Creating Value in a Changing World

"Inaction is not a choice...it's time to pick up the pace of change. We all, in fact, have a role to play, as investors, as consumers, as employees, as citizens."  ~ Judy Samuelson

Imagine that it's 2030. COVID is behind us but its long-term damage has hastened the impact of inequities on various segments of society. Injustice created through racial inequity, climate change, and wealth disparity has increased. As Rebecca Henderson described in our first Reimagining Capitalism event, the world is on fire...and it's burning very quickly. 

Is a different world possible? Can business as a force for good, drive tangible change? In her recent book, "The Six New Rules of Business: Creating Value in a Changing World", Judy Samuelson explains that we are sitting at a critical juncture in history where "business as usual" is no longer a viable option and the rules are dramatically changing. 

"From technology to supply chains, social impact to environmental limits, the landscape for business and the definition of success have both been upended. Income inequality is rife, social discord is high, and the demand for business to create real value for all its stakeholders has become a loud and rallying cry." 

In our sixth Reimagining Capitalism event, we invite you to join a thought-provoking conversation with Judy Samuelson, vice president at the Aspen Institute, and founder and executive director of The Aspen Institute's Business and Society Program, and Yusuf George, Managing Director for Corporate Engagement at JUST Capital. Together Judy and Yusuf will explore how shifts in attitudes and mindsets are redefining our notions of what constitutes business success and how a new set of rules are enabling executives and leaders to think and manage differently.

After the close of the event at 11 am PST, we invite you to stay on and join an optional 30 minute post-event conversation. 

Through the post-session casual conversation, you will have the opportunity to continue discussing your questions and insights on reimagining capitalism and also connect with other chapter members and Net Impact staff through small breakout groups. 

Some of the questions that Judy and Yusuf may explore include: 

• How are intangibles such as reputation and trust, rather than profit, driving business value? 
• How are objectives beyond shareholder value, beginning with purpose, prevailing over short-termism, and profit maximization? 
• How are employees acting as corporate allies and holding businesses accountable, connecting social and environmental issues to business priorities, and giving voice to the risk and competitive advantage in a culture of growing inequality and social unrest? 

Join us on January 28th, at 10:00 am PST/1:00 pm EST (Immediately followed by optional 30-minute post-session conversation)

About our Speakers: 

Judy Samuelson

Judy Samuelson is the founder and executive director of the Aspen Institute Business and Society Program and a vice president at the Aspen Institute. She is the author of The Six New Rules of Business: Creating Real Value in a Changing World. Signature programs under Judy's leadership include a ten-year campaign to disrupt Milton Friedman's narrative about corporate purpose, a multiyear dialogue to produce the Aspen Principles of Long-Term Value Creation, and a partnership with Korn Ferry to rethink executive pay. She previously worked in legislative affairs in California and banking in New York's garment center and ran the Ford Foundation's office of Program-Related Investments. Samuelson writes regularly for Quartz at Work, is a Bellagio Fellow, and a director of Financial Health Network. 

Yusuf George

Yusuf George is the Managing Director of Corporate Engagement at JUST Capital, an independent, nonprofit organization that makes it easier for people, companies, and markets to do the right thing by tracking and researching the business behaviors Americans care about most. Prior to joining JUST Capital, he worked at Barclays Capital within the Global Capital Markets division, where he curated investment and risk management strategies and established and managed client relationships with international hedge funds and global asset management firms. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Talk Tech Association, the Middle Project Inc., and the Red Hen Collective, a feminist, worker-owned, wine importer that is dedicated to a "new wine economy," one that pays farmers first and shares equity.