Who’s behind it? – Global Agri-business Alliance (2018)
How can it help? – This Action Brief is the first explores trends, challenges and opportunities specifically as they relate to succession planning in agriculture, with the ambition of fostering an aligned understanding around the role and responsibility of agri-business companies in contributing to building thriving rural economies.
Global Leader, Purpose, Policy and Corporate Responsibility for the PwC Network
Colm Kelly is a member of PwC’s Global Markets Leadership Team and leads PwC’s relationship with the WBCSD. Colm is a regular contributor to international multi-stakeholder dialogues on economic and societal issues including the G20/T20 and the Global Solutions Initiative. Through keynote addresses, panel discussions and publications, Colm offers a business perspective on the growing need for systemic change and to refocus economic and business activities on sustainable outcomes for society. He leads the PwC Network’s conversation on its Purpose – to build trust in society and solve important problems – across the organisation. He Chairs PwC’s Global Corporate Responsibility Board which oversees PwC’s global Community and Environment ambitions, mobilising the power of PwC’s 276,000 people to help deliver them. Colm has held several leadership positions within PwC, including Global Leader for Tax and Legal Services, and Chief Operations Officer for the PwC Network. With over 30 years of experience with PwC, Colm is a member of the Irish Taxation Institute and is also the Chairman of the Foundation for Fiscal Studies.
CEO, Sonae
Cláudia Azevedo is CEO of Sonae, a multinational company managing a diversified portfolio of businesses in retail, financial services, technology, shopping centres and telecommunications.
From 2000 to 2018, Cláudia was CEO of Sonae IM – the investment unit of Sonae that invests in technology in retail, telecommunications and cybersecurity.
From 2013 to 2018 Cláudia was also CEO of Sonae Capital, a separate listed company present in several sectors such as real estate, renewable energy, tourism, fitness and industry.
In 30 April 2019 Cláudia was elected to the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sonae.
Amongst other board positions Cláudia is chairman of the board of Modelo Continente (Retail), Sonae Sierra (Shopping Centres), Worten (Electronics Retailing) and Non-Executive Board Member of NOS (Telecomunications)
Besides her degree in Management from Universidade Católica of Oporto, Cláudia has an MBA from INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France.
CEO, Solvay
Ilham Kadri is Chief Executive Officer of Solvay, an advanced materials and specialty chemicals company committed to developing chemistry that addresses key societal challenges. Solvay is headquartered in Brussels and generates a turnover of €10 billion with 26,800 employees in 61 countries.
Until December 31, 2018, she was President and CEO of Diversey, a global U.S.-headquartered leader in hygiene, cleaning solutions, food safety and infection prevention. Dr Kadri is also board member at A.O. Smith, a U.S.-based leading global manufacturer, and supplier of water heating equipment.
Dr. Kadri is a world citizen with Moroccan-French roots and professional experience across four continents. During her 23-year career, she has held various positions at top multinationals such as Shell-Basell, UCB-Cytec, Huntsman, Rohm Haas-Dow Chemical and Sealed Air.
Her responsibilities have included research & development, strategy, business and digital in industries spanning automotive, aerospace, oil & gas, mining, water desalination, construction, consumer goods, food service, hospitality and healthcare. She has overseen transformations through multiple mergers and acquisitions.
Ilham Kadri led the turnaround of Diversey, starting in 2013, when she joined Sealed Air, the company’s owner at the time. She grew Diversey’s performance and in 2016, led its spin-off and subsequent divestment to Bain Capital.
At Diversey, she delivered annual double-digit profit and revenues growth since 2013, while the company expanded into high-performance sectors such as health care and food service. Employee engagement doubled to a record of 80% in 2016 as she gave the business a clear purpose in strengthening performance and rewarding merit.
Ilham Kadri is committed to diversity and inclusion, mentoring young women and promoting female leadership in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Throughout her career, she received awards for fighting illiteracy, for developing charity and for her business leadership.
She holds a degree in chemical engineering from L’Ecole des Hauts Polymères in Strasbourg, and a PhD in macromolecular physico-chemistry from Strasbourg’s Louis Pasteur University.
CEO, Philip Morris International
Mr. Calantzopoulos was named Chief Executive Officer and was elected to the Board of Directors on May 8, 2013. He served as Chief Operating Officer from our spin-off on March 28, 2008 to May 8, 2013. Mr. Calantzopoulos was PMI’s President and Chief Executive Officer between 2002 and the date of the spin-off. After joining the company in 1985, he worked extensively across Central Europe, including as Managing Director of PM Poland and President of the Eastern European Region. Mr. Calantzopoulos holds a degree in electrical engineering from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne and an MBA from INSEAD in France.
