Expert panelists from 2013 Ethical Leadership Conference

The Rutgers Institute for Ethical Leadership (IEL) will bring together more than 200 business, academic and government leaders to discuss the need for sustainable business leadership and how ethical, environmental and social objectives can be built into businesses’ core missions and operations.

The “Ethical Environment of Business Sustainability” conference will be held Friday, June 6, from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Newark Museum (49 Washington Street, Newark, NJ).

Panel discussions and presentations on business’ role in environmental and geopolitical stability, as well as the role of corporations in community health and their impact on social innovation will be featured. Speakers include:

• Richard A. Smith, Chairman, CEO and President of Realogy Holdings Corp., a New Jersey-based global leader in real estate franchising, Realogy’s brands include CENTURY 21, Coldwell Banker, ERA, Sotheby’s International Realty and Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate. Smith has been named the “Most Powerful Person in Residential Real Estate Brokerage” in the Swanepoel Power 200 rankings, and Realogy has been named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute in each of the past three years. Mr. Smith will deliver the keynote address, “Why is an ethical environment within your company critical to its sustainability?”

• Christine Bader, Author, The Evolution of a Corporate Idealist: When Girl Meets Oil (Bibliomotion, March 2014), and former Manager of Policy Development, where she oversaw the social impacts of some of the company’s largest projects in the developing world. She will discuss life on the front lines of integrating human rights into business -- including what happens when it all goes wrong.

• Leading the panel discussions is Gregory Sauter, Executive Vice President, Chief Corporate Officer, AECOM. Comprised of more than 45,000 employees in 150 countries, AECOM provides professional technical and management support services to a broad range of markets, including transportation, facilities, environmental, energy, water, and government. Sauter is also Board President of Engineers without Borders. He will lead panel discussions on the role of business in environmental and geopolitical stability, and on the health of local communities.

Panelists are:

• Kevin Lyons, PhD, Supply Chain Professor, Rutgers Business School 
• Guy Story, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Scientist, Audible.com 
• Paula Luff, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, Hess Corporation
• Derek Veenhof, Executive Vice President, Sustainable Solutions, Covanta

“A business has a responsibility to reward shareholders while ensuring that the communities in which it operates have the human and natural resources necessary to thrive in the future,” said IEL co-founder James Abruzzo. “This conference will be an opportunity for more than 200 attendees to learn from strategic thinkers and practitioners who understand how to navigate complexities of true sustainable leadership.”

Now in its fifth year, the annual Ethical Leadership Conference brings together experts from all sectors to address the most pressing current ethical issues in the corporate, government and non-profit sectors.

“IEL is proud to host this annual event to educate and raise awareness on the importance of ethical leadership,” Abruzzo added. 

The 2014 Ethical Leadership Conference is sponsored by Wells Fargo, AECOM, Verizon and KPMG. For information on available sponsorships, the agenda, and to register for the conference, please visit http://www.business.rutgers.edu/iel/programs/business-government/2014-conference, call 973-353-1135 or email leadership@business.rutgers.edu.

About the Institute for Ethical Leadership

The Institute for Ethical Leadership at Rutgers Business School works with business and government, nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, and within Rutgers University to provide leaders and future leaders with the education, training and critical-thinking tools needed to become more effective leaders and managers and make ethical decisions for real-world challenges.  For more information, visit www.business.rutgers.edu/iel. 

Rutgers Institute for Ethical Leadership

Rutgers Institute for Ethical Leadership

The Institute for Ethical Leadership at Rutgers Business School provides research, education and practical training to business, government, nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, and the Rutgers University community. The Institute guides and supports leaders, empowering them to improve the ethical culture at all levels of their organization. The Institute’s goal is to help organizations beyond avoiding ethical breaches to operate in a proactive and responsible manner that ultimately enhances civil society. For more information, visit www.business.rutgers.edu/iel.

More from Rutgers Institute for Ethical Leadership