A gathering of corporate leaders, with a focus on social impact, might sound like a rarity, but this is what you see at the Business of Impact event hosted by Impact Europe.
This year, Sattva sponsored the 2024 edition of Business of Impact in The Hague where we also launched our latest report on Social Procurement with SAP. As a premier gathering of corporate social impact leaders, the event provided a platform for dialogue on strategies to leverage business for societal and environmental change.
The report launch featured a panel discussion with Sattva Co-founder and CEO, Srikrishna Sridhar Murthy (Krishna), SAP Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Alexandra van der Ploeg, and Impact Europe CEO, Roberta Bosurgi. The panel explored how corporations can harness their supply chains to create positive impact while enhancing supply chain resilience. Krishna further delved into these themes during a podcast interview for the “Impact Transformers” series with Ben DeVries.
The Business of Impact event holds significant importance to Sattva as it was started as the brainchild of our very own EU Business Lead, Daniel Rostrup, in Lisbon 2017, during his tenure at Impact Europe. Since its inception with a modest gathering of 40 leaders, the conference has grown exponentially into a major industry event.
This year’s conference showcased a spectrum of corporate approaches to social impact. While some companies primarily focused on compliance with European CSR directives, others embraced impact as a strategic advantage and were actively experimenting with innovative initiatives. Unilever’s Climate & Nature Fund, a €1 billion investment in impactful projects, is one example of corporate leadership in social innovation..
However, challenges persist in the corporate social impact landscape. Securing leadership buy-in, identifying investable opportunities, and forging effective partnerships with philanthropic and government stakeholders remain significant hurdles. Through its work with global corporations, Sattva is committed to sharing best practices from the Global South and driving progress in the field. The social procurement report with SAP and Impact Europe offers valuable insights into how companies can create shared value through their supply chains.
Sattva has staff in London and Copenhagen and works with leading European DFIs, impact investors, and philanthropic foundations that want to deepen their impact in the Global South.
For more information get in touch: impact@sattva.co.in.
