Diversity and Inclusive Leadership Expert Barbara Annis to Keynote Responsible Business 2018

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 21, 2018 /3BL Media/ – The Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), a nonprofit coalition of leading companies dedicated to improving social, environmental and ethical conditions in their global supply chains, today announced that Barbara Annis, a world-renowned expert on gender, diversity and inclusive leadership, will provide the keynote address at the RBA’s annual conference in Santa Clara, California on Oct. 30, 2018.

Barbara Annis, CEO of Gender Intelligence Group, will deliver the RBA keynote presentation on the impact of diversity and gender in the workplace. She is the author of five books on these important topics, is Chair Emeritus and a current member of the Women’s Leadership Board at Harvard Kennedy School, and was recently conferred the International Alliance for Women Lifetime Achievement Award. Over the past 30 years, Barbara and her associates have facilitated more than 8,000 workshops and conducted thousands of leadership assessments and executive coaching sessions. Through the lens of inclusive leadership, Barbara will discuss how this topic is woven through many business decisions and customer expectations, offering unique insights and actionable advice. 
 
The RBA is also honored to have Geoffrey Shaw, Ph.D., Ambassador for People Smuggling and Human Trafficking, from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), confirmed as the keynote speaker for the Forced Labor track of the conference. Dr. Shaw is also Co-chair with Indonesia of the Bali Process (at the senior officials level), and Chairs the UN Alliance 8.7 initiative to eradicate modern slavery, human trafficking, forced labor and the worst forms of child labor. A senior career officer with DFAT, he was most recently Assistant Secretary, People Smuggling and Human Trafficking Taskforce. Dr. Shaw has held a range of positions in DFAT, including as Assistant Secretary, Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office. He also served in senior positions in Geneva, with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, and as the IAEA Representative to the United Nations in New York. 

“We are very pleased to have Ms. Annis as our keynote speaker and Ambassador Shaw as our forced labor track keynote,” said Rob Lederer, Executive Director of the Responsible Business Alliance. “The issues they will address are of critical importance to our members and their supply chains.”

Other speakers and panelists at Responsible Business 2018 will include high-level representatives from government, civil society, and industry. The conference will feature information and discussions critical to global supply chains as well as updates on RBA initiatives.

This year at Responsible Business 2018 there will be concurrent tracks on Forced Labor, Environmental Issues, Compliance and, starting on Oct. 31, the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI):

• The Forced Labor track will include a Responsible Labor Initiative (RLI) Advisory Board fireside chat, discussions on the role of government and public-private engagement, impact and transparency in due diligence, ethical recruitment and remediation.
• The Environmental track will include discussions on circular economy challenges, innovation and best practices, e-waste processing, chemical management, and data-driven action.
• The Compliance track will include an overview of recent RBA Code changes, VAP progress and pending new features, the Responsible Factory Initiative (RFI), RBA Online, and a new risk assessment tool.
• The Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) track will include discussions on the initiative's current and planned efforts to encourage responsible mineral sourcing from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas globally, measuring and communicating impact in the minerals sector, and focused sessions on cobalt, gold and the automotive industry as part of the RMI Annual Conference, which starts on Oct. 31.

These and many other topics will be covered in general and breakout sessions. Please view the conference agendas and register here. In addition, members and prospective members can visit the RBA Education Hub for one-on-one discussions about various RBA tools and programs such as RBA Online, VAP, and the Learning Academy.   

Who Should Attend Responsible Business 2018:

• Companies that manufacture or contract the manufacture of electronic goods or a product in which electronics are essential to the primary functionality of the product, or supply materials used in the electronics of those goods
• Government officials interested in learning what the industry is doing to improve conditions for workers and the environment impacted by the global electronics supply chain
• Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) focused on labor and human rights, worker health and safety, and environmental sustainability
• Audit and other firms that provide services to facilitate the industry’s CSR efforts

Key Dates:

The RBA’s Responsible Business 2018 will be followed by the Responsible Minerals Initiative's Annual Conference:

• RBA Members-Only Meeting: Oct. 29
• RBA Compass Awards Dinner: Oct. 29
• RBA Annual Conference: Oct. 30-31
• RMI Annual Conference: Oct. 31-Nov. 1
• RMI Members-Only Meeting: Nov. 2

Location:

The RBA Responsible Business 2018 and RMI Annual Conferences & Member Meetings will be held at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, California.

Learn More and Register:

Visit the RBA’s annual conference website to learn more and register here. For help with registration, or to become a sponsor or exhibitor, contact Laura Landrau.

About the Responsible Business Alliance

The Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), formerly the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC), is a nonprofit coalition of leading companies dedicated to improving social, environmental and ethical conditions in their global supply chains. RBA members commit and are held accountable to a common Code of Conduct and utilize a range of programs, training and assessment tools to support continuous improvement. The RBA is comprised of more than 125 members with combined annual revenue of greater than $4.75 trillion and directly employing over 6 million people. For more information, visit ResponsibleBusiness.org and follow @RBAllianceOrg.

Media Contact:

Jarrett Bens, Director of Communications
Responsible Business Alliance
+1 571.858.5721
jbens@responsiblebusiness.org