Seven reasons the 2021 Shared Value Summit APAC is not-to-be-missed!

With almost a week to go, we’re counting down to the region’s foremost purpose-led business event – the Shared Value Summit Asia Pacific. 

Delivered in partnership with major sponsor AIA Australia, and supporting sponsors IAG, NAB and PwC Australia, this year’s Shared Value Summit Asia Pacific on 17 June is not-to-be-missed. Here are just some of the key reasons why. 

1. You can be assured it’s going ahead – no matter what! 

Knowing that COVID-19 wasn’t behind us, the Shared Value Project and its summit sponsors have always designed the conference as a digital-first event. This means that despite being a hybrid – broadcast online, with an in-studio delivery at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre – it will still go ahead in an entirely virtual format, if need be. 

So, if Melbourne COVID restrictions call for it, all premium in-studio passes will simply be transferred to premium virtual passes (and the difference refunded). And don’t worry about losing that dynamic and engaging feel, this year’s summit includes an event app, where you’ll be able to engage in Q&As, explore additional content, and for premium ticket holders, access all sessions on-demand for three months post-summit, and participate in the intimate speakers lounge with key speakers. 

2. The summit will harness this unique moment in time to create The Future We Choose

2020 has shown us that people and business are capable of great change. We’ve realised we’re not locked into age-old systems and mindsets. And, as a result, we have more agency to determine the future than ever before. 

Themed The Future We Choose, the 2021 summit will seize our increased appetite and threshold for change to accelerate action, beyond good intentions. It’ll encourage us to dream, but then empower us to deliver, through inspired lightbulb presentations and more practical shared value examples, which demonstrate how we can pool cross-sectoral resources and expertise to pursue a more sustainable trajectory through shared value.

3. It marks 10 years of shared value 

Born out of a 2011 Harvard Business Review article, shared value has grown into a global movement, reminding business of its original purpose – to serve the communities in which it operates. 

Summit participants will hear from shared value co-creator Mark Kramer, as he reflects on the “good and bad news” from the past decade. Just how quickly has business adopted this thinking? What have been the key obstacles and/or drivers for shared value over the past 10 years? And how does shared value need to evolve to flex to the future of business? Mark will share his candid insight and advice, as we look towards the next 10 years, and consider: what’s next? 

4. It’s an opportunity to engage in conversations fundamental to purpose-led business strategy

Developing an effective purpose-led business strategy can be a daunting task, and often force business to consider fundamental questions. What does modern leadership look like? Can ESG create material social impact? Should business adopt a circular economy model, and will this improve corporate performance? 

Throughout the plenary, the summit will delve into these fundamental discussions and more, calling on experts from across the globe and the wider Asia Pacific. 

5. You can gain insights from leaders in business, impact, and innovation 

Headlined by its most diverse group of speakers yet – including Nestlé Oceania CEO Sandra Martínez, PwC Australia chief economist Jeremy Thorpe, and futurist April Rinne – this year’s summit will convene leaders in business, government, social impact and academia from across the region. 

Our speaker line-up will also include some of Australia’s most impressive global youth advocates and emerging leaders – Natalie Kyriacou OAM, Kareem El-Ansary and Yasmin Poole – who will give us a pulse-check on the most important issues among young people today; how business can respond to meet their hopes and expectations; and how young people and employees can be part of the solution. 

6. Learn from experienced shared value practitioners 

While there’s little debate about why shared value is important, it’s how to put this into practice that can be the tricky part. 

In its biggest demonstration of shifting from why to how yet, the summit will convene the practitioners behind some of the region’s freshest – and perhaps more unexpected – shared value case studies, in the Shared Value Showcase. This speed-date-style showcase will explore case studies from a variety of sectors; including banking, recruitment and health, and offer extended Q&A, so that we can all learn from those embracing shared value.

7. Explore key issues in need of shared value solutions

After a year defined by competing crises, there’s never been a more important time to enact more holistic shared value solutions. The summit will hone in on two of these crises through its thematic tracks, to deep-dive into what a shared value response could look like, leveraging insight from key experts in the field.

The Mental ill-health: Tackling the hidden issue of loneliness track will examine loneliness as a critical health, social and economic issue that has both a cause and effect relationship with mental ill-health, and tackle the common misconceptions of this next pandemic facing Australians. Meanwhile, the Disaster preparedness: Valuing resilience track will consider how we can work together cross-sectorally to better prepare for natural disasters, and create more resilient communities. Both tracks will assess current shared value initiatives and analyse how a shared value framework can propel us forward. 

For more information and to register, visit svsummitapac.org