Prior to the start of the two day Summit we will also host a programme of half day workshops focused on important CSR issues for you and your organisation. These workshops will be led by specialised external trainers as well as CSR Asia in-house experts.

Workshops for this year will cover the following topics:

•  Building and implementing a sustainability strategy

•  Social return on investment (SROI)

•  Creating shared value
•  Getting climate strategy right

•  Strategic Community Investment

•  Sustainability reporting – how to do it right

•  How to incorporate the SDGs into strategy?

•  Inclusive business

More details on these workshops will be available soon.

Registration & Course Fees:

CSR Asia Strategic Partners enjoy a fixed 20% discount on all courses. To learn more about our Strategic Partner Programme, click here.

Training 1 - Building and implementing a sustainability strategy (FULLY BOOKED)

This practical session is aimed at companies who want to make their sustainability strategies truly strategic and embedded into the organisation. We will look at how companies can develop sustainability roadmaps and move from sustainability initiatives to a coherent sustainability strategy. We will examine the structures and systems that need to be put in place in an organisation to create value and enable integration of sustainability issues into business planning and processes. The course will build on a strategic framework that has been tried and tested with a number of CSR Asia clients. It will look at successful implementations plans and how to get employee buy-in through "champions".

Topics covered:

•  Finding the business case for sustainability

•  Building a strategy for sustainability: a 12-point plan

•  Practices for sustainability integration and implementation

 

Course Leaders:
Mara Chiorean, Executive Director, CSR Asia


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Mara is an Executive Director of CSR Asia managing the Hong Kong office. Mara has worked in corporate social responsibility in Asia for over six years and has lived in Singapore, Italy, Germany and Romania. She is a strong believer in the role of business in driving sustainable development.

Her role at CSR Asia includes leading advisory work, especially in the areas of sustainability strategy and reporting, stakeholder engagement, materiality assessment, community investment, supply chain sustainability and environmental services. Mara also contributes to CSR Asia’s research that aims to build capacity on sustainable business practices in Asia.

She has worked with a wide range of clients across different industries covering multinational and local companies and organisations such as Hong Kong Airport Authority, Huawei, Danone, Cathay Pacific, Bank of China Hong Kong, The Bank of East Asia, MTR Corporation, Oxfam, Swire Properties, Sun Hung Kai Properties, Swire Pacific, State Street, Hopewell Holdings, Hang Lung Group, State Street, FWD, PCCW, Wharf, Manulife, Aedas, Coca-Cola and others.

Mara is an experienced trainer and facilitator, having delivered capacity building workshops in Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. She is a visiting lecturer at The University of Hong Kong teaching corporate sustainability and shared value. She also teaches corporate social responsibility at HKU SPACE.

Before joining CSR Asia she worked with ASrIA (Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia) engaging with financial institutions to create partnerships and raise awareness on Sustainable and Responsible Investment. Her previous work experience in the private sector covers tourism, market research and telecommunications.

Mara has a master's degree in Environmental and Energy Management at Bocconi University in Italy, and has a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Romania. She is a graduate of the Oxford Scenarios Programme at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.
Erin Lyon, Executive Director, CSR Asia

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Erin LYON is a lawyer by training and worked for the international law firm, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer both in Europe and Asia. Erin has been working in Asia for over seven years and has lived and worked in the UAE and Indonesia as well as Singapore.

Erin has advised Asian, US and European companies. Clients have included Shell, Asia Pacific Breweries, CDL, Aviva and Oxfam with projects including strategy, reporting, stakeholder engagement, social impact assessment, community investment, ISO26000 and sustainable supply chains. Erin has a strong interest in the development of CSR in Asia and has worked with clients to assess the changing regulations and voluntary agreements that are developing in Asia and the impact they have on operations.

Erin has been an adjunct at the Singapore Management University School of Law, lecturing in Ethics and Social Responsibility and she has also taught Corporate Governance at SAICSA. She has also been an elected member of the GRI Stakeholder Council.

Erin was a founder and shareholder in Responsible Research a boutique ESG analysis firm, sold in 2012 to Sustainalytics.

Training 2 - Social Return on Investment (SROI) (FULLY BOOKED)

Would you like to better understand the social impact of your organisation? 

Social Return on Investment (SROI) is an internationally recognised approach for valuing social, economic and environmental outcomes. SROI can help business identify risks and opportunities and provide a framework for assessing whether the business should actively manage them. For businesses that are selling to customers that have social or environmental goals, SROI can help business identify how it can contribute to those goals. It will throw up potential improvements to services, information systems and the way you govern you businesses. All in order to increase the social value or impact of your work. 