CEO of Unilever
Alan joined Unilever in the UK in 1985, subsequently working in North America for 14 years and in Asia for 13 years. Before being appointed as Chief Executive Officer, Alan served as President of Unilever’s Personal Care business from 2014 and continued as President when the name of the division changed in 2018 to Beauty & Personal Care.
From 2009 Alan led Unilever’s business in China and North Asia, doubling its size and laying important foundations for future success. He was appointed to Unilever’s Leadership Executive in 2011 in his role as President of Unilever’s businesses across North Asia. His previous senior roles have also included President Russia, Africa & Middle East; global category leader for several of Unilever’s Foods businesses; and President of Unilever’s Home & Personal Care business in North America. Earlier, Alan worked in a number of sales and marketing roles in the UK, Thailand, and the US.
Alan holds a Bachelor of Commerce with honours from Edinburgh University, Scotland. He also graduated from Harvard Business School’s General Management Program in 2001.
Alan is married and has three children.
History
-2019: Appointed Chief Executive Officer of Unilever N.V. and Unilever PLC
-2018: Personal Care becomes Beauty & Personal Care Division
-2014: President of Unilever’s Personal Care business
-2013: President of Unilever Russia, Africa & Middle East
-2011: President of Unilever’s businesses across North Asia and member of the Unilever Leadership Executive
-2009: Chair of Unilever in Greater China
-2000: Global Category Leader for several of Unilever’s Foods & Refreshment divisions, and President of Unilever’s Home & Personal Care business in North America
-1999: VP of Marketing, Unilever’s Helene Curtis business
-1995: VP, Personal Care for Unilever Thailand with additional responsibility for Hair Care in Asia Pacific
-1985: Joined Unilever
CEO, Charoen Pokphand Group
Mr. Suphachai Chearavanont is the Chief Executive Officer of Charoen Pokphand Group (C.P. Group), one of Asia’s leading conglomerates that consists of over 100 companies operating in 21 countries in agri-food, retail and telecommunications. He also serves as the Chairman of the Executive Committee of True Corporation (listed on the Thai Stock Exchange), where he was previously President and Chief Executive Officer, and oversees group-wide strategies on sustainability policies and corporate communications.
Mr. Chearavanont has been a member of the Thai Government’s Independent Committee for Educational Reform since May 2017 and Chairperson for the United Nations Global Compact Network Thailand since 2016. In 2013, he helped launch Thailand’s first telecommunications infrastructure fund (Digital Infrastructure Fund) and established True’s CSR initiative that helped deliver education to underprivileged children in 6,000 schools in rural areas of Thailand.
In 2015 he was awarded “Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific Telecom CEO of the Year” at the Asia Pacific ICT Awards and also elected President of the Telecommunications Association of Thailand appointed under The Royal Patronage. He was appointed a Counselor and Advisory Board Member for One Young World Summit 2015.
He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration focusing on Financial Management from Boston University, and awarded an Honorary Doctorate degree in Mass Communications from Ramkhamhaeng University in March 2016.
Executive Vice President & Head of Operations, Nestlé
Born in 1959 in Egypt, Magdi Batato is a Swiss national. He holds a PhD in Thermodynamics from Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), a degree from INSEAD in Manufacturing and completed the Executive Development Program (PED) of IMD Lausanne. Magdi Batato has worked as Assistant Professor and lecturer at the EPFL and Technicom in Bienne as well as Project Engineer in an engineering consultancy firm in Lausanne (Bonnard & Gardel), before joining Nestle in Switzerland in 1991 as Engineer in Industrial Services, Energy &. Environment. His Factory and Production Management experiences took him to Germany, Lebanon and South Africa. In 2004, Magdi Batato was transferred to Malaysia as Executive Director of Production. In 2009, Magdi Batato moved to Nestle UK & Ireland as Head of Group Technical before taking over the position of Market Head Pakistan in May 2012. On 1 October 2015, Magdi Batato returned to Vevey upon his appointment as Executive Vice President, Nestle S.A., and Head of Operations. As such he is responsible for Procurement, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Engineering, Quality Management, Agriculture, Safety &. Health, Environmental Sustainability and Operations Performance.
Chairman and CEO, Ayala Corporation
Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala is the Chairman and CEO of Ayala Corporation, one of the largest business groups in the Philippines, with interests in real estate, banking, telecommunications, water, power, industrial technologies, infrastructure, healthcare, and education. Outside the Ayala group, he is a member of various business and socio-civic organizations in the Philippines and abroad, including the JP Morgan International Council, JP Morgan Asia Pacific Council, Mitsubishi Corporation International Advisory Council, and Council on Foreign Relations.
