PURPOSE & PROFIT 2.0 After the Backlash, What Remains ?
Participate
We are delighted to invite you to the fourth edition of the HEC S&O Purpose Day, hosted by the HEC Paris S&O Institute Purpose Center in partnership with the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation and POLIMI Graduate School of Management. The event will take place on April 7, 2026, at Maison Internationale, Cité universitaire de Paris.
In a world of accelerating geoeconomic change, is the alignment between purpose and profit becoming stronger or more fragile? In our first three editions, we showed that purpose alone does not guarantee performance. As a new economic order emerges, purpose-based firms may gain a decisive edge or confront new trade-offs. Join us for the fourth Purpose Day to make up your own mind.
This year's Purpose Day will bring together researchers, practitioners, and industry experts for an afternoon of discussions, workshops, and debates.
1:30 - 2:00 p.m. - Welcome Coffee
2:00 - 2:10 p.m. - Opening Remarks by Rodolphe Durand, Rupert Younger & Josip Kotlar
Session 1 - Research Insights
2:10 - 2:45 p.m. - Rodolphe Durand in Conversation with Marya Besharov and Colin Mayer
Moderated by Rodolphe Durand, HEC Paris- Joly Family Professor of Purposeful Leadership- Director: Purpose Center - Founder: S&O Institute.
2:45 - 3:15 p.m. - Research Grazing* & Networking Break
Session 2 - Practice insights
3:15 - 3:25 p.m. - Global Purpose Insights: Video Contributions from Major Global Leaders in the US, UK, Europe, Africa, and Australia
3:25 - 3:50 p.m. - Leader's Keynote: Barbara Martin Coppola
3:50 - 4:30 p.m. - Panel Discussion moderated by Josip Kotlar with: Mario Calderini, Laurence Debroux
4:30 - 5:00 p.m. - Research Grazing* & Networking Break
Session 3 - Oxford Union Debate and Policy Insights
5:00 - 5:45 p.m. - Oxford Union Debate led by Rupert Younger – “This house believes that purpose will only become strategically relevant for organizations if it becomes legally enforceable”
Arguing for the motion
With Aline Gatignon, Associate Professor of Strategy, HEC Paris; Julia Emtseva, Assistant Professor of Law, HEC Paris and Kai Rolker ,Head of Communications, Clariant.
Arguing against the motion
With Albena Björck, Senior Lecturer & Researcher, ZHAW School of Management & Law; Alex Rustler, Postdoctoral Research Centre, Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation and Tim Kuhrcke, Regional Lead for Europe, Middle East, Africa & South America at BCG BrightHouse.
Moderated by Rupert Younger, Director, Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation.
5:45 - 6:05 p.m. - Academic keynote by Sir Tim Besley
6:05 - 6:30 p.m. - Research Grazing* & Networking Break
Session 4 - A look to the Future
6:30 - 7:15 p.m. - Panel Discussion: Purpose & Leadership at the age of AI with Pascal Jauffret, Karina Litvack, Brad Harris, and Marya besharov
7:15 - 7:30 p.m. - Conclusion
7:30 - 8:30 p.m. - Cocktail
*With Arthur Bert, Jeongwon Choi, Edoardo Cortesi, Ximeng Fang, Jürgen Hamann, Can (Coco) He, Cheng Lu, Andrew Montandon and Chiara Pantalena
Take a look at the previous editions
The event is co-chaired by Rodolphe Durand, the Founder the S&O Institute & and the Academic director of the Purpose Center and Rupert Younger, the Founder and Director of the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation, and Chair of the Enacting Purpose Initiative.
Our heartfelt thanks for the support of the Joly Family Chair in Purposeful Leadership and its many individual donors and the Forvis Mazars "Purposeful Governance" Chair.
Hotels near the venue
Please refer to the enclosed separated document:
For more information about the event, please contact Iiris Sacchet: sacchet@hec.fr