Our Events Global Trends in CSR and Sustainability

Description

More companies in Hong Kong may be practising corporate social responsibility, but they still lag behind its counterparts in Asia, let alone Europe and North America. According to the Fourth Hong Kong SME Business Sustainability Index announced on 14 February 2017, while the overall average score was 66.02, on a 100-point scale, up 3.2% compared with the third Index in 2014, and up 13.2% compared with the first Index announced in 2012. The progressive improvement of SMEs in CSR and business sustainability over the past five years has been encouraging, although the standard deviation of 24.34 reflected that the gap between the top and bottom performers remained huge.

Key Takeaways:

  • Understand the global trends in CSR and Sustainability
  • Understand the Hong Kong Business Sustainability Index
  • Understand the landscape – which organizations or public bodies are involved, legal and social issues
  • Reflect on how different stakeholders, including the business community, can improve the situation
  • Suggest ways for businesses to take action

Event Speakers

Richard Welford

Chairman, CSR Asia

Richard WELFORD is Chairman of CSR Asia, a consultancy and think-tank that he founded, currently with offices across the Asia-Pacific region and known for its pioneering work around corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability. He has over 30 years of experience working with the business sector, United Nations, NGOs and other international agencies in the field of CSR with an emphasis on social justice, human rights, governance issues, community development and environmental management.
Richard is currently an adjunct Professor at the University of Technology, Sydney. He has many years of experience in academia, pioneering courses and programs covering a range of issues including shared value, inclusive business, private sector engagement, supply chain risks, human rights and community investment.
Richard is also a Board Director of a number of other organizations including ERP Environment and is the Chairman AIDS Concern in Hong Kong.

Carlos Lo

Director, Sustainability Management Research Centre, Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Prof. Lo is currently the Director of Sustainability Management Research Centre. His main research interests are in the areas of corporate social and environmental responsibility, law and government, environmental governance, and public sector management. He offers consultant services and organizes management training programs for the business sector. Prof. Lo served as an adviser to HSBC for reviewing their business sustainability strategy in 2010. Recently, he has been promoting CSR as a business model that permits corporations and SMEs to achieve business sustainability through the launch and compilation of the Hong Kong SME Business Sustainability Index and the Hong Kong Business Sustainability Index.

Fern Ngai

CEO, Community Business

Fern Ngai is Chief Executive Officer of Community Business, a Hong Kong based not-for-profit organisation dedicated to advancing responsible and inclusive business practices in Asia. Fern joined Community Business in October 2012 and is responsible for leading the organisation into its next stage of growth.
Under Fern’s leadership, Community Business has expanded its products and services, established a subsidiary in India, and has launched the LGBT+ Workplace Inclusion Index, the first and only benchmark for workplace inclusion practices and initiatives for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender employees in Asia.
Fern has been actively involved in and passionate about corporate social responsibility and diversity and inclusion, in her voluntary role as Board Director of KELY Support Group, a Hong Kong charity dedicated to supporting young people, and in her previous roles at Standard Chartered Bank.

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