Net positive: Q&A and conversation with Paul Polman

Target group: Representatives from Global Compact companies interested in the strategic discussion on the concept of ‘net positive’ and sustainability leadership.

Is the world better off because your business is in it? That’s one of the big questions business leader and former Unilever-CEO Paul Polman asks the readers of his new book (co-written by Andrew Winston) ‘Net Positive: Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take”. In the book, Paul Polman shows business leaders how to take on humanity’s greatest and most urgent challenges – climate change and inequality – and build a thriving business as a result.

As the Vice-Chair Paul Polman of the UN Global Compact, Paul Polman has graciously offered Global Compact Network Denmark a ‘Town Hall’ and Q&A session with its members, and therefore we are happy to invite all Danish Global Compact companies to meet Paul Polman on September 12. In the sign-up to the event you also get an opportunity to ask Paul Polman a question which we might take up during the session.

The session will be moderated by Lene Serpa, Chair of the Board in Global Compact Network Denmark and Director, Head of Corporate Sustainability & ESG at A. P. Møller Maersk.

About Paul Polman

Paul Polman works to accelerate action by business to tackle climate change and inequality. A leading proponent that business should be a force for good, Paul has been described by the Financial Times as “a standout CEO of the past decade”.

As CEO of Unilever (2009-2019), he demonstrated that a long-term, multi-stakeholder model goes hand-in-hand with excellent financial performance. Paul was a member of the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Panel which developed the Sustainable Development Goals and which he continues to champion, working with global organizations and across industry to push the 2030 development agenda.

Paul’s new book, “Net Positive”, is a call to arms to courageous business leaders, setting out how to build net positive companies which profit by fixing the world’s problems rather than creating them. He Chairs IMAGINE, a social venture dedicated to systems change, and Saïd Business School, and he is Vice-Chair of the UN Global Compact as well as B Team Leader. Paul is Honorary Chair of the International Chamber of Commerce, which he led for two years.

Get the book

If you are interested in sharing Net Positive with your team, organization, or clients, HBR Press offers quantity discounts for bulk purchases starting at 10 copies in hardcover, eBook, or audiobook format. Customization to reflect your brand is also available. Email booksales@hbr.org for more information or a price quote.

All profits from book sales go into building the net-zero movement and to Paul Polman’s foundation the Kilimanjaro Blind Trust.

Read more about ‘Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take’