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Announcing the 2018 Oslo Business for Peace Award Winners

Tuesday, 20 March 2018 09:30

Announcing the 2018 Oslo Business for Peace Award winners

Three global business leaders win 2018 Oslo Business for Peace Award for their peacebuilding work in conflict zones, championing gender equality, and tackling climate change. Business for Peace is pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 Oslo Business for Peace Award: Lori Blaker, President and CEO of TTi Global, Edgar Montenegro, Founder and CEO of Corpocampo, and Martin Naughton, Founder of Glen Dimplex Group.

Lori Blaker (United States) champions inclusion and gender equality as core values at TTi Global, a staffing, recruiting, and consulting firm operating on five continents with over 2000 employees. Blaker is recognized for her business performance not only in the United States but in developing economies such as India and Afghanistan. In 2016, Blaker opened a retail Automotive Service Center and Training Center in Kabul, creating much-needed job opportunities in a challenging environment. Notably, the facility employs both men and women. Blaker developed a special training program for local women to learn management skills in an industry they would traditionally be barred from, which is just one example of her commitment to making positive change through business.

Edgar Montenegro (Colombia) founded Corpocampo in 2003 with the aim of using food production to build sustainable communities. The Colombian Pacific Coast region has long been affected by the country’s internal conflict, leading to widespread poverty, violence, and illegal coca crop production. Montenegro wanted to improve peoples’ lives by providing a legal and reliable source of income. His company specialises in the production and distribution of acai berries and palm hearts, with all products deriving from sustainable farming practices. Operating in several locations in Colombia, Montenegro works closely with local Afro-Colombian communities and indigenous people. Corpocampo has provided jobs for over 240 female-headed households, impacting over 1,300 families. Montenegro is recognized for his courageous achievements proving how the private sector can build peace by identifying business opportunities that help marginalised groups become more resilient.

Martin Naughton, KBE (Ireland) has grown Glen Dimplex Group from seven employees in 1973 to becoming Ireland’s largest privately-owned manufacturing business and one of the world’s leading manufacturers of domestic appliances. During the turbulent years of the Northern Ireland conflict, Naughton promoted and supported business on both sides of the border, including negotiating cross-
border trade. Naughton also played a significant role in establishing a corporate department on renewable and low-carbon solutions for heating, cooling, and ventilation, taking an active role in tackling climate change. Naughton receives the Award for his inspiring efforts to promote the role of the private sector in contributing to peace and environmental sustainability.

About the Award
The Oslo Business for Peace Award is given out annually to exemplary business leaders who apply their business energy ethically and responsibly, creating economic and societal value. Winners are selected by an independent committee of Nobel Prize winners in Peace and in Economics after a global nomination process through the International Chamber of Commerce, United Nations Global Compact, United Nations Development Programme, and Principles for Responsible Investment. The Award Committee consists of Ouided Bouchamaoui (Tunisia), Shirin Ebadi (Iran), Leymah Gbowee (Liberia), Finn Kydland (Norway), and Eric Maskin (USA). The committee evaluated the nominees on the criteria of being a role model to society and their peers, having earned trust by stakeholders, and standing out as an advocate.

Upcoming Award Ceremony

The three winners will receive the Award in a ceremony at Oslo City Hall on May 16, 2018 as part of the annual Business for Peace Summit.

2018 Business for Peace Award Honourees Announced

Tuesday, 20 March 2018 08:45

Did you miss the March 20 livestream announcement from Oslo City Hall? Catch it again here!

The 2018 Oslo Business for Peace Honourees are:

Each year, Business for Peace recognises exceptional global business leaders who exemplify the Foundation’s concept of being businessworthy by ethically creating economic value that also creates value for society. Honourees are selected by an independent committee of Nobel Prize winners in Peace and in Economics after a global nomination process through the International Chamber of Commerce, United Nations Global Compact, United Nations Development Programme, and Principles for Responsible Investment.

Lori Blaker (United States)

CEO of TTi Global

Lori Blaker champions inclusion and gender equality as core values at TTi Global, a staffing, recruiting, and consulting firm operating on five continents with over 2000 employees. Blaker is recognized for her business performance not only in the United States but in developing economies such as India and Afghanistan. In 2016, Blaker opened a retail Automotive Service Center and Training Center in Kabul, creating much-needed job opportunities in a challenging environment. Notably, the facility employs both men and women. Blaker developed a special training program for local women to learn management skills in an industry they would traditionally be barred from, which is just one example of her commitment to making positive change through business.

