Businesses today face increasing pressure from investors, consumers, lawmakers and the communities in which they operate to prioritise sustainability ahead of the traditional commercial objective of maximising shareholder returns. This is a global reality – it is present regardless of geography and sector, and it goes to the heart of commerce, with impact upon cost of financial and human capital, competitiveness and ultimately licence to operate. What started out as a collection of non-financial topics has evolved into a transition of entire economies to address climate, nature, and social issues. As a result, we are witnessing the greatest re-allocation of capital in the history of capitalism.

Corporations need practical guidance to navigate this complex and rapidly changing environment. The Future of Boards project is a two-year collaboration between DLA Piper and the Cambridge University Institute of Sustainable Leadership. It focuses on the role of the board in achieving sustainable outcomes for business and its aim is to provide that guidance. The first year of the project has just concluded and its findings published. It addresses the following questions:

• What are the emerging trends or changes influencing board practice and the wider legislative environment around the world?
• How aligned are these trends, and their drivers, with a sustainable future?

During these exclusive roundtable discussions we will unpack the trends we see from the report and propose a series of questions which boards and senior leaders of businesses might ask of themselves as a tool to help prepare for the future.

RSVP

By invitation only. For more information, please contact Liza Odendaal.

There are no available dates.