PRESENTED BY:
The movement to use business as a force for good has never been more important than it is today. While we may be waiting a long time for government to lead on positive social and environmental change, Certified B Corporations and benefit corporations are demonstrating that the private sector can create higher quality jobs, stronger communities and a healthier environment today. With growing interest and support from public markets (including through the incorporation of DanoneWave as the largest public benefit corporation in the U.S. and their public commitment to become a Certified B Corp by 2020 as well as Laureate Education's IPO in early 2017), multi-billion dollar companies are following suit and choosing to operate their businesses with purpose and accountability. Join us to learn about the benefit corp legal form as well as the path to B Corp Certification and how you and your company can engage in this movement.
What You Will Learn:
Laura Palmeiro
Sustainability Integration Director, Danone
Laura started her career in 1993 as Finance Auditor in PWC Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1997, she joined Aguas Danone Argentina as Sales & Marketing Controller. She became Financial Controller in Villa Alpina (Groupe Danone) in 1999 and moved to France as Sales & Marketing Controller for the World Wide Waters Division in 2003. In 2006 she moved to the Corporate level where she acted as Investors' Relations Officer.
She later became VP Finance Nature in 2009, in charge of developing and deploying the environmental reporting for the company, including the CO2 accounting system. In March 2014, Laura was appointed Corporate Social Responsibility Director, and as of May 2016, she became Sustainability Integration Director, in charge of coordinating sustainability governance, animation and reporting at corporate level.
Raphael Bemporad
Co-Founder & Principal, BBMG (a Certified B Corp) and Sustainable Brands Advisory Board
Raphael is a passionate champion for a new approach to brand innovation that uses sustainability to create shared value. "Our philosophy is simple: innovative brands will lead the way from a 'what' marketplace based on commodities to a 'how' paradigm based on shared values and relationships."
An expert in brand strategy, innovation strategy, CSR/cause marketing and public affairs, Raphael has created national campaigns, drafted public policy, designed consumer and nonprofit brands, and managed communications for local, state and federal elected officials. Fluent in Italian and conversant in Spanish, his experience is international in scope and industry diverse. He has directed recent projects for clients such as adidas, Aveda, Brown Forman, Eileen Fisher, L'Oréal Paris, MillerCoors, Nestlé USA, NBCUniversal, Samsung and Target.
Prior to co-founding BBMG, Raphael served as communications director at Do Something, where he oversaw marketing, media relations and cause-related partnerships with Levi Strauss & Co., SEARS, Kenneth Cole and Rolling Stone. Raphael's extensive background in political communications began as a press aide to Texas Governor Ann W. Richards. He then served as communications director for the Texas Democratic Party and Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis (D-Houston), and later as press secretary for U.S. Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas).
He received his BA in Philosophy with honors from the University of Texas at Austin.
Kim Coupounas
Director, B Lab
Kim Coupounas is a values-driven leader and a passionate advocate for responsible business and the environment. She has dedicated much of her career to getting people outdoors and preserving and protecting our planet's natural and wild places. She co-founded and served as CEO of an international outdoor products brand, GoLite, that was sold in 23 countries and beloved by hundreds of thousands of customers around the world. GoLite was a Certified B Corporation and the first outdoor company to achieve an A+ level verified sustainability report from the Global Reporting Initiative. Kim is past Chairman of the Board of the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), the trade association representing the $646 billion+ outdoor recreation industry, an economic powerhouse in the United States that creates over 6 million jobs. The first Outdoor Recreation Economy Report, documenting the economic impact of outdoor recreation in America, was completed during her term as OIA board Chair. She co-founded and served as founding Chairman of the Outdoor Industry Political Action Committee, a non-partisan PAC focused on supporting candidates for federal and state office who support improved access and funding for outdoor recreation on our public lands and waterways.
Kim currently serves as a Director of B Lab, a nonprofit organization that certifies "B Corporations" and serves a global movement of people using the power of business as a force for good. There are over 2,000 Certified B Corporations globally, companies meeting the highest standards for social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. She co-founded and has served on the Advisory Council of the Outdoor Industry Association Sustainability Working Group (OIASWG), a collaboration of over 250 companies in the outdoor and apparel industries that created the Higg Index, a groundbreaking tool that enables textile manufacturers to quantify sustainability practices and product impact throughout the supply chain.
Kim earned an A.B. with honors in Philosophy from Princeton University, an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School and an M.P.A. from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. She conducted graduate work at Pembroke College, Oxford University as a Rotary Foundation Graduate Scholar. She spends her free time with her family, in nature, singing, doing yoga and martial arts, and climbing big mountains.
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Thank you for your interest in this special Sustainable Brands webinar. Recorded webinars are always available after the live webinar in SB Library.