The planet needs solutions, Business schools rise to the challenge!
The planet needs solutions, Business schools rise to the challenge!"We bring science to action. Being solution-oriented is part of our DNA," stated HEC Paris Dean Eloïc Peyrache as he opened the Business Schools for Climate Leadership session at ChangeNOW on April 25, at the Paris Grand Palais.
Concepción Galdón (IE Business School), Eloïc Peyrache (HEC Paris), David bach (IMD) Francisco Veloso (INSEAD), Lee Newman (IE Business School), and Fernanda Accorsi (IESE Business School)
Eight leading European business schools (BS4CL Alliance: Cambridge Judge Business School, HEC Paris, IE Business School, IESE Business School, International Institute for Management Development (IMD), Insead, London Business School, Said Business School) took center stage on the second day of this global summit to form a united front at a pivotal moment for climate ambition. HEC Paris Dean, together with his counterparts — Francisco Veloso (INSEAD), Lee Newman (IE Business School), David Bach (IMD Business School) and Concepción Galdón and Fernanda Accorsi (IESE Business School) — highlighted the unique strengths business schools bring to address today's urgent environmental and social challenges.
Evidence-based decisions are essential.
We produce new knowledge and disseminate academic research into real-world and organizations, providing leaders, and companies with actionable insights and effective strategies to drive the climate transition.
Reinventing Business Requires Deep Business Knowledge.
We drive systemic change from within. To transform existing business models, invent new ones, and embed sustainability at the core, you first need a deep understanding of how businesses operate. That’s why we empower our students to master the fundamentals of business — so they can lead the transformation from the inside out.
Complex challenges require multidisciplinary approaches.
We are multidisciplinary shcools by nature. Our students develop the ability to navigate industries, technologies, and societal issues. By speaking different languages, they are equipped to build 360° solutions.
Purpose fuels engagement.
We train purpose-driven individuals to lead change. Business schools are ideal environments to explore personal aspirations, align professional careers with societal contribution, and discover the many paths to meaningful impact. You don't have to choose between being an activist or a consultant, you can be both!
The Power of Ecosystems in Driving Change.
Solutions are never found in isolation — they are the result of collective efforts. Business schools act as catalysts for change by building powerful ecosystems, connecting researchers, corporates, entrepreneurs, decision-makers, investors, and the public sector to co-create innovative and impactful solutions.
As Paul Watkinson, Brune Poirson, and Pascal Canfin emphasized during the panel on the future of international climate negotiations, moderated by Professor François Gemenne: ten years after the Paris Agreement — and as the United States threatens to break up the system — Europe must take the lead, foster global unity, reinvent the rules, and move decisively into an era of implementation.
This call to action strongly resonated with the united voice of our eight European higher education institutions — rooted in shared values, and whose teaching and research are continuously evolving to meet present and future challenges, with engaged communities fully committed to delivering real-world solutions.