“Businesses can be crucial in identifying issues and challenges in their communities both socially and economically,” said Blaker. “It’s important, especially in today’s political climate, that we use this knowledge to drive change and growth in our world. To me, this recognition is a validation of the effort and conviction that TTi Global has indeed been on the right path.”

Edgar Montenegro (Colombia)

Founder and CEO of Corpocampo

Edgar Montenegro founded Corpocampo in 2003 with the aim of using food production to build sustainable communities. The Colombian Pacific Coast region has long been affected by the country’s internal conflict, leading to widespread poverty, violence, and illegal coca crop production. Montenegro wanted to improve peoples’ lives by providing a legal and reliable source of income. His company specialises in the production and distribution of acai berries and palm hearts, with all products deriving from sustainable farming practices. Operating in several locations in Colombia, Montenegro works closely with local Afro-Colombian communities and indigenous people. Corpocampo has provided jobs for over 240 female-headed households, impacting over 1,300 families. Montenegro is recognized for his courageous achievements proving how the private sector can build peace by identifying business opportunities that help marginalised groups become more resilient.

“I am proud of the work we have been doing for several years in Corpocampo,” said Montenegro. “It is very gratifying to be recognised for the work we do in places where the situation of poverty and insecurity is very different to the one in the capital. Although it is often difficult to do business in the middle of the jungle due to the lack of infrastructure and the presence of armed groups and drug traffickers, we know that what we do in Corpocampo ensures the well-being of 1,300 families and we have a very big commitment to them.”

Martin Naughton, KBE (Ireland)

Founder of Glen Dimplex Group

Martin Naughton has grown Glen Dimplex Group from seven employees in 1973 to becoming Ireland’s largest privately-owned manufacturing business and one of the world’s leading manufacturers of domestic appliances. During the turbulent years of the Northern Ireland conflict, Naughton promoted and supported business on both sides of the border, including negotiating cross-border trade. Naughton also played a significant role in establishing a corporate department on renewable and low-carbon solutions for heating, cooling, and ventilation, taking an active role in tackling climate change. Naughton receives the Award for his inspiring efforts to promote the role of the private sector in contributing to peace and environmental sustainability.

“I am honoured and humbled to have been recognised by Business for Peace for this award,” said Naughton. “Throughout my life in business as founder of Glen Dimplex Group, I have been fortunate to have been able to play my part in effecting positive societal change. As we approach the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, I am reminded that we must continue to work to maintain peace on both sides of the Irish border. Similarly, we must redouble our efforts to tackle climate change and promote environmental sustainability.”

Nobel Prize winners gather to select the 2018 Business for Peace Award Honourees

Tuesday, 20 February 2018 16:25

Nobel laureates in Peace and Economics gathered in London last week to select the 2018 Oslo Business for Peace Award Honourees. Ms. Ouided Bouchamaoui, Dr. Shirin Ebadi, Professor Finn Kydland, Ms. Leymah Gbowee, and Professor Eric Maskin – the independent Award Committee – are all outstanding role models within their respective fields, with a passion for improving society driving their endeavours. The Committee met at the Norwegian Embassy to select Honourees who share the same commitment to tackling global challenges through positive business leadership.

Professor Maskin is the newest member of the Committee. He takes over for Michael Spence and brings his highly relevant expertise to the group. The Harvard professor specialises in mechanism design theory, a type of game theory used to build societal institutions that align individual incentives with overall societal goals.

The Foundation is proud to have an independent Committee of Nobel laureates evaluate the candidates and select the winners of the Award each year. Their involvement adds momentum to the businessworthy movement, aiming to redefine the concepts of success and value-creation in business.

The idea is to have the foremost individual representatives of the global society recognising the foremost representatives within business.

– Per L. Saxegaard, Founder

The Founder of the Business for Peace Foundation, Per L. Saxegaard, explains the vision behind the Committee in the following way: “The idea is to have the foremost individual representatives of the global society recognising the foremost representatives within business.”

When discussing the 2018 Award Nominees, Professor Maskin highlighted the potential that lies in promoting business leaders who choose to act businessworthy: “I’d like to see the Oslo Business for Peace Award continue to highlight businesses and business people who are doing more than making a lot of money, showing how a successful business can operate in a way that is ethical and that also contributes something really significant to society.”

Telling the stories of leaders who combine profit and purpose proves that it is possible to align these joint aims, and that we must do so if we are to reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The names of the 2018 Honourees will be announced on 20 March in Oslo. The announcement will be live-streamed for international audiences as well.

I’d like to see the Oslo Business for Peace Award continue to highlight businesses and business people who are doing more than making a lot of money, showing how a successful business can operate in a way that is ethical and that also contributes something really significant to society.

