Businesses for Belonging: How For-profits are Bridging to Advance Equity

Corporations have solved problems and created bigger problems, sometimes resulting in changing our lives for the better and sometimes exacting harm. Their scale of influence on people and the planet is unprecedented. Consequently, there is a divide that exists between corporations and those working in the NGO sector. Yet to face a world in crisis, we need each other. There are indicators of change in the business world, from the rise in Environmental Social Governance (ESG) to collective activism. A new kind of leadership and partnership is emerging, bridging sectors and movements to advance equity and belonging. In this panel, we will explore: how are businesses addressing problems and expanding opportunities through cross-sector and stakeholder bridging? How are NGOs and businesses bridging divides? What guardrails and co-design processes are emerging? Where do NGOs and the corporate sector’s interests converge and diverge? How do we navigate power differentials and tension and build trust? Finally, our panelists will share their own experiences walking in multiple worlds and why they’re called to be bridgers.