Conferences for Columbia MBA Students, Alumni, and Professionals
Social Enterprise topics are embedded in various student conferences at Columbia Business School. The first conference at the beginning of each academic year is the Annual Social Enterprise Conference, jointly organized by the Social Enterprise Club, International Development Club, Green Business Club, and the Social Enterprise Program. This event brings together industry leaders, professionals, academics, students, and alumni to share best practices and engender new ideas surrounding the intersection of business and society.
Other MBA students groups that have offered conferences with social enterprise content include: Columbia Women in Business, Latin American Business Association, the Energy Club, and South Asian Business Association. In addition, students attend conferences held by other areas of Columbia University including the Earth Institute and the School of International and Public Affairs, as well as external conferences organized by Net Impact, and Business for Social Responsibility to name a few.
Annual Social Enterprise Conference
Industry leaders, professionals, faculty, alumni, and students gather at the annual social enterprise conference to hear about innovative strategies that have been employed to create social value for society and the environment, and the challenges that lie ahead.
Engaging Customers and Clients in Social Change - October 4, 2013
Society will never change unless we collectively want it to. Social entrepreneurs may have great visions for transforming the world, but little can be accomplished without energizing and motivating those on the receiving end of change efforts: the clients and customers of social enterprises. While lessons can be learned from marketers and social media practitioners, there are unique challenges in adapting these ideas to solving social and environmental problems. Organizations ranging from multinational corporations to social venture startups need to grapple with questions such as:
By uniting industry experts, thought leaders and practitioners, the 2013 Social Enterprise Conference will delve deeper into the ways leaders and managers can use strategy as a tool to maximize social change.
Aligning Strategy to Maximize Impact – October 5, 2012
Ranging from startups to programs embedded in multinational organizations, social enterprise continues to thrive despite complex political and economic environments. Companies and organizations increasingly need to develop strategies internally and across their sectors to mobilize action and tackle major social and environmental issues. While traditional corporate strategy focuses on long-term profit maximization, more forward-thinking organizations are incorporating a broader spectrum of social gains into their organizational strategies. Keynote speakers include: Paul Farmer, Founding Director, Partners In Health; Fernando Fabre, President, Endeavor Global; Richard Hall, Director-Global Strategic Alliances, Intel Corporation; Jennifer Crozier, Vice President of Global Citizenship Initiatives, IBM; and Caroline Roan, Vice President of Corporate Responsibility & Reputation, Pfizer. More information about the 2012 Social Enterprise Conference at Columbia Business School is available online, and on the Social Enterprise conference blog.
Social Innovation in a Networked World – October 7, 2011
As we move into the second decade of the new millennium, we live in an increasingly networked world powered by technological innovations that
are redefining connectedness and transforming business. For social enterprise, these changes have the potential to produce groundbreaking business models, introduce innovative approaches for
scaling enterprises, reach new audiences and mobilize additional resources to improve society. Keynote speakers include Leymah Gbowee,Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, and Founder and Executive Director, The Women Peace and SecurityNetwork Africa (WIPSEN–Africa), with Harold Evans, Editor at Large, Thomson Reuters. More information about the 2011 Social Enterprise Conference at Columbia Business School is available online.
Redefining Return: Financing and Scaling Social Innovation – October 8, 2010
Where will the next phase of social innovation come from? How will social impact investors uncover new opportunities? And what new financing models will help innovative social ventures to grow, particularly given tough economic times? Keynote speakers include: Peter Blom, CEO & Chairman, Triodos Bank Group; Robert Annibale, Global Director of Citi Microfinance and Community Development; and Raj Shah, USAID. More information about the 2010 Social Enterprise Conference at Columbia Business School is available online, and on the Social Enterprise conference blog.
From Vision to Practice – October 9, 2009
The 2009 Social Enterprise conference addressed how organizations can increase their strength not just to ride through the global economic downturn, but more importantly to emerge stronger, by exploring the broad visioning process to specific practices. Keynote speakers include: Craig Barrett, former CEO and Chair of Intel; Thomas Gensemer, Managing Partner of Blue State Digital; and Jimmy Wales, cofounder of Wikipedia.