He sits on the board of the Singapore Management University and on various advisory boards of Harvard University, including the Global Advisory Council, HBS Board of Dean’s Advisors, and HBS Asia-Pacific Advisory Board, which he chairs. He is Chairman of Endeavor Philippines, Chairman Emeritus of the Asia Business Council, and was the Philippine Representative to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Advisory Council from 2010-2015.
He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Merit in 2009, the Philippine Legion of Honor with rank of Grand Commander in 2010, and the Order of Mabini with rank of Commander in 2015 by the President of the Philippines. In 2017, he was recognized as a United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Pioneer for his work in sustainable business strategy and operations. The first SDG Pioneer from the Philippines, he was one of 10 individuals recognized for championing sustainability and the pursuit of the 17 SDGs in business.
He received his BA in Economics (cum laude) from Harvard University in 1981 and MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration in 1987.
CEO, Firmenich
Gilbert joined Firmenich in October 2014 as the Group’s first non-family member CEO. Building on the Firmenich legacy, Gilbert is firmly focused on raising the bar across the Group’s key competencies in order to create value for its customers and delight consumers worldwide. In doing so, he is driving world-class Research, Creativity, and Customer focus across the organization, while keeping the Company’s culture firmly anchored in its core values, at the heart of the Group’s success since its creation in 1895. Making a positive contribution to his Community has always been a personal priority for Gilbert. That’s why he places sustainability at the core of the Group’s strategy. Today, he is putting Firmenich’s expertise to work to address some of the world’s greatest challenges, such as Hygiene and Sanitation or Health and Nutrition. Prior to joining Firmenich, Gilbert spent 21 years with Diageo. He holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Saint Joseph University, Lebanon as well as followed the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program. A Lebanese national, Gilbert is married with two children and is fluent in three languages.
President and CEO, WBCSD
Peter Bakker is President and CEO of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
Mr Bakker has led WBCSD since 2012. WBCSD is a global, CEO-led organization of over 200 leading businesses working together to accelerate the transition to a sustainable world. WBCSD member companies come from all business sectors and all major economies, representing a combined revenue of more than USD $8.5 trillion and with 19 million employees.
Mr Bakker is a distinguished business leader who, until June 2011, served as CFO and then CEO of TNT NV, the global transport and logistics company. He has been recipient of the Clinton Global Citizen Award (2009) and the Sustainability Leadership Award (2010). Mr Bakker is Chairman of War Child in the Netherlands and serves as a member of corporate sustainability advisory boards.
He is an Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau since 2018, in recognition of his long-lasting commitment to engaging business in tackling global sustainability issues.
Commissioner: Global Commission on Business and Sustainable Development
Chairman: War Child, Netherlands
Co-Chair: Redefining the Role of Business for Sustainable Development, SDSN
Vice-Chairman: International Integrated Reporting Council
Champion: SDG 12.3
Ambassador Against Hunger: UN World Food Programme
Corporate Sustainability Advisory Boards: IKEA, BASF, Nespresso, P&G, Daimler
International Advisory Board Member: CCICED (China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development)
Convener: BRIGC (BRI International Green Development Coalition)
CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board, Randstad
Jacques van den Broek has been appointed CEO and chairman of the Executive Board of Randstad Holding NV in March 2014. He is responsible for operations in the UK and Germany as well as for Business Concept Development, HR, IT, Marketing & Communications and Public Affairs.
Jacques graduated in law at Tilburg University and briefly held a management position at Vendex International before joining Randstad as a branch manager in 1988. Over the years he has held various management positions at Randstad, including Regional Director in the Netherlands and Marketing Director Europe. In 2001 he became CEO of newmonday.com and in 2002 he was appointed Managing Director of Capac Inhouse Services (now called Randstad Inhouse Services). At the time he was also responsible for Randstad Denmark and Switzerland.
Jacques van den Broek joined the Executive Board in January 2004. Since then Jacques has been responsible for the significant boost of our global accounts which yield approximately 25% of Group revenue. He led the integration of major operations after the Vedior merger, including the one in France.
Jacques van den Broek is married and has two sons. He enjoys playing sports – soccer, running, golf – as well as art, and he collects original comic books.
