Aspen UK is delighted to co-host this seminar with Saïd Business School’s Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford University.
Join us, in-person or online, for a conversation on the delicate balance between profit-making and delivering social good – a key challenge for organisations striving to create lasting impact. Moderated by Professor Marya Besharov, the discussion will explore strategies for embedding purpose at the core of businesses, the ethical considerations that drive long-term sustainability, and how leaders can integrate values such as fairness, transparency, and responsibility into their organisations.
Speakers
- Anjali Sarker (Oxford Character Project) – Programme Director of the Global Leadership Challenge, leading character and leadership development initiatives for students and professionals worldwide. She has worked at BRAC, one of the world’s largest NGOs, bringing digital financial services to a million women in Bangladesh, and is a Senior Atlantic Fellow at LSE, a Dalai Lama Fellow, and a New Voices Fellow at the Aspen Institute.
- Ruth Girardet (Aspen Institute UK & University of Edinburgh) = Executive and leadership coach with over 20 years of experience in corporate ethics and responsibility. Formerly Group Corporate Responsibility Director at Tesco and CEO of Just for Kids Law, Ruth also facilitates the Aspen Executive Leadership Seminar and serves on the University of Edinburgh’s Court.
- Athol Williams (Saïd Business School) – South African academic, author, and expert in corporate strategy and ethics. With degrees from Oxford, Harvard, MIT, and others, he has published extensively on ethics, leadership, and public service. Recognised for his advocacy against corruption and his contributions to literature, he was recently elected an Honorary Fellow at Hertford College, Oxford.
Moderator
Professor Marya Besharov (Saïd Business School) – Professor of Organisations and Impact and Academic Director of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship. Her research and teaching focus on leadership, social impact, and hybrid organisations, with expertise in managing the intersection of social and financial performance.
Join us for an engaging discussion on how businesses can thrive while staying true to their social mission and fostering a culture of ethical leadership.