Programme

Objective: To energise, inspire and generate curiosity

Speed dating / facilitated networking exercise

Welcome and introduction:

• Frank Niederländer, Board Member, BMW Foundation
• Max von Abendroth, Executive Director, DAFNE
• Steven Serneels, CEO, EVPA

Keynote presentations:

• Erik Fyrwald, CEO, Syngenta
• Leslie Johnston, Executive Director, C&A Foundation

Panel discussion on issues arising

Objective: To share latest insights and knowledge around the topic of alignment and identify critical issues for further discussion

Let’s explore why strategic alignment is so important and timely to discuss. Let us take a look at the European market: Where are we now? Where are we heading? Engage with us in live polling.

In the second part, we will reveal for the first time the findings of EVPA’s research on strategic alignment. Find out what types of alignment exist in our space, how they can help you to create social impact and business relevance.

Speakers:

• Karoline Heitmann, Research Associate, EVPA
• Dr. Lonneke Roza, Assistant Professor, Rotterdam School of Management & EVPA
• Steven Serneels, CEO, EVPA

Objective: To explore how different organisations seek strategic alignment with their related company

Interactive breakout sessions focusing on one alignment type. Discuss case studies with experienced practitioners to answer the following questions:

• How does their alignment type related to their social impact ambitions?
• Who do they align with on company side? How?
• When should other organisations choose this type of alignment, when should they not do so?
• What business relevance does it create?

The Corporate Social Investor aligns on operational level (e.g. geography; type of resources that are being leveraged) with the aim to support Social Purpose Organisations to create social change -without influencing how the company or industry operates.

Speakers:

• Dr. Stefan Rissi, Managing Director, JTI Foundation
• Paul Streets, Chief Executive, Llyods Bank Foundation for England and Wales

The Corporate Social Investor aligns their mission or core focus areas with themes (e.g. SDGs, core values) that are of importance to the company with the aim to create strong coherence on their respective impact.

Speakers:

• Vincent Faber, Director, Trafigura Foundation
• Natasja van Mill, Communications Manager, Rabo Foundation

The Corporate Social Investor aligns their mission with the company’s overall (inclusive) business strategy. It aims to support the business in adopting more sustainable practices into their value chain.

Speakers:

• Alice Deißner, Director Strategy and Programmes, Vodafone Institute for Society and Communications
• François Rouvier, CSR, Director Social Business, MOBILIZE Programme, Renault SAS

The Corporate Social Investor aligns their mission and/or core focus areas with social issues related to the corporate industry with the aim to change industry standards or stimulate the adoption of sustainable best practices.

Speakers:

• Leslie Johnston, Executive Director, C&A Foundation
• Rebecca Hubert Scherler, Legal Counsel, Secretary to the Foundation Board, Syngenta Foundation

Objective: To learn from practitioners and to identify opportunities for action to enhance alignment

Interactive breakout sessions:

At times, strategic alignment is portrayed as the ‘holy grail’. But is it really? Let’s go back to the fundamentals and jointly explore the strategic, ethical and social impact considerations or strategic alignment. Is alignment a catalyst for social impact, or is it a distraction? Should a corporate foundations align closer with the business, or could this lead to a mission drift?

Speakers:

• Margarida Couto, CEO, VDA Foundation & Senior Partner, Vieira de Almeida & Associados (VdA)
• Tom Hoyle, Charitable Trust Manager, Genesis Charitable Trust
• Franz Karl Prüller, Senior Advisor, ERSTE Foundation

This session will prompt a discussion whether strategically aligned the purpose and work of the corporate foundation can help to be better understood widely throughout the parent company. Can it lead to greater recognition of the value of your work, confirm mutual values, and inform activities within the company? Can it help to influence the company’s awareness and even influence their social impact? If so, how? Explore with practitioners what they have learned.

Speakers:

• Edward Schwarz, General Manager, LafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction
• Cynthia Hansen, Head of the Adecco Group Foundation

Aligning with the company can also be the building block of a strong partnership in the social innovation space. Join this session to hear from others and contribute to a discussion about how corporate foundations use innovations from the company for their beneficiary groups – and how, at the same time, corporate foundations can lead the way in driving social innovations within the company.

Speakers:

• Daniela Deuber, Head of Social Innovation, BMW Foundation
• Bennet Barth, Program Manager, BMW Foundation
• Valérie Faillat, Head of Sanofi Espoir Foundation
• Annette Jung, Strategic Lead Ashoka Partnership, Philips Foundation

We can observe more and more that new impact vehicles being set up beyond a corporate foundation. Companies are starting to launch for instance an impact fund, accelerator, or inclusive business. This session will address when it makes sense to set up new organisational forms to create strategically aligned social impact. With practitioners, you can engage in discussions around the unique strength of these vehicles and how can you leverage different vehicle types together for the same impact goals and with what implication.

Speakers:

• Bénédicte Bonnet, Director, Base of the Pyramid (BoP) Innovation Lab and Market acceleration Europe and Africa, Essilor
• Dr. Christina Tewes-Gradl, Founder and Managing Director, Endeva
• Svetlana Ivchenko, Director of Social Policy Department, Norilsk Nickel

Strategic alignment can help to build a strong brand value associated with your social impact. But corporate scandals can also increase the risk of you being accused of impact washing. So what should you do? How do you communicate about your positioning and protect your own authenticity? Join this session to find out more and discuss issues and challenges.

Speakers:

• Theresa Gehringer, Research Assistant, CEPS
• Patrícia Dias Mendes, Senior associate in the Social Impact practice and director of the PLMJ Foundation

Objective: To consolidate learning and identify follow-up action

Moderated group discussions and plenary harvesting

Closing ceremony