Sustainability leaders discuss bridging the gap

Sustainability leaders from more than a dozen countries gathered at Ivey’s Spencer Leadership Centre April 16-18 to share their knowledge and brainstorm new ideas at the Network for Business Sustainability’s international conference.

The event included discussion on researching and teaching sustainability and bridging the gap with practitioners.

A highlight included a panel session called Bridging the Research-Practice Gap with industry experts, including Tim Faveri, Director of Sustainability and Responsibility, Tim Hortons; Peter MacConnachie, Senior Sustainability Issues Management Specialist, Suncor Energy; Deborah Moynes-Keshen, Executive Vice President, Automotive Industries Association of Canada; and Luc Robitaille, Corporate Director of Environment, Holcim (Canada) Ltd.

“We have a great opportunity to shape the next generation coming into the workforce,” said Faveri. “The more universities and academic research can get involved with businesses, the more this chasm will close.”

Topics discussed during the panel session included how businesses can use the vast pool of academic research related to sustainability issues, how businesses can educate consumers on such issues, how academics can become more engaged with businesses, and how businesses can communicate the advantages of sustainable business practices.

“We need to take big challenges and divide them up into biteable challenges,” said Moynes-Keshen. “We need partnerships and we need collaboration. No one organization is going to change the world.”

For more information on Bridging the Research-Practice Gap, please see Academy of Management Perspectives article.

Photo above: Tim Faveri, Director of Sustainability and Responsibility at Tim Hortons, speaking at the Bridging the Research-Practice Gap panel session

Photos below:

Photo 1 Barb Steele, Director Strategic Partnerships, Network for Business Sustainability, moderating the panel session with panellists Luc Robitaille of Holcim (Canada) Inc., and Peter MacConnachie of Suncor Energy;

Photo 2 (left to right) Luc Robitaille, Barb Steele, Peter MacConnachie, Tim Faveri, Deborah Moynes-Keshen, Tima Bansal (Executive Director of the Network for Business Sustainability) and Pam Laughland (Managing Director of the Network for Business Sustainability)