The Moment of NOW: Market Innovations in Social Enterprise – October 24, 2008
The 2008 Social Enterprise conference recognized that people working in every sector are capable of generating smart solutions to social and environmental problems by the application of business acumen. The conference explored how social enterprise principles and practices are being put into action. Jeffrey Immelt, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of General Electric Corporation, received the 2008 Botwinick Prize in Business Ethics and gave the keynote address.
Creating Value – October 26, 2007
The 2007 Social Enterprise conference provided a forum for speakers and attendees to redefine how they create value in business and in society. Topics covered included the new challenges of philanthropy, the impact of green buildings on community development, and how best to encourage entrepreneurship in the developing world. Patrick Cescau, Group Chief Executive of the combined Unilever PLC and Unilever N.V., gave the keynote address.
Raising the Bar – October 6, 2006
The 2006 Social Enterprise conference featured a diverse group of leaders from all sectors who are "raising the bar" and defining success in terms of social and environmental benefits as well as financial returns. The conference opened with a plenary session, "Creative Approaches to Global Health Problems," followed by breakout sessions in three topic areas: Social and Environmental Impact, Leadership and Ethics, and Social Capital Markets. Jim Sinegal, President and CEO of Costco Wholesale Corporation, gave the afternoon keynote address.
Business and Society: Building A Sustainable Future – October 7, 2005
The 2005 Social Enterprise conference featured a keynote address by Joan Bavaria, Founding President and CEO of Trillium Asset Management. Ms. Bavaria also received the School's Benjamin Botwinick Prize in Business Ethics. The all-day event highlighted initiatives within the corporate, nonprofit and public sectors to generate financial, social, and environmental wealth through innovative and sustainable business practices and partnerships. Please visit news for more information on speakers and panel topics.
Energy Symposium
The Energy Club at Columbia Business School, in partnership with the SIPA Energy Association, organizes an annual half-day symposium exploring trends and issues for the sector including renewable energy sources. The annual Energy Symposium is an opportunity to hear about salient and cutting-edge market, political, and regulatory issues from leading practitioners in the industry. Meet industry experts and policy makers.
The Evolution Of Energy Markets – Friday, March 23, 2007
This symposium examined four technology areas with the potential to redefine the world’s primary energy mix: nuclear, liquefied natural gas, renewable electricity, and biofuels. Gain insights into the latest trends in a sector with global geo-political impact, and into key issues in the fast-growing renewables sector as well as various new technologies. Speakers included: Brian Ward, Managing Director & Chief Risk Officer of GE Energy Financial Services; Prof. Geoffrey Heal at Columbia Business School; and Clint Wilder, Contributing Editor of Clean Edge.
Meeting Tomorrow's Energy Needs: Opportunities And Challenges In The Renewable Energy Sector – March 24, 2006
This symposium featured speakers including: Mark Townsend Cox EMBA’92, Chief Investment Officer of New Energy Fund LP; Peter Fusaro, Global Change Associates; Stewart Hancock, Northeast BioFuels; and Chelle Izzi ’04, Consumer Power.
Annual India Business Conference
India Unleashed – Friday, April 6, 2007
The third Annual India Business Conference brought together business people, financiers, investors, entrepreneurs, scholars, politicians, innovators, and leaders from across the globe, who discussed issues related to India's growth and challenges. The conference featured keynote speaker: Dr. Vikram Akula, Founder & CEO, SKS Microfinance. Organized by the South Asian Business Association.
Latin American Business Association (LABA) Conference – February 17, 2006
The LABA annual conference "Breaking Traditional Structures: Capital Markets and Microfinance in Latin America" featured speakers including: Hernando de Soto, Founder, Institute of Liberty and Democracy (ILD); Jamil Mahuad, Former President of Ecuador; and Bob Annibale, Global Director of Microfinance, Citigroup.
Net Impact Conference – November 11-14, 2004
Columbia Business School hosted the annual Net Impact Conference in 2004. Around 1,400 MBA students, alumni, and professionals from around the world attended.
The conference featured keynotes by CEOs including: Orin Smith of Starbucks, Julius Walls, Jr., of Greyston Bakery, Jeffrey Hollender of Seventh Generation, Gary Erickson of Clif Bar, and Thomas M. Chappell of Tom's of Maine. Events during this three day conference explored topics including globalization and emerging markets, social entrepreneurship, environmental sustainability and energy, corporate social responsibility, and nonprofit and community development. Please visit the archived conference website and news for information on speakers and panel topics.
