive Director, Center for Sustainable Business 

10:20 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. - Panel: The Voice of the Leader

Change is led in a multitude of different ways, big and small. In this Panel, Speakers and Attendees will engage in a discussion around how to lead change as a Practitioner, no matter the seniority level. 

Janel Everly, Senior Director, ESG, Sustainability & Value Creation, Gartner 

Samantha Hartzman, Head of Social Impact & Chief Diversity Officer, DLC 

Heidi Chappell, Senior Director – Community & Stakeholders, USS Corporation  

Moderator: Nicole Muise Kielkucki, Director, Fourth Economy 

11:00 a.m. - 11:40 a.m. - Breakout 1: Leadership Difficulties and Recommendations  

The audience will be split up and grouped into Cross-Sectoral Groups to discuss real-world issues experienced when attempting to lead change. These issues have been collected from CSB Partner Companies and are anonymous to allow groups to keep all discussions hypothetic to allow for candid conversation about the anonymous thematic issue. Groups will look towards identifying where there may be differences and similarities in the change leadership issues and seek learning from across sectors about how they might approach an issue differently.  

Breakout Audiences: Cross-Sectoral Discussion

12:40 p.m. - 01:20 p.m. - Industry Keynote Speaker & Fireside Chat

Title: Identifying Sustainable Blue Ocean Opportunities to Create Resilient Value 

With the lens of corporate sustainability as a business strategy, Pratik Raval will provide insight into how to navigate the rapid change in the market, how to lead change from different levels of management, and ultimately how sustainability as a strategy can lead to firm growth.   

Pratik Raval, Chief Sustainability Officer, Fifth Third Bank 

Moderator: Ravi Madhavan, Professor of Business Administration, Organizations & Entrepreneurship Area Director, Alcoa Foundation International Faculty Fellow at the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business 

01:20 p.m. - 02:10 p.m. - Breakout 2: Leadership Difficulties and Recommendations

The audience will be divided into groups within the same or similar SASB Industries. Participants will learn from peers who experience similar restrictions, regulatory pressures, and general industry norms. Discussion topics will follow the same format as Breakout 1, but Breakout 2 Groups are invited to drive the conversation where it may allow them to connect with their industry colleagues and learn how to - or how not to - effectively lead change.  

Breakout Group Audiences: SASB Industry  

02:10 p.m. - 02:50 p.m. - Panel: The Voice of the C-Suite

In this Session, attendees will hear from and interact with current and former C-Suite members to learn how to manage change and strategy implementation across large corporate entities. Ample time will be given to discussing specific strategies, leadership skills, and supportive practices to ensure that leaders at the top of the corporate ladder are prepared to take on the 21st century’s most difficult challenges and to inform rising stars and other organizational leaders of the resources available to support their C-Suite.  

John Krolicki, Chief Administrative Sustainability Officer & Co-Leader for the UPMC Center for Sustainability, UPMC 

Diane Kappas, former Vice President of Global Sustainability, PPG 

Moderator: Mackenzie Peters Skeen, Corporate Social Responsibility Program Manager, MSA – The Safety Company 

03:00 p.m. - 04:00 p.m. - Facilitated Workshop: Change Action Plan Development 

This session is a culmination of the day’s programming to allow each attendee the time and space to synthesize their thoughts and create a Change Action Plan to bring into the office on Monday morning. 

04:00 p.m. - 04:20 p.m. - Key Takeaways and Commitments 

To conclude the day, the CSB will host a final large group sharing of learnings, Change Action Plan ideas, and future questions to pursue. 

Moderator: Chris Gassman, Executive Director, Center for Sustainable Business 

Recommended Reading

Pre-Readings:- 

  • Change Management Requires a Change Mindset, by April Rinne. This article discusses how to integrate scenario mapping into your strategic planning process to boost your “flux capacity” (your tolerance for change) and contribute to the kinds of futures you’d like to see.

  • Change Management Strategies aren't Keeping Up with the Pace of Change, by Rick Western. The article presents "surround sound," a new communication strategy for navigating rapid change, emphasizing a mix of top-down, peer-to-peer, and bottom-up communication. This approach taps into the brain's "Thrive Channel" to encourage collaboration and sustained performance in a fast-evolving environment.

  • Strategy as a Wicked Problem, by Dr. John Camillus. Companies today face "wicked" strategy problems—complex, evolving issues without clear solutions. Traditional approaches fall short, so organizations must continuously engage stakeholders, collaborate across departments, and rely on a strong corporate identity to navigate these challenges.

Workbook

Download the Workbook here.

Getting Here 

All events will be held at University Club at 123 University Pl, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.

We encourage using more sustainable transportation forms like Pittsburgh Regional Transit busses, walking, or biking with your own bike or Pogoh bike sharing! Parking in Oakland can be challenging.

For parking, the closest option is Soldiers and Sailors Garage (4390 Bigelow Blvd.). If go there, take a ticket at the garage, and we'll provide a validation card at registration. Check ParkMobile to view other options.