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Fifth annual conference on Trust and Integrity in the Global Economy attracts participants of 26 nationalities

The fifth annual conference on Trust and Integrity in the Global Economy (TIGE) was held at the international conference centre of Initiatives of Change in Caux, Switzerland, from 15 to 24 July. It attracted participants from 26 countries. They included businessmen and bankers, social entrepreneurs and farmers, academics and consultants, campaigners on the environment and sustainable development, university students and families. As well as daily plenary sessions, six work stream discussion groups met over three days to share experiences and insights. These were on: reshaping business around core values; food and the new development paradigm; leading change for a sustainable world; authentic self-leadership; integral economy and integral society; and creating a learning society.

Each day, a conference ‘Hub’ provided a meeting place where new ideas and initiatives could be shared with the whole conference. Swedish participants highlighted their annual World Values Day during the conference and British banker Paul Moore launched an online New Wilberforce Alliance which seeks to ‘free the world from the modern-day slavery caused by the culture of greed’. L’Hebdo, the leading French-language weekly magazine of Switzerland, interviewed conference keynote speaker Lady Susan Rice, Managing Director of Lloyds Banking Group in Scotland who is also a member of the governing body of the Bank of England.

The following reports give a picture of the whole conference. Reports by: Chris Breitenberg, Yasin Choudhary, Sophie Durut, Dorothea Endres, Louisa Meury and Andrew Stallybrass. Photos by: Marion Bouvier, Mbindyo Kimanthi and Louisa Meury.

Four steps needed to change the culture of the City

Following the financial crisis of 2008 many people blamed bankers' greed for the calamitous state of the economy. But James Featherby, author of the book Of Markets and Men, argues that ‘The greed narrative allows us all off the hook too quickly. It's all about the practices we have built as a society: greed played a part in the financial collapse, but greed wasn't the only reason for it.’
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Tiger creates a stir in Liverpool

After the successes of annual events organized in the idyllic setting of Caux, Switzerland, it was fitting that the Initiatives of Change programme exported itself to new horizons with its TIGERoadshow. The emphasis of the roadshow, held on 19 March, was on Trust and Integrity in the Global Economy. And where more suited to start than Liverpool?
Monday, March 25, 2013
Exploring the art of the wise leader

Grace, dignity and humility are just three of the qualities with which the Australian historian of ideas and TEDx lecturer, Dr Mark Strom, provided a three-day exploration of wisdom and leadership to a group of 19 gathered in the idyllic setting of the Villa Maria in Caux, Switzerland.
Monday, March 11, 2013
What gives the courage to whistleblow? One woman’s story

Genevieve Boast shares what she has learned about the true meaning of ‘real love’. Early on in her career she was faced with a decision whether she was able to love herself enough to keep her integrity as a leader.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Employee ownership leads to happiness and business success, says Chairman of John Lewis Partnership

Emphasizing that the ownership structure of companies ‘really, really matters’, Charlie Mayfield, Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership retail chain, which includes the Waitrose grocery chain, said that there is far too much pressure to sell join stock or privately owned companies for profit. One businessman had recently told him: ‘We actually start preparing for the sale of the company from the first day of ownership.’
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Unilever board member sets out the case for ‘social capitalism’

‘The age of Wikileaks requires honesty and transparency,’ says Doug Baillie, head of HR
Thursday, November 22, 2012
City of London needs a whole new cadre of ethical leadership, says leading business author

Banking is an industry that is institutionally flawed and has ‘lost its moral compass’, according to Philip Augar, a former Group Managing Director at Schroders investment bank. Addressing an audience of City of London executives and employees, he spoke on ‘ethics in the City’ at an event organised by the Institute of Business Ethics on 13 September.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Beyond Social Enterprise – the emergence of societal entrepreneurship

Beyond social enterprise, 'societal entrepreneurship' is the new trend, says Tony Bradley, Director of the SEED Centre (Social and Ethical Enterprise Development Centre) at Liverpool Hope University.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Business values work stream sees trust, respect and faith in people as keys to sustainable productivity

People are inherently trustworthy and willing to engage creatively and productively when given the chance to grow professionally and personally. These were key findings shared by top executives during a business values work stream, held over three days, 20 to 22 July, during the conference on Trust and Integrity in the Global Economy in Caux, Switzerland. The interactive work stream was on the theme of ‘reshaping business around core values’.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
‘Taste the waste’: food and sustainability work stream tackles food wastage

Tackling food wastage was a key theme of a ‘food and sustainability’ work stream, one of six work stream groups run from 20 to 23 July during the Caux conference on Trust and Integrity in the Global Economy. ‘There’s nothing more personal than eating,’ said Cristina Bignardi, an organic farmer from Bologna, Italy, who was the work stream leader. The food and sustainability work stream, now in its fourth year, emphasised that a paradigm shift concerning eating habits is slowly developing but is far from complete.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012