– Professor Eric Maskin

Christiana Figueres to 2018 Summit

Tuesday, 06 February 2018 18:34

Forging a new brand of collaborative diplomacy, Christiana Figueres spent six years working for the UN as the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and was one of the key architects of the Paris Agreement.

Christiana is now leading Mission 2020, a global initiative to bring “new urgency” to the “global climate conversation”. If the world is to avoid surpassing 2C by 2100, the emissions must peak before 2020 and then begin to rapidly decline – this means that the window of being able to change the course is very narrow. Private sector plays a significant role in reducing emissions and Figueres underlines the business opportunity that lies in taking climate leadership.

There is no doubt that the private sector is going to play a huge role (…) It is the private sector that has the technology, the capital, the know-how, the ingenuity to actually get us there.

– Christiana Figueres

2018 Summit: Building Trust- Accelerating Climate Leadership

Tuesday, 12 December 2017 11:24

Are the world’s institutions running up a trust deficit? Geopolitical tensions are rising and supranational alliances disintegrating. Popular unrest against elites is surging, the pace of change, globalisation and automation challenge employees across countries and industries, while climate change is testing the boundaries between politics and business.

Society’s trust in key institutions – with business sharing the fate of governments, NGOs and media – has declined markedly over the last years. CEOs have a low credibility among the broader population, and are short of a key currency. At the same time, technology is offering new capabilities to build but also distort trust, which may demand new ways for business leaders to relate to their stakeholders.

Trust is firmly embedded in the mission of the Business for Peace Foundation. With trust as the overarching theme for the 2018 Summit, we will look at how business leaders can address the trust deficit. To build trust in business, we believe that leaders need to step outside of their traditional roles and place sustainability and the opportunity to create value for society at the core of their strategy. We need businessworthy leaders.

Climate change is probably the most tangible global challenge requiring business to work diligently with society in search of solutions. We need to define and accelerate Climate Leadership in business. Can a renewed sense of trust enable us to speed up on climate leadership?

PROGRAM

MAY 15 – DAY 1

Launch of the Oslo Climate Leadership Declaration

08:00-10:00 (Breakfast from 07:15)

Grand Hotel

Keynote address by Christiana Figueres of Mission 2020 with Kristin Halvorsen, Director of CICERO, and Nigel Topping, CEO of We Mean Business.

Honouree Network Meeting (Honourees only)
11:30-13:30

Nobel Peace Centre
Former and new Business for Peace Honourees gather for a network meeting with lunch

Business for Peace Lecture (Open to the public)
14:00-15:00

University Aula, University of Oslo
Jamie Oliver, founder of Jamie’s Food Revolution, chef and business leader, will give the annual Business for Peace lecture at the University of Oslo

Welcome Reception (Invitation only)
17:30-19:00

Nobel Peace Centre
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs invites select guests to an intimate and informal gathering. Opening remarks by representative from the Ministry and a brief keynote dialogue with a few speakers

MAY 16 – DAY 2

Breakfast Seminar by BI (Open to the public)
08:00-10:00

BI Norwegian Business School
As part of the 2018 Summit, Business for Peace and the Norwegian Business School (BI) invites Summit guests and students for an interactive seminar with Professor David Sloan Wilson on The Competitive Advantage of Collaboration – Rebalancing the Darwinian Perspective

The Business for Peace Roundtable (Invitation only)
Building Trust: Accelerating Climate Leadership
11:00-15:00

Sentralen
CEOs and board chairs from leading companies, investors, civil society and politics are invited to listen, engage and discuss how society’s trust in key institutions – with business sharing the fate of governments, NGOs and media – has declined markedly over the last years. Can a renewed sense of trust enable us to speed up on climate leadership? Moderator: Mishal Husain, journalist and broadcaster

Oslo Business for Peace Award Ceremony (Open to the public)
17:00-18:30

Oslo City Hall
The breath-taking highlight of the Business for Peace Summit – the Award Ceremony held in the Oslo City Hall, the venue of the Nobel Peace Prize. This is the formal delivery and celebration of the Business for Peace Award to the 2018 Business for Peace Honourees: Lori Blaker, Edgar Montenegro, and Martin Naughton. Keynote on The State of the Union between Business and Society. Artistic performances

Award Dinner Reception (Invitation only)
18:30-20:30

Oslo City Hall
Held in the same venue as the Award Ceremony, a standing dinner reception to celebrate the 2018 Honourees.

More speakers and special guests will be announced soon. Stay tuned for details on how to register for the public Summit events.

Press release: Principles for Responsible Investment new Nomination Partner

Wednesday, 22 November 2017 14:28

The Foundation is proud to welcome PRI, Principles for Responsible Investment, as our new nomination partner. PRI completes our group of nomination partners, representing investors and the financial sector. PRI is the world’s leading proponent of responsible investment.

