About the Programme
“The key feature of
the Programme has become the level of intellectual challenge that
has been attained. This has been done quite deliberately by
inviting only the most original and thought-provoking speakers and
attracting the highest calibre of delegates.”
The Prince of Wales,
President, The Prince of Wales's Business & the Environment
Programme
The Prince of Wales’s Business & the Environment
Programme (BEP)
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BEP is a unique forum, established in 1994 by The Prince of
Wales and the University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainability
Leadership (CPSL).It brings together select groups of highly
influential decision-makers to discuss the challenges and
opportunities of sustainable development and to inspire them to
become champions who will help create a sustainable economy. The
Programme’s Senior Executives Seminars, which draw delegates from
over 40 countries, are held annually in the UK, continental Europe,
South Africa, Australia and the east and west coasts of the USA.
They are designed for leaders who operate at a strategic level
within their organisations.
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The Challenge of Sustainability
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Governments and civil society are calling for
more responsibility and citizenship. Scientists and activists are
calling for urgent action. Meanwhile, shareholders and the finance
community are demanding performance and growth within increasingly
tough economic circumstances. Balancing these demands and
expectations is not easy, but a constructive and innovative
approach can help reconcile profitability, competitiveness and
sustainability. The challenge is to identify strategic
opportunities and consider what it means to run a sustainable
business in practice. This is new and sometimes difficult ground,
and being a pioneer is not without risks.
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BEP Seminars for Senior Executives
The Prince of Wales's Business & the
Environment Programme Senior Executives’ Seminars aim to help a
select group of highly influential decision-makers understand the
challenges and opportunities of sustainable development, to inspire
them to make the necessary changes within their organisations and
beyond, and