Unilever CEO Paul Polman receives ESADE Award
At the 20th ESADE Alumni Annual Conference, Unilever CEO Paul Polman was presented with the ESADE Award for his leadership in supporting innovation for socially responsible business growth. The ESADE Award is an annual prize that recognises companies or individuals who, like Mr. Polman, have a vision aligned with that of the business school.
After collecting the award, Mr. Polman gave a talk entitled “The Changing Role of Businesses: Leadership in the 21st Century, in which he urged companies to give back to society by adopting corporate social responsibility policies.
Mr. Polman painted a picture of society and the world at large in the 21st century. He called the overall situation “healthy and rich while acknowledging the need to address countless challenges.
Long-term value
Mr. Polman argued that companies have a key role to play in addressing two of the 21st century’s most pressing challenges: climate change, which will eventually affect entire communities through droughts, floods, heat waves, etc.; and income inequality, in which a small minority grows ever richer against a backdrop of widespread property.
By the end of the century, the planet will be home to 12 billion people, all aspiring to a high standard of living. “We must dramatically change the way in which we feed ourselves, relate to one another and do business, Mr. Polman argued.
Mr. Polman placed particular emphasis on the way in which business should be done. “Companies must focus on human, economic and creative capital and consolidate their main mission of creating long-term value, he said.
Companies with a social purpose
According to Mr. Polman, some companies have forgotten their true raison d’être: solving specific problems that exist in society. In addition to this shared initial purpose, Mr. Polman argued, companies should place a social purpose at the heart of their business.
“At Unilever, we’re incorporating these major structural challenges into our business and continuously trying to find different and better ways of doing things in order to work towards a better future every day, he declared.
The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan was launched in 2010 with the aim of reducing the environmental impact of the company’s products while growing the business and having a positive social impact.
ESADE Awards
The ESADE Awards are sponsored by ESADE Alumni, the university’s alumni association, as a means of honouring organisations and individuals whose careers, activities or services have demonstrated the values that define the founding spirit of ESADE Business School and set a good example for others.
