9.19.2006 - 07:41pm ET

(CSRwire) SAN FRANCISCO - Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) is pleased to announce the appointment of environmental economist and sustainable business expert Dr. Diane Osgood as the organization's new Vice President, CSR Strategy.

Osgood has spent the last two decades working with companies and a diverse range of international organizations on numerous aspects of sustainable development, with a focus on corporate strategy, bottom-of-the-pyramid solutions, community engagement and biotechnology. She has worked with clients including DuPont, the World Bank, WWF, Monsanto, Sigma Alimentos and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

Osgood's work has focused on providing strategic leadership as a global mediator among civil society groups, corporations and academics, initiating corporate codes of conduct, integrating micro-credit into business operations, developing groundbreaking tri-sector partnerships and presenting policy recommendations to U.S. and European governments. She is currently co-authoring a global assessment of agricultural technologies for the World Bank and the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization in a project similar to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment.

"Diane brings a wealth of experience to her post and will be a great member of the team," said Aron Cramer, President and CEO of BSR. "She also brings a truly global perspective, having lived and worked in Europe for most of the past two decades, as well as two years at the United Nations Environment Programme in Kenya and extensive work in Latin America. Her experience writing, teaching and speaking on various aspects of CSR and sustainability brings tremendous leadership depth to our CSR Strategy group."

At BSR, Osgood will oversee research and development of innovative projects and partnerships, as well as communications, publications and the BSR Annual Conference. In this position, she also will work closely with BSR's Member and Advisory Services team to integrate the organization's R&D into the services offered to its members.

"I am thrilled to take up a leadership role at BSR," said Osgood. "The global expertise BSR has built up with its partners makes it well-placed to provide effective and creative solutions for the urgent, wide-ranging sustainability issues we face. The chance to lead a skilled team in the search for creative, systemic approaches to the socio-environmental issues at hand represents an exciting personal challenge: an opportunity not to be missed," she said.

Widely published in both business and academic journals, Osgood earned her doctoral degree in environmental economics from the London School of Economics, where she has lectured on sustainable development. She began her career as a portfolio analyst for Merrill Lynch in Switzerland, has served on the faculty of SustainAbility, and is a Board member of the U.S.-based Keystone Center and the Peace Initiatives Institute.

Osgood can be reached at dosgood@bsr.org effective October 9, 2006.

Industry Praise for Diane Osgood:

Diane Osgood is a very talented individual. She knows and understands the NGO and business communities. She was a trusted advisor to the sustainable growth work at DuPont over many years.
          Paul Tebo, President, The Tebo Group
         Retired Corporate Vice President, DuPont

Diane Osgood brings to BSR a combination of on-the-ground experience, working with companies, NGOs and governments to solve practical social and environmental dilemmas in some of the world's most challenging regions. As companies increasingly face the need to link their corporate responsibility strategies and operational practices to the broader governance and policy frameworks in which they operate, this combination of policy and practice will provide a valuable addition to BSR's existing strengths and capabilities. The CSR Initiative at Harvard looks forward to continuing to build our relationship with BSR and its network.
          Jane Nelson, Senior Fellow and Director of the CSR Initiative,
          Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government


About BSR
Since 1992, Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) has been a leading provider of socially responsible business solutions to many of the world's leading corporations. Headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in Europe and China, BSR is a nonprofit business association that serves its 250 member companies and other Global 1000 enterprises. Through advisory services, convenings and research, BSR works with corporations and concerned stakeholders of all types to create a more just and sustainable global economy. For more information, visit www.bsr.org

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