Center for Responsible Business at Berkeley Haas

Longtime CEO OF Novo Nordisk (and individual commonly referred to as the Father of Corporate Social Responsibility in ????Denmark), Mads ?vlisen, discusses leadership in the Nordic context with our BerkeleyHaas MBAs. “To be a good leader, you must have humility,” emphasized Mads. Our “Sustainable Capitalism in the Nordics?” course is a collaboration between University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business and Copenhagen Business School ….. and we are off and running!!!

Our 'Sustainable Capitalism in the Nordics?' course is about to kick off in Copenhagen, ???? Denmark. For nearly two decades, I've led these immersive study tours bringing ???? U.S. MBAs to the Nordics to learn from these global sustainability frontrunners. Together, we explore how we can build a version of capitalism that is sustainable in all dimensions to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Given our urgent global challenges?and the routine exceeding of planetary boundaries, coupled with the intense need for global cooperation, the explorations in our course are more important than ever. We have an incredible lineup of organizational visits and speakers this week in Copenhagen, ???? Denmark, and Lund, ???? Sweden. Our visits include: Carlsberg Group, Ramboll, Ramb?ll Fonden / Ramboll Foundation, ?rsted, IKEA Social Entrepreneurship, Tetra Pak, Danish Trade Union Confederation (FH), The Green Dairy, Camurus, MAX Burgers, Axis Communications, Dapibuset, Kalundborg Symbiosis, Copenhagen Capacity, Lund University, and the Copenhagen Business School. Our speakers include Mads ?vlisen, Maria Bjerre, Ingvild Reine Assmann, S?ren Staugaard Nielsen, Lone Tvis, Lynsey Clarke, Shruti Deshpande, Ylva Frithiofson, Anne Mette Erlandsson Christiansen, Neel Str?b?k, Simon Boas Hoffmeyer, Ulrika Qvist Mathiesen, Donata Navickiene, Emma Johnson, Joakim Gullstrand, Iris Rehnstr?m, Fredrik Joabsson, Bjorn Hallerborn, Lisen Wirén, Tina Molund, Rita Lousa, Lidia García Pou, Catarina Englund, Kaj T?r?k, Marika Reis, Ida Krabek, Anders Johannes Enghild, Nadejda Ulstrup-Hansen, Lisbeth Randers, Per M?ller, Asbj?rn Overgaard, Dan Rosenberg, and Scott Lewis. This course is a collaboration between the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business and the Copenhagen Business School.... and for me, it always starts with a great Danish p?lse, which I enjoyed Sunday afternoon in the lovely spring sunshine. Sk?l !!! Learn more about what we’re studying at https://lnkd.in/gHs4heHS

[Upcoming April Event] April 16, 2025 | 12:30 - 1:30 pm PST | Haas Spieker Forum The next Berkeley Haas Dean’s Speaker Series guest will feature Cheryl Ginyard-Jones, Managing Director for Ramboll. As a Denmark-based global engineering consultancy owned by the Ramboll Foundation, Ramboll exemplifies how enterprise foundation ownership can steward corporate values and culture. Cheryl will share insights on Ramboll's global sustainability solutions to mitigate climate change, environmental justice, and foundation-owned business structures. This event is part of CRB's Peterson Speaker Series. Registration typically opens 7 days before an event, and the link will be posted under the Speaker’s name.

Last night CRB and BEACN co-hosted a delightful, informative, and candid grad student panel discussion with Jo?o Ricardo K., Francesca Bitton, Margo Wilwerding, and Katiza Mitrovic. We know how daunting it can feel to think about 'what's next' for your academic and professional pursuits which is why we partner with groups like BEACN and others to help make that process clearer. A huge thank you to our panelists, BEACN, and Rohin Juneja, Atiya S., and Missy M. for spearheading this. If you missed this panel, we got you! We provide several professional development opportunities, including a coffee chat with Smruti Govan from PepsiCo. this Tuesday March 11 from 12:30 - 1:30. She'll be discussing her career path into human rights and business as part of our fourth and final installment in our Human Rights & Business series this academic year. We hope to see you there!

Thrilled to introduce Chancellor Rich Lyons for his remarks here at 2025 ClimateCAP hosted at University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business. ClimateCAP's mission is to prepare tomorrow's business leaders—today's MBA students—to understand and respond to the climate challenge. I personally cannot think of a better place for these vitally important discussions than the University of California, Berkeley.

CRB would like to thank Lindsey Andersen from Business for Social Responsibility for visiting us at Haas this past Thursday to showcase the intersection between technology and human rights; specifically illuminating the risks AI poses to human rights and what companies have been doing to drive action on responsible AI. Seeing how technology impacts almost every aspect of our lives, technology can inherently impact any human right depending on the context and use case (think right to health, privacy, non-discrimination, expression, or a safe workplace, etc.). Our special guest highlighted how responsible AI can be practiced not only with the end user and their experience in mind, but also throughout the design, development, manufacturing, licensing, and promotion processes. We would also like to extend a special thank you to Jenny Vaughan and Sanchita Saxena and members of our Student Advisory Board for their support in bringing more of this Human Rights & Business Series to life. We’ve still got gatherings lined up this spring semester for our Human Rights & Business Series including our next upcoming event on March 11. See details below to reserve your spot! Part 4 - Social Sustainability in Practice: Coffee Chat with Smruti Govan Date: March 11, 2025 Time: 12:30 - 2:30 PM Location: Chou Hall rooms N340+344 Refreshments provided This afternoon discussion will spotlight Smruti Govan, Human Rights & Sustainable Sourcing Director of PepsiCo, and her career ensuring compliance of human rights throughout various industry supply chains. This event will be moderated by CRB’s Student Advisory Board members. Link to Register (tinyurl.com/HRBCC25) Series Co-Sponsor: Berkeley Center for Law and Business

???? Denmark is #1 in the global Corruption Perceptions Index for the seventh year in a row, followed by ???? Finland at #2, for the lowest perceived levels of corruption in the world. Why does this matter? "Two of the biggest challenges humanity faces are strongly intertwined: corruption and the climate crisis. While billions of people around the world face the daily consequences of climate change, resources for adaptation and mitigation remain woefully inadequate. Corruption intensifies these challenges, posing additional threats to vulnerable communities. A lack of adequate transparency and accountability mechanisms increases the risk that climate funds may be misused or embezzled. What is more, climate corruption can also take the form of undue influence on decision-makers by polluting industries, and politicians having conflicts of interest because they own shares in oil and gas companies or work for them. These factors have obstructed adoption of the ambitious policies and measures needed to address climate change, favouring the interests of narrow groups over the common good. The corruption crisis is a huge obstacle to solving the climate crisis." https://lnkd.in/gWS28Djn Nordic Center at UC Berkeley Center for Responsible Business at Berkeley Haas

As we witness the exhaustion of our natural resources and ecosystems, capital will seek new frontiers to continue its pursuit of accumulation with no exception to human labor. This Spring 2025, The Center for Responsible Business continues, in partnership with professional faculty, Jenny Vaughan and Sanchita Saxena, the Human Rights & Business Series. We invite attendees to explore practical examples of responsible business practices through viable career pathways, strategies for remediating harm, and the growing business case for managing human rights in today’s economy. Part 3 - At the Brink: Confronting Business, AI, and Human Rights for a Just Future Date: February 20, 2025 Time: 12:00 - 2:00 PM Location: Cheit Hall - Room C125 Lunch Provided In the race of governments and industries investing billions into AI with projected returns in the trillions, it is not yet understood what costs these returns will have to the environment and society at large. For part three of our series, this lunchtime conversation with Lindsey Andersen (Associate Director of Tech & Human Rights at Business for Social Responsibility) and professors Jenny Vaughan and Sanchita Saxena, will explore anticipated risks to people, approaches to managing these risks, and examples of what companies are doing today to develop responsible AI. Link to Register for part 3 (tinyurl.com/HRBSSAI25)

Congratulations to CRB's Faculty Director, Jonathan Weigel, for his recognition in the Financial Times as a premiere scholar dedicated to the study of political economy and development to advance sustainability and societal justice.

We're one day out from our Tuesday, February 4th?film night. Hosted by the?Center for Responsible Business and Climate Culture, this film night dives deep into how?culture and storytelling?are shaping the climate transition. Get ready for an evening of powerful stories that invite us to reimagine the future and embrace the values of interconnectedness, reciprocity, circularity, and collective leadership. Here's a sneak peak of some of the films we'll be featuring: 1) [Dive Tierra Bomba Dive] https://lnkd.in/g2443HZb 2) [A Failure of the Imagination] https://lnkd.in/gUfgJzdc ??? When:?February 4, 5:30-7:30 PM PT ?? Where:?Cheit Hall Wells Fargo Room ? [Register Here]?to be part of this one-of-a-kind event: tinyurl.com/CCFilmsCRB2025