Topics covered:

•  Introduction to the SROI principles – what they are and why they are so important

•  Overview of the SROI process – how to understand, measure and value your impact

•  Implications for your organisation – how do you apply SROI to your community initiatives

•  Questions and answers

 

Course Leader:
Mabel Wong, Executive Director, CSR Asia


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Mabel is Executive Director of CSR Asia. In her last eight years with CSR Asia, Mabel has engaged with and advised various multinational and local companies. Clients have included Accor hospitality group, adidas, Citi, City Developments Limited, Credit Suisse, Prudence Foundation and UNICEF with projects including advisory on sustainability strategy, stakeholder engagement, social impact assessment, corporate community investment and sustainable supply chains. She is also an experienced trainer and facilitator, and contributes to research that aims to build capacity on sustainable business practices in Asia.

Mabel leads on CSR Asia’s initiatives in Australia, supporting Australian companies with their sustainability practices in Asia, she is also responsible for CSR Asia’s Community Investment Round Table (CIRT) – a member-based regional network of corporate community investment practitioners. The CIRT envisions companies in Asia to play a key role in creating positive change for communities and plays an active role to share best practices in corporate community investment.

Prior to CSR Asia, Mabel had extensive experience in the development sector. In her last role, Mabel was in an Asia-Pacific regional role liaising with senior government representatives, NGOs, corporates and UN bodies, providing technical assistance to countries starting up national child protection helplines.

Mabel holds a BA (Political Science and Psychology) and a Masters in Public Administration (Policy, Public and Non-Profit Program) from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, New York University.

Training 3 - Creating Shared Value (FULLY BOOKED)

Creating Shared Value (CSV) compliments CSR, through implementing initiatives that enhance the competitiveness of a company while also advancing the economic and social conditions in which that company operates thereby, meeting social needs. The CSV approach represents an exciting new wave of social responsibility and community investment that can enhance the long-term viability of projects.

Topics covered:

•  The concept of CSV and the design of shared value initiatives

•  How to promote commercial activities in communities that support local development

•  How to use the assets, expertise and knowledge within a business to help address community challenges

•  How to engage senior management on social issues through shared value

•  How to create efficient and inclusive value chains and new clusters of economic activity

•  Case studies of successful CSV initiatives in Asia

Course leader:
Richard Welford, Chairman, CSR Asia

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Richard WELFORD is one of the founders and the chairman of CSR Asia. He has over twenty years of experience working in the fields of environmental management and social responsibility. He was one of the early pioneers in developing social audit and reporting methodologies with UK-based organisations such as The Body Shop, IBM and Eastern Electricity in the 1990s. From 2002 to 2010 Richard was also a professor at the University of Hong Kong and headed up the Corporate Environmental Governance Programme. He has worked with some of the leading multinational enterprises and local companies and NGOs in Asia including Disney, CLP, Nike, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Swire Pacific, Cathay Pacific, HP, IBM, HSBC, Citigroup, Accor, Credit Suisse, UBS, P&G and Adidas.

Richard’s work has had a strong emphasis on environmental sustainability and social justice. He has worked with companies on developing their CSR strategies and with NGOs on developing private sector engagement plans. He has also worked on policies and implementation plans covering a range of issues including governance, supply chain risks, human rights, community investment, poverty alleviation, conservation and biodiversity.

Richard is also a Board Director of a number of other organisations including ERP Environment, the Compliance Practitioners Association and AIDS Concern.

Training 4 - Getting climate strategy right

The 2015 Paris Agreement has reinforced climate change as a priority for policy makers, trade, investment and business planning. Business has a key role to play in implementing the sustainable low-carbon future to which governments have made commitments.

This course will help business leaders prepare for expected policy action and benefit from innovative business opportunities, new financing mechanisms and partnership potential.

Topics covered:

•  Commitments made and what can be expected for implementation
•  What the new deal on climate means for you: Energy, de-carbonization and climate resilience as material sustainability issues for your business
•  Effectively integrating climate change mitigation and adaptation into business strategy, managing risks and identifying opportunities

Course Leader:
Leena Wokeck, Associate, CSR Asia

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Leena WOKECK is a former Executive Director of CSR Asia and the founding Director of the CSR Asia Center at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Thailand where she was based until 2014. Having relocated to Amsterdam, the Netherlands she continues with CSR Asia as an Associate and works with partners and clients in both Europe and Asia.

She has extensive experience advising organizations of various sectors and sizes and leads research and engagement projects on cutting edge issues and trends for the role of business in sustainable development. She is an accomplished trainer and facilitator and has developed and delivered executive education programs, including the joint CSR Asia-AIT Professional Masters Program in CSR.