PRI believes that an economically efficient, sustainable global financial system is a necessity for long-term value creation. The principles whom signatories commit to, contributes to creating a system that rewards long-term, responsible investment and benefits the environment and society as a whole.

The initiative was launched in 2006, by a group of the world’s largest institutional investors. The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Swedish Folksam and the Norwegian Government Pension Fund are among its founding members. Today, the principles have more than 1.800 signatories from over 50 countries, representing approximately US$70 trillion in assets. It is currently expanding its reach into regions like Asia, South America and Africa. Read more about PRI on their websites.

Celebrate International Day of Peace: Nominate a candidate for the Oslo Business for Peace Award

Thursday, 21 September 2017 11:35

Oslo – Together with our partners in the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Global Compact (UNGC), we are now seeking candidates for the 2018 Oslo Business for Peace Award.

The Award is the highest distinction given to a businessperson for outstanding businessworthy accomplishments – ethically and responsibly creating value both for company and society.

To sustain successfully in business, leaders are increasingly promoting a businessworthy culture. The stories of our Honourees – business leaders who choose to lead their businesses in a businessworthy manner – deserve to be shared and celebrated. – Per L. Saxegaard, Founder and Chair, Business for Peace Foundation

Honourees are selected by an independent committee consisting of Nobel Laureates in peace and economics, after a global bottom-up nomination process through the Foundation’s global partners; the ICC, UNDP and UNGC. The international partners’ local affiliates can nominate candidates who 1) act as role models for society and their peers; 2) stand out as advocates for responsible and ethical business conduct, and; 3) have earned trust by their stakeholders.

Previous winners include Elon Musk (Tesla and SolarCity), Paul Polman (Unilever), Marilyn Carlson Nelson (Carlson Companies) Richard Branson (Virgin Group) and Sarah Beydoun (Sarah’s Bag), and the Award has been dubbed “The Nobel Prize in business” by international media.

As the first Canadian to be an Honouree for the Oslo Business for Peace Award, it is particularly meaningful to be recognized. Awards like the “Oslo Business for Peace Award” truly show that business can be about more than dollars – that it can impact and change society and people’s lives in a positive way. – Murad Al-Katib, 2017 Honouree

How to nominate?

Those affiliated with local, regional and national organisations and networks of International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are welcome to nominate their candidate for the 2018 Oslo Business for Peace Award. The deadline to receive nominations online is November 21^st and the winners of the Oslo Business for Peace Award will be presented in Oslo City Hall on May 16^th 2018.

Suggest your candidate via our nomination partners’ websites:

International Chamber of Commerce

United Nations Global Compact

United Nations Development Programme

Eric Maskin joins Award Committee

Wednesday, 20 September 2017 11:40

It is our pleasure to announce that Eric S. Maskin has joined the Business for Peace Award Committee. Mr. Maskin is the Adams University Professor at Harvard. He has made contributions to game theory, contract theory, social choice theory, political economy, and other areas of economics. In 2007, he was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics (with L. Hurwicz and R. Myerson) for laying the foundations of mechanism design theory, which is the study of how to achieve social or economic goals when information about citizens’ preferences is incomplete.

The Oslo Business for Peace Award Committee works independently of the Foundation when assessing nominated candidates, and the decision of the committee members is final. Its members are Nobel prize winners in Peace or Economics, which ensures that the selection of Honourees is ethically credible, made by individuals outside the business community and of the highest possible moral and professional authority.

The task of inviting new members to the Award committee is made by an Election Committee consisting of former Swedish prime minister Göran Persson, former Norwegian prime minister Kjell Magne Bondevik, and the director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), Kristian Berg Harpviken. Maskin’s work and engagement places global development together with economics and capitalism in new ways. This is important to the idea of being businessworthy. We would like to thank Mr. Maskin for agreeing to strengthen our Award Committee, and it is our honour to formally announce his election to this role.

The 2017 Summit Report is here!

Wednesday, 09 August 2017 13:08

Today the Foundation published the 2017 Summit report, presenting a summary of the discussions that took place at the 2017 Business for Peace Summit.

The Summit theme was “Brundtland +30: Breakthrough Ideas for Future-Proofing the Global Economy”, highlighting leadership, technology and finance as three essential tools. If you want to know more about what participants such as Gro Harlem Brundtland, Yngve Slyngstad and Marilyn Carlson Nelson consider as breakthrough ideas, read the full report here.

Read the full Aftenposten article on Business for Peace

Tuesday, 08 August 2017 14:15