Around the world in 28 days
January 28, 2015
February's a frantic month for leadership forums. Here's the rundown on events, agendas and planning cycles..
February may be the shortest month in terms of number of days, but it is very long on the number of quality forums taking place—as you can see below.
Foremost forums upcoming
• MIT Sloan Women in Management (SWIM) Conference (February 6; Cambridge, MA). This conference was developed to showcase the business opportunities available to women and to discuss the career challenges faced by women executives. Program addresses such topics as what is keeping women from the board room; female entrepreneurship; and the power of intelligent women. 2015 theme: "Breaking the Mold."
• Yale Women in Leadership Conference (February 7; New Haven). This conference brings women together to "engage in a vital conversation regarding how women can empower themselves." The event attracts an audience of students, alumnae and professionals from the region to discuss topics such as: Career path discernment for women; portrayal of women in media; and leadership.
• Harvard Social Enterprise Conference (February 14 – 15; Boston and Cambridge, MA). This student-run conference is self-described as "a forum for exploring the synergies between for-profit, non-profit, and public sector approaches to addressing critical social issues." Representative topics include: Initiatives taken to solve global problems; and strategies for implementing and maintaining corporate sustainability and corporate social responsibility in business operations.
• Global Innovation Summit (February 17 – 19; San Jose). This forum focuses on "transforming whole industries by changing ways of thinking" and the concept that "ideas, solutions, and ventures could flourish anywhere, even in the most 'unlikely' places and challenge-riddled regions." Representative topics include: Tools to build innovation ecosystems; creating capital infrastructure; health solutions at the cutting edge; and education for all.
• GreenBiz Forum (February 17 – 19; Scottsdale). This forum "brings together thought leaders and sustainability executives to define the trends, challenges and opportunities in sustainable business today." Representative topics include: Big data meets the supply chain; the new realities of corporate energy management; the changing face of sustainability and transparency; the potential and pitfalls of corporate-NGO alliances; and the pathway to net-positive-energy buildings.
• Harvard Business School (HBS) Dynamic Women in Business Conference (February 21; Boston). This conference aims to "bring together 1000 women, including students, alumnae, faculty, distinguished business leaders, and community members, to explore the opportunities and challenges facing women in today's business world." Agenda focuses on topics such as best practices for managing work and family; developing networks and mentors; executing negotiating strategies; and accessing resources. 2015 theme: "Going Beyond."
• Climate Leadership Conference (February 23 – 25; Washington, DC). This conference is self-described as "dedicated to professionals addressing global climate change through policy, innovation, and business solutions." Representative topics include: Operating in a low-carbon economy; making the business case for climate mitigation; incorporating climate metrics into sustainability programs; and the growing cost of extreme weather.
• CECP (Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy) Board of Boards CEO Roundtable (February 23; New York). This forum is designed "to uncover emerging issues in corporate philanthropy from the CEO perspective and to allow executives to share best practices." Representative topics include: Winning on Purpose; Employee and Community Engagement; and Performance with Purpose.
• Doing Good and Doing Well Conference (DGDW) (February 27 – 28; Barcelona). This conference is self-described as "Europe's leading student-run event on responsible business." Emphasis is on "major opportunities and challenges faced by responsible businesses and organizations;" how they can develop effective new strategies and business models; and the facilitation of partnerships between industry professionals and business school graduate students. Representative topics include: Social and economic development; energy and the environment; responsible finance; healthcare; sustainability; social entrepreneurship; and corporate social responsibility.
Noteworthy conferences beginning agenda planning this month
• Milken Institute has issued a call for speakers for its Global Conference being held April 26 – 29, 2015 in Beverly Hills, with a proposal submission deadline of February 28, 2015. Conference focuses on the major economic, financial, business, technological, and policy issues currently facing the world. Speakers include Nobel laureates, CEOs from top global companies, senior elected and appointed foreign and US government officials, philanthropists, academic leaders, and high-level executives in the American and foreign capital markets.
• First Affirmative Financial Network has issued a call for presentations for its SRI Conference taking place November 3 – 5, 2015 in Colorado Springs, with a plenary session proposal submission deadline of February 13 and a breakout session proposal submission deadline of February 27, 2015. Conference is self-described as "the largest and longest running conference for sustainable, responsible, impact (SRI) investors and investment professionals in North America." Representative topics include: Capitalizing on human capital – the S in ESG; America’s low carbon energy breakthrough opportunity; and positioning your brand as a socially conscious business
• Conference Board will begin agenda development for its Change Management Conference scheduled for June 18 – 19, 2015 in New York. Conference examines best practices for executives in managing organizational change, with emphasis on leadership, effectiveness, communication, and engagement at all corporate levels. Program covers topics such as embedding real behavior change by managing both the "hard and soft" (operational and people) sides of change; understanding company culture and how change must be anchored to achieve the business strategy; and getting the timing right for change messages – matching communication strategies to the audience and the media to the message.
• Forbes will begin developing the agenda for its Women's Summit taking place June 9 – 10, 2015 in New York. Summit is designed to bring together seasoned professionals and Millennials to "help solve society's most critical issues and redefine the notion of power through innovation and disruption." The format of the event is unique in that everyone in the room will be an active participant. 2015 theme: "Transforming the Rules of Engagement."
• PopTech is currently soliciting speakers for its conference being held October 22 – 24, 2015 in Camden, Maine. Event explores the impact of technological advancements on society. Program addresses topics such as globalization, global warming, biotechnology, nanotechnology, ubiquitous computing, and the future of knowledge and intellectual property.