Leena has worked with the private sector as well as international organizations, NGOs and development agencies. Her focus areas include poverty alleviation, inclusive value chains, human rights, climate change adaptation, partnerships for sustainable development, sustainability reporting, sustainability standards and guidelines and stakeholder engagement. Immediately prior to moving to Bangkok in 2009 she spent several years working for the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).

Leena holds an MSc in International Relations and Transnational Governance from the VU Amsterdam, a BA in International Studies from the University of Birmingham, UK, and has studied Cultural Anthropology and International Law at the University of Cologne, Germany.

Training 5 - Strategic Community Investment (FULLY BOOKED)

Community investment remains a key part of keeping businesses competitive, ensuring a social licence to operate and strengthening engagement with local stakeholders. This workshop provides practical steps and key information companies need to know when developing and implementing a community investment strategy.

Topics covered:

•  What is strategic community investment (CI) and how does it differ from philanthropy? Why is it important for corporate community activities to be strategic?
•  How to develop a CI strategy, taking into account priority social needs and business objectives
•  Understanding how partnerships and employee engagement (in particular skills based volunteering) contribute to CI
•  Internal structures (policies, governance, committees, etc.) needed to support and implement CI strategy
•  Communications (internal and external) of CI strategy and initiatives

Course Leader:
Zheng Ying Chong, Senior Project Manager, CSR Asia

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Zheng Ying CHONG is a Senior Project Manager in the Singapore office. She joined CSR Asia after graduating with a first class B.A. (Hons) in Development Studies from the University of Melbourne, where she completed a thesis on social businesses. Her interest lies primarily in the leveraging of corporate expertise and resources to address development issues.

Joining CSR Asia in 2011, she has since worked on impact measurement and programme evaluation projects, corporate community investment strategies and conducted stakeholder engagement exercises for a diverse range of clients including ACCOR, Barclays, City Developments Limited, Citi, Fuji Xerox, SABIC, Shell, UNFPA and UNICEF.

Her experience includes working on research papers around business and vulnerable children and inclusive business strategies in the cocoa industry for clients such as Aviva and Oxfam. She has recently worked with clients such as Marina Bay Sands and the ONYX Hospitality Group on the reporting and communication of their sustainability efforts.

Training 6 - Sustainability reporting – how to do it right

Stakeholders are increasingly holding companies accountable for their activities and demand information that is consistent, material, comparable, credible and well structured. This course helps you to learn about international reporting standards and how to deliver your sustainability message effectively to support business objectives. New this year is an introduction to the concept of materiality and the steps required to identify material issues for your company.

Topics covered:

• •  The “Who, What and Why” of Sustainability Reporting
• •  Principles of a Good Report (and how to include stakeholders)
• •  Materiality assessment, what it means and how to do it
• •  Nuts and bolts of reporting GRI indicators and case studies

Course Leaders:
Samantha Woods, Senior Project Manager, CSR Asia

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Samantha WOODS is a Senior Project Manager based in the Hong Kong office. She has managed three GRI G4 reporting projects to date, including NWS Holdings’ first standalone sustainability report. Her experience also includes stakeholder engagement, benchmarking studies, and issue-specific research, including a briefing paper on opportunities for inclusive business in the shrimp value chain.

Prior to joining CSR Asia, Samantha spent three years working for an environmental non-profit organisation in Beijing, where she managed China’s largest youth conservation movement, the Green Long March, spanning 50 universities in 17 provinces. She spent a further two years in Beijing championing sustainability at boutique travel company WildChina, where she also managed the UK client portfolio as well as several corporate events. She has extensive experience facilitating cross-sector communication and has worked with companies such as BP, Starbucks, Goldman Sachs and Swire Pacific to design and execute bespoke CSR and employee engagement projects in Mainland China. Since returning to Hong Kong, her hometown, she has co-founded a social enterprise that promotes urban farming through workshops and installing rooftop farms across the city.

Samantha holds a BSc in Natural Sciences from Durham University, UK, and is a member of the Durham University Asia Pacific Development Board.

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Angela FOULSHAM is a Project Manager based in the Singapore office. Angela has over 11 years’ experience, coming from a science background having worked for large global engineering and environmental organisations. Angela holds a first class B.Sc. (Hons) and a Masters of Research with Distinction in science and technology disciplines.

Angela has worked in Singapore for five years, previously being based in Abu Dhabi (UAE) and the UK. As an Environmental Scientist, Angela’s skills lie in project management of multi-disciplinary studies, particularly environmental assessment and management, having completed numerous international Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Monitoring and Management Plan (EMMP) projects, but also projects including environmental consents, reporting, training, auditing, and baseline studies. Angela is a GRI certified reporting specialist. During 2015 Angela also worked with NTU’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences grading undergraduate coursework in the field of Environmental History.

