FSG Creates Commitment to Action as Part of 2012 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting
(3BL Media) Boston, MA - September 25, 2012 - Global strategy consulting firm FSG, noted for its work on the topic of “shared value”, and co-author with Harvard Business School professor Michael E. Porter of the Harvard Business Review article Creating Shared Value, announces today the establishment of its new Shared Value Initiative as a Commitment to Action for the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting. Watch the commitment announcement with FSG co-founder Mark Kramer and others here: http://bit.ly/cgilive.
FSG’s Shared Value Initiative will bring together leaders from companies, civil society and governments to build a strong and engaged global community around shared value knowledge and practice. It will provide opportunities for thought leadership, interactive discussion, learning, and research on shared value: as a promising approach for simultaneously creating business value while addressing complex, social problems.
“Shared value strategies create a competitive advantage for business that drives innovation while simultaneously addressing societal challenges. With the potential to help re-imagine the corporation’s role in society, the Shared Value Initiative will work to steadily improve the practice of shared value amongst leading corporations,” notes FSG’s Mark Kramer.
The CGI commitment signals the intent of FSG through the Shared Value Initiative to mobilize with its partners a multi-year change effort, providing a way to leverage the enormous scale and reach of the private sector to help solve social problems. The Initiative is guided by a Leadership Council, including Nestlé, Verizon and the Rockefeller Foundation, with input and support from leading shared value companies including Arauco, Intel, InterContinental Hotels Group, BD, Eli Lilly, The Coca-Cola Company, Medtronic, Novartis and Western Union.
Nestlé’s Janet Voûte, Global Head of Public Affairs adds, “Creating shared value is fundamental to Nestlé’s business model, because we focus on the needs of society at the same time as our returns to shareholders. But, we also believe that creating shared value is not just something for one company. It has to inspire other companies to think about solving social problems through their basic and core business model.”
“We’re looking forward to bringing together the enthusiasm for deeper shared value knowledge and learning amongst a diverse set of global stakeholders--from corporate practitioners to NGOs to governments to academics to consulting firms delivering shared value services. The Shared Value Initiative will become a knowledge platform to advance the thinking and application of shared value,” suggests Justin Bakule, Executive Director of the Shared Value Initiative.
Kramer and the Initiative were featured and announced the same day that President Clinton, President Obama, and presidential candidate Governor Mitt Romney addressed attendees at the CGI Annual Meeting of global business leaders in New York City September 23-25, 2012.
About FSG and the Shared Value Initiative
FSG is a nonprofit consulting firm specializing in helping companies and organizations– individually and collectively – create greater and more effective social change. Founded in 2000, today FSG works with many of the world’s leading corporations, nonprofit organizations, charitable foundations and government agencies. We discover better ways to solve complex social problems by sharing knowledge, conducting research, and by providing strategy consulting services. Learn more about FSG: www.fsg.org.
FSG’s Shared Value Initiative will bring together leaders from companies, civil society and governments to build a strong and engaged global community around shared value knowledge and practice. We will provide opportunities for thought leadership, interactive discussion, learning, and research on shared value: as a promising approach for simultaneously creating business value while addressing complex, social problems. The Initiative is guided by a Leadership Council, comprised of a select group of leading shared value companies and organizations. Learn more about the Shared Value Initiative: www.sharedvalue.org.
About the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI)
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 150 heads of state, 20 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations and NGOs, major philanthropists, and members of the media. To date CGI members have made more than 2,100 commitments, which are already improving the lives of nearly 400 million people in more than 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued at $69.2 billion.
CGI also convenes CGI America, a meeting focused on collaborative solutions to economic recovery in the United States, and CGI University (CGI U), which brings together undergraduate and graduate students to address pressing challenges in their community or around the world. For more information, visit clintonglobalinitiative.org and follow on Twitter @ClintonGlobal and Facebook at facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative.
