International Corporate Volunteering: Why Are IBM, Google, PepsiCo, John Deere, And Pfizer Using Volunteering To Create Their Next Generation Of Leaders?
April 11 & 12, Washington, D.C.
CONTACT: Katie Levey, klevey@cdc.org; 917.593.1989; Director of Media Relations, CDC Development Solutions
WASHINGTON D.C., March 29, 2013 /3BL Media/ - PepsiCo, Google, Intel, John Deere, IBM, Pfizer, and other Fortune 500s are sending their star performers to volunteer professional skills in Africa, India, and Latin America for up to one month. These companies use International Corporate Volunteer (ICV) programs to train their employees to operate in some of the world’s fastest growing—and changing—economies, equipping them with international business skills to lead in global markets. It’s also considered the ultimate employee perk by millennials who are now looking for ways to give back on the job. These and other companies will gather in Washington, D.C. on April 11 and 12th with members of the State Department and host, CDC Development Solutions (CDS) at the 4th Annual ICV Conference to talk about this relatively new practice in which multinational companies send top talent into developing countries to volunteer professional skills in technology, sales, and finance for local nonprofits and government agencies.
It’s a growing trend. According to a recent CDS Study, nearly two dozen Fortune 500s companies have ICV programs compared to a just handful a few years ago. A few of this year’s speakers include (A full speaker list can be found here):
- PepsiCo (Keynote speaker): Sue Tsokris, Vice President of Global Citizenship and Sustainability
- IBM: Gina Tesla, Director, Corporate Citizenship Initiatives
- Google: Sarah Nickerson, Manager, Google Alumni Team
- Ford Foundation: Liz McKeon, Previously Director of Special Initiative on Urban Poverty in Developing Countries
Intel, John Deere, Pfizer, and GlaxoSmithKline will also share how these short term volunteer programs are enabling corporations to play a constructive role in some of the most critical social issues of our time, including access to clean water, food security, and healthcare.
“PepsiCo’s PepsiCorps is designed for 360 degree benefit, which is what makes it successful,” says keynote speaker, Sue Tsokris of PepsiCo. “Employees develop leadership skills and international experience. PepsiCo gains globally-minded employees that return more flexible, solution-oriented, and committed to their jobs. The local community we serve and NGOs we partner with benefit from our employees’ knowledge.”
This interactive conference will also feature talks from social impact and corporate responsibility pioneers, Dr. Ángel Cabrera, President of George Mason University, Chris Jarvis, Paul Klein, and Alice Korngold and live interactive sessions simulating the ICV experience. To learn more, go here or follow on Twitter at #ICVLead2013.
About CDC Development Solutions
CDC Development Solutions’ mission is to reinvent how public, private and social interests converge to address global challenges. Based in Washington, D.C., this international nonprofit designs International Corporate Volunteer programs for over a dozen corporations, including IBM, SAP, John Deere, PepsiCo and Pfizer and manages all aspects of these programs, from strategic planning and on-the-ground implementation and support.