Training 7 - How to incorporate the SDGs into strategy?

This training will look at how business can answer the call of the SDGs and at ways in which using the SDGs will bring value to business. We will explore what business needs to know to make the SDGs happen and how to get started on incorporating the goals into strategy. In this interactive session you will:

•  Evaluate alignment by mapping your existing strategy against the goals

•  Narrow down to the SDGs your company should focus on to take meaningful action

•  Start thinking about new opportunities to contribute to the goals

•  Identify ways in which you can track and communicate progress against the goals

Course Leaders:
Mara Chiorean, Executive Director, CSR Asia

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Mara CHIOREAN is an Executive Director of CSR Asia managing the Hong Kong office. Mara has worked in corporate social responsibility in Asia for over five years and has lived in Singapore, Italy, Germany and Romania. She is a strong believer in the role of business in driving sustainable development.

Her role at CSR Asia includes overseeing and leading advisory work, especially in the areas of sustainability strategy and reporting, stakeholder engagement, materiality assessment, community investment, ISO26000, supply chain sustainability and environmental services. She is also an experienced trainer and facilitator, and contributes to research that aims to build capacity on sustainable business practices in Asia.

She has worked with a wide range of clients across different industries covering multinational and local companies such as MTR Corporation, Hong Kong Airport Authority, Danone, Cathay Pacific, Bank of China Hong Kong, The Bank of East Asia, Swire Properties, Sun Hung Kai Properties, Swire Pacific, Hopewell Holdings, Aedas, Coca-Cola and others.

Before joining CSR Asia she worked with ASrIA (Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia) engaging with financial institutions to create partnerships and raise awareness on Sustainable and Responsible Investment. Her previous work experience in the private sector covers tourism, market research and telecommunications.

Mara has a master's degree in Environmental and Energy Management at Bocconi University in Italy, and has a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Romania. She was also part of the leadership team of AIESEC in Romania managing projects and delivering training to promote youth leadership as a catalyst for positive change.

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Clelia DANIEL is a Programme Manager based at the Sasin Center for Sustainability Management (SCSM) in Bangkok, Thailand.

Clelia is an experienced programme manager with a specialization in international development, capacity building, communications and partnerships. She has extensive experience organizing trainings and outreach events in Asia and the Pacific to provide managers, CSR professionals and policy-makers with comprehensive information on the concept of sustainability and inclusive business practices. For three years, she managed the Professional Master’s Degree in CSR developed by CSR Asia in partnership with Asian Institute of Technology. She also contributed to the development of the Vietnamese Global Compact Local Network as a communications and partnerships specialist. Clelia has worked for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce, the Italian Ministry of Health and Navdanya, an Indian NGO. She also worked as a consultant for UNESCAP and Oxfam Italy. Prior to embarking on her international career, she worked on an experimental farm as a sustainability and communications manager.

Training 8 - Inclusive business

Asia’s rapid economic growth has lifted tens of millions out of poverty but has also resulted in widening income disparity and inequality. Companies have the opportunity to contribute to a more stable and inclusive Asia by including people in their value chains and creating opportunities for meeting the needs of millions of people in poverty. This half-day course will look at the various ways companies, including social enterprises, can engage with lower-income segments, through inclusive business interventions, engaging poor people and small enterprises in supply chains, and reaching new customers with innovative products or services.

Topics covered include:
•  The basic concept of inclusive business
•  Best practices and innovative inclusive business interventions
•  Value chain analysis for identifying inclusive business opportunities
•  Exercise in designing inclusive business interventions

Course Leader:
Richard Welford, Chairman, CSR Asia

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Richard WELFORD is one of the founders and the chairman of CSR Asia. He has over twenty years of experience working in the fields of environmental management and social responsibility. He was one of the early pioneers in developing social audit and reporting methodologies with UK-based organisations such as The Body Shop, IBM and Eastern Electricity in the 1990s. From 2002 to 2010 Richard was also a professor at the University of Hong Kong and headed up the Corporate Environmental Governance Programme. He has worked with some of the leading multinational enterprises and local companies and NGOs in Asia including Disney, CLP, Nike, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Swire Pacific, Cathay Pacific, HP, IBM, HSBC, Citigroup, Accor, Credit Suisse, UBS, P&G and Adidas.

Richard’s work has had a strong emphasis on environmental sustainability and social justice. He has worked with companies on developing their CSR strategies and with NGOs on developing private sector engagement plans. He has also worked on policies and implementation plans covering a range of issues including governance, supply chain risks, human rights, community investment, poverty alleviation, conservation and biodiversity.

Richard is also a Board Director of a number of other organisations including ERP Environment, the Compliance Practitioners Association and AIDS Concern.