MANILA, PHILIPPINES (21 September 2016) – “Climate and resource constraints: these are probably the biggest problems we now have. But they also represent our biggest opportunities,” revealed ADEC Innovations CEO Mr. James M. Donovan to a group of graduate students at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM).
His significant knowledge and experience on corporate sustainability had shaped ADEC Innovations’ focus on impact-oriented solutions, which made his lecture rich in innovative ideas with regard to impact investing.
Mr. Donovan was invited by the AIM’s core faculty member and former Labor Secretary Nieves Confessor to share his insights on the subject of “Leading with Impact” among Business Administration and Development Management students.
“Identify the driver, find the true problem and provide a solution. This journey towards creating a solution is what leads to sustainability,” he said.
The workshop is geared toward educating future corporate leaders on sustainable development, social impact and good governance.
Many of the students were themselves executives and team leaders from multinational companies. Donovan noted the importance of the private sector addressing the financing gap projected with regard to the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
Donovan’s talk focused on three key points, mainly: ADEC Innovations’ focus on sustainability and impact investment, the importance of international and multi-stakeholder partnerships, and the role of corporate leaders in transforming their businesses to support sustainability efforts.
He began his lecture by discussing how our environment is rapidly changing and by introducing sustainable approaches in running a business to mitigate the effects of the planet’s resource depletion. He showed the graduate students a presentation of how ADEC Innovations’ solutions are promoting a greener economy through resource optimisation and environmental data management.
“Everybody wants something special. But in reality, sustainability is not that special, it is about managing data points. We had created a technology platform in which we could deliver business intelligence for sustainability, but within that we have business modules with which we could go to market around the globe to help companies,” Mr. Donovan explained.
Donovan then highlighted ADEC Innovations’ efforts at establishing partnerships with the public sector, especially with international agencies such as the United Nations. He discussed in detail how ADEC Innovations’ solutions portfolio could be strategically aligned with the United Nations’ tactical initiatives in support of the SDGs.
“It was smart business to donate our time and to help them with their mission, which then helped us refine how we are going to our market,” the CEO explained.
James Donovan ended his lecture by advising the students to reinvent their companies and transform them into businesses that support sustainable development.
