Speakers

John Elkington
Founding Partner & Director
Volans

Co-founder of SustainAbility in 1987 (Chair from 1995 -2005), and Founding Partner & Director of Volans, John Elkington is a world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development. In 2004, BusinessWeek described him as “a dean of the corporate responsibility movement for three decades.” In 2008, The Evening Standard named John among the '1000 Most Influential People' in London, describing him as "a true green business guru," and as "an evangelist for corporate social and environmental responsibility long before it was fashionable."

Volans, launched in April 2008 aims to find, explore, advise on and build innovative scalable solutions to the great global divides that overshadow the future. Volans’ first report, The Phoenix Economy: 50 Pioneers in the Business of Social Innovation, explores a new economic order rising from the ashes with a new generation of innovators, entrepreneurs and investors accelerating the changes essential for delivering scaleable sustainable solutions to the world. The study reveals how these groups are thinking as they develop and scale market solutions to a broad array of economic, social, environmental and governance challenges. The report launched in March 2009 at the Skoll World Forum with backing from the Skoll Foundation, SustainAbility, Singapore’s Economic Development Board, Net Impact and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Over time, John has authored or co-authored 17 books. His most recent explores the work of leading social and environmental entrepreneurs. Co-authored with Pamela Hartigan, Director of the The Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, The Power of Unreasonable People: How Social Entrepreneurs Create Markets That Change the World, was published by Harvard Business School Press on 5 February 2008.

John’s previous books include 1988’s million-selling Green Consumer Guide and Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business (1997). He has also written hundreds of articles for newspapers, magazines and journal and has written or co-written some 40 published reports.

John writes monthly columns for Epoca Negocios in Brazil, Nikkei Ecology in Japan, Chinadialogue in China and UK and Director Magazine, UK.

 In terms of other hats, John is a Visiting Professor at the Doughty Centre for Corporate Responsibility at the Cranfield School of Management. He chairs The Environment Foundation and the Aflatoun Impact and Policy Analysis Steering Group and is an Honorary Fellow of The Hub and also the Institute of Green Professionals. John is also a member of strategic advisory boards for, among others: 2degrees Venture Partners; the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes; EcoVadis; Gaia Energy; the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Greenopolis.com; Instituto Ethos; Physic Ventures; Polecat UK and a Cleantech Fund developed by Zouk Ventures. John is also a Senior Advisor to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, a member of the WWF Council of Ambassadors, a member of the Evian Group Brain Trust and Council of Global Thought Leaders, the Global Leaders Academy; the Sea Change Advisory Board. John has recently joined the newly formed Cleantech Group LLC’s Cleantech Innovation Council. John was a Faculty member of the World Economic Forum from 2002-2008.