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Not long ago, the environment and the various 'issues' associated with it were seen as a minority interest for a minority of people, and irrelevant and inappropriate for business. Comparatively quickly however, the words 'global warming', 'climate change' and 'sustainability' have entered corporate culture, and are increasingly moving towards the centre of business strategy. James Campbell will talk about some of the ways in which businesses can benefit by actively engaging with environmental issues.
James Campbell is Head of the Global HSBC Climate Partnership programme at the Earthwatch Institute. He manages an employee engagement programme involving more than 2000 members of HSBC's global workforce in scientific research on forests and climate change at Earthwatch's 5 regional climate centres in China, India, UK, USA and Brazil as well as over 20,000 members of their staff in local environmental programmes close to HSBC's major centres of employment.
James has pursued an interest in connecting business and sustainability for many years. He was Adviser on Sustainability to the UK Government's Learning + Skills Council, was Director for the Centre for the Built Environment, incorporating sustainability into the design and construction industry, and worked on public policy approaches to sustainability in education and justice areas. James has a particular interest in the Social Return on Investment (SROI), a relatively new evaluation approach which attempts to apply a monetary value to a range of benefits, enabling business to demonstrate a financial return on investment in alternative sectors, quantifying both the direct benefits to the business, as well as the wider benefits to community and society.
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