Newcastle Business School calls on local companies to attend United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Roadshow

Newcastle Business School at Northumbria University has teamed up with the UN Global Compact Network UK and UN Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) UK and Ireland, to host the ‘Making Global Goals Local Business Day’ in Newcastle on 15 June.

The free event is part of a UK-wide roadshow to engage local business in The Global Goals initiative which aims to create new opportunities for business to deliver products and services which will transform our world for the better.

The Sustainable Development Goals Roadshow follows the largest public consultation ever undertaken. The Goals were adopted by the UK and the other 192 Member States of the United Nations (UN) in 2015. They call for economic growth, innovation, affordable energy and upgraded infrastructure, as well as providing a path to end extreme poverty, fighting inequality and protecting the planet.

The Global Goals represent a massive growth opportunity for business in every sector of the economy in every city in the UK and around the world. The ‘Making Global Goals Local Business’ event in Newcastle will explain what the Global Goals are, why business should care about them and how can companies can effectively contribute to achieving the Goals and benefit from doing so.

Professor John Wilson, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Business & Law at Northumbria University, explains: “Companies, policy-makers, academics, NGOs and the public in the North East of England need to understand what this important global mega-trend means for the region, the business community, and wider civil society - and be aware of the opportunities that commitment to the Goals opens up.

“We are delighted to host the event in partnership with the UN Global Compact Network UK and PRME. As a leading UK University with a global reach, Northumbria has a responsibility to engage and inform our partners and local business on the opportunities the UN Global Goals initiative represents.

“These societal challenges need solutions that the private sector and social enterprises can deliver. They represent a large and growing market for business innovation and in the rush to transform business models and systems for the future, integrity and values will have a huge role to play. Finding solutions to societal problems is good business!”

The Sustainable Development Goals Roadshow – Newcastle, takes place at Northumbria University’s new state-of-the-art Business Clinic on New Bridge Street on 15 June from 2pm to 5.30pm. Tickets are free but must be pre-booked at http://bit.ly/2qWcvPm.

The event is led by Steve Kenzie, Executive Director, UNGC Network UK and Dr Alex Hope, Senior Lecturer in Business Ethics and UN PRME Steering Group member. Participants will be introduced to an extensive toolbox, including next generation solutions platforms, an online UN Business Action Hub and resources that will help organisations take action to achieve and capitalise on the Sustainable Development Goals.

The event will feature a panel discussion session with speakers including Professor Ron Beadle, Northumbria University Professor of Organisation and Business Ethics, Gareth Kane, Sustainability Advisor at Newcastle-based Terra Infirma, Vincent Richardson of Positive Money and Reverend Cannon Glyn Evans, from the North East Initiative on Business Ethics.

The panel will set the scene for a lively discussion on how business can get involved with Global Goals, what they mean for the region, the Government's plan, how the Global Goals framework can facilitate real change throughout the North East and why business across the region should care about the Goals and the benefits and opportunities they offer.

The Business Clinic venue for the Roadshow is part of Northumbria University’s award-winning Business School; recognised as Business School of the Year in 2015 and more recently, the first North East Business School to win the Small Business Charter for services to SMEs.

Northumbria is one of the largest universities in the UK with almost 34,000 students from 132 countries. Newcastle Business School is in the top 1% of business schools worldwide with a double accreditation from AACSB (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) – an international hallmark of excellence.

According to the latest figures on higher education start-ups by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) for 2015/16, Northumbria is also the number one university for start-ups based on the turnover of graduate businesses (£69.2m).

Newcastle Business School was the Times Higher Education magazine's UK Business School of the Year for 2015. Northumbria University is the number one university in the North East for 'good industry connections' according to the Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey 2015-16.