New corporate paradigms as key to global development

I'm looking forward to attending the second annual Georgetown Global Forum "Profit, Policy and Philanthropy - The Keys to Global Development" that will take place on Friday, April 17 in New York City. It is sponsored by Georgetown University in partnership with Eli Lilly and Company, a pharmaceutical company committed to addressing global health challenges such as diabetes and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

Taking place just weeks after G20 leaders committed significant resources to the developing world, this event is expected to serve as a sounding board and laboratory to examine new methods of development for a sustainable future. Forum participants, currently engaged in wide-ranging development programs, are expected to share best practices and insights, discuss and debate productive approaches, and collaborate on meaningful programs designed to alleviate suffering and assist developing societies, especially in the current economic downturn. The full program of the event is here.

I expect very interesting discussions. The event will include two keynote speeches (President Bill Clinton, founder, William J. Clinton Foundation and 42nd President of the United States and Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize Winner and microfinance pioneer) and five panels:

1. Wall Street Meets Unpaved Streets: The Global Impact of the Financial Crisis
2. Doing Well, Doing Good: New Corporate Paradigms
3. Essential Building Blocks: The Case for Quality Education for All
4. The Faith Factor: The Role of Faith-based Organizations in Global Development
5. In With the New: New Ways for Non-Profits

Given the topic of this blog, I will cover the 2nd panel in more detail. To get you thinking and ready for the upcoming discussions, here is the panel description.

A paradigm shift is underway in the corporate sector toward greater social responsibility and the idea that doing well financially means doing good morally. In recent years, many companies have invested in innovative initiatives that demonstrate how responsible global leadership and good corporate citizenry can pay dividends on and beyond the balance sheet. With an awakening of our global connectedness, many companies are finding it prudent to invest in good works for the benefit of their employees, customers, investors and the bottom line. By making fundamental – even profound – contributions to global health, nutrition, housing, the environment, education and economic development, companies that make corporate citizenship a company value will help to achieve real strategic and societal goals.

The following people will deliver this panel (full list speakers and bios):

Dr. Howard Federoff, Executive Vice President for Health Sciences,Georgetown University; Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine
Dr. Mark Dybul, Former United States Global AIDS Coordinator; Georgetown University Distinguished Scholar; Co-director, O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law
Ray Chambers, Philanthropist; UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Malaria; Founding Chair, Points of Light Institute
Chuck Dages, Executive Vice President, Emerging Technology, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group
Richard Edelman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Daniel J. Edelman, Inc.
Desiree G. Filippone, Director, International Government Affairs, Eli Lilly and Company
Karen P. Tandy, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs and Communications, Motorola, Inc.