Chairman, Fujitsu Ltd
Mr. Masami Yamamoto serves as the Chairman of Fujitsu Limited and has been its Corporate Executive Officer since February 1, 2016. Mr. Yamamoto served as the President of Fujitsu Limited since April 1, 2010. He served as Corporate Senior Executive Vice President of Fujitsu Ltd. until April 1, 2010. He served as Corporate Senior Vice President of Fujitsu Ltd. since June 22, 2007. Mr. Yamamoto served as Corporate Vice President of Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited. He served as Corporate Vice President of Fujitsu Ltd until June 22, 2007. He serves as a Director of Fujitsu Technology Solutions (Holding) B.V. Mr. Yamamoto served as a Director at Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. since April 2010. He has been a Representative Director of Fujitsu Limited since June 2010.
President, US Regulated Industries, Microsoft
As president of US Regulated Industries at Microsoft, Toni Townes-Whitley leads the US sales strategy for driving digital transformation across customers and partners within the public sector and regulated industries. With responsibility for the 2000+ sales organization and ~$11B P&L, she is one of the leading women at Microsoft, and in the technology industry, with a strong track record for accelerating profitable business performance and building high-performance teams.
Her organization is responsible for executing on Microsoft’s industry strategy and go-to-market for both public sector and regulated industries in the United States, including Education, Financial Services, Government, and Health. In addition to leading this team, Townes-Whitley drives the formulation of Microsoft’s AI National Plans around the world and represents the global salesforce on Microsoft’s Aether Committee (AI and Ethics in Engineering and Research) – a Board created to recommend policies and procedures that address the implications and opportunities of AI on society.
Passionate about leveraging technology to create positive societal and global impact, Townes-Whitley represents Microsoft at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). In this capacity, she works with CEOs from each industry to address global issues around urbanization, climate change, and workforce readiness. Toni’s external efforts align to her innovation within Microsoft, specifically in the creation of a Digital Leadership vision and narrative that extends the company’s focus beyond customer transformation to responsible and principled implementation of technology and inclusive transformation for every person and organization on the planet.
Prior to joining Microsoft, Townes-Whitley was president of CGI Federal, where she was responsible for a portfolio of more than $1 billion, leading 6,600 employees in more than 70 countries to deliver greater value to US Government civilian, defense, and intelligence sectors. Prior to her role at CGI, Townes-Whitley held several management roles at Unisys Corporation leading global, public sector systems integration and the Federal Civilian group, where she achieved 500 percent revenue growth and doubled profitability.
Townes-Whitley is a graduate of Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School and has received certifications from Wharton Executive Education, New York University (NYU), and the Performance Management Institute. A writer and presenter on topics of IT innovation in society, she has delivered presentations most recently with Gender Fair (TED Talk), Stanford University, INSEAD, United Nations Council on Women, World Economic Forum, White House Refugee “Call to Action”, GlobeSec, and numerous other industry client and partner organizations.
Townes-Whitley is co-executive sponsor for the Blacks and Africans Employee Resource Group at Microsoft. She sits on the board of directors for the United Way (King County), is an advisor to the Women’s Center of Northern Virginia, and a past president of Women in Technology. She has helped to launch new initiatives for Microsoft with the Athena Alliance—an organization that prepares women for corporate board roles; and Gender Fair, a new movement to logo companies with equitable pay and progressive programs for women. Townes-Whitley continues to support the US Peace Corps for which she volunteered for three years as a village teacher in Gabon (Central Africa). She is married to John H. Whitley. The couple reside in Mclean, VA. They have five children and are awaiting their fifth grandchild.
Executive Chairman, Banco Santander
Ana Botín was appointed Executive Chairman of Banco Santander in September 2014. Since then, she has led a cultural and commercial transformation of the bank, helping Santander become one of the most profitable and efficient banks in the world, serving over 140 million customers across Europe and the Americas.
Under her leadership, Santander has embedded a clear purpose across the bank: to help people and businesses prosper. This, combined with the bank’s leadership in digital innovation and strong commitment to responsible banking, helped Santander meet the three-year targets it set in 2015 – growing revenues; becoming one of the most profitable and efficient banks among its global peers; and achieving a top-3 ranking for customer satisfaction in the majority of its markets. At the same time, Santander was ranked third in the world among banks – and number one in Europe – in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.
Ana began her career at JPMorgan in New York, before joining Santander in 1988. She led the Group’s expansion in Latin America, before becoming Chief Executive of Banesto in Spain in 2002. In 2010 she was appointed CEO of Santander UK, where she led the transformation of three former building societies into one of Britain’s most innovative banks.
She is the founder and Chair of Fundacion CyD, which supports the contribution made by universities to economic and social development in Spain, and Empieza por Educar, the Spanish affiliate of Teach for All, which trains talented graduates to become teachers.
Ms Botin earned her BA in economics from Bryn Mawr College. She is a Board member of the Coca-Cola Company and a member of the MIT CEO Advisory Board. She is married and has three sons.
