Business Leaders Convene to Discuss Social Impact at Inaugural ESG Conference

Maryland Smith is pushing students and business leaders to create a better world through business. That means considering multiple stakeholders – how a company’s environmental, social and corporate governance policies impact the world beyond just returning profits to shareholders. ESG is gaining momentum among businesses and investors and was the topic of Maryland Smith’s inaugural ESG Conference: Reimagine Your Impact, hosted by the Center for Social Value Creation on May 6, 2022.

The conference brought together ESG stakeholders from across academia and business to explore the latest developments and challenges affecting social value creation, facilitate important discussions on diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace, and contemplate the future of sustainable business, among other topics.

Maryland Smith has more than 45 faculty researching and teaching about ESG topics, as well as numerous alumni and corporate partners working in the space. That makes Smith uniquely positioned to serve as the hub for an ESG event of this caliber, says Nima Farshchi, director of the Center for Social Value Creation.

“Over the past few years ESG has become of vital importance in decision making for businesses of all sizes with its metrics impacting everything from daily operations to board oversight,” says Nima Farshchi. “This conference was the inaugural opportunity for our faculty, alumni, corporate partners, students, and staff to learn from one another how we can create a better world through business. We hope that this will continue to be a great platform for thought leadership in the Smith Community.”

The day-long conference was divided into three separate breakout sessions and bookended by two keynote speakers. It was followed by a networking happy hour at Van Munching Hall.

Stephan K. Thieringer, founder of the Human Innovation Garage – an organizational coaching and advisory firm based in Boston – kicked off the event, and Chrissa Pagitsas, author of Chief Sustainability Officers at Work: How CSOs Build Successful Sustainability and ESG Strategies, delivered the final remarks of the day.

As a Center for Excellence at Maryland Smith, the Center for Social Value Creation serves as the school’s hub for enacting positive long-term value for people and the planet through business. Its mission is to educate, engage and empower the Maryland Smith community through thought-provoking dialogue, thought leadership and hands-on experiences to confront societal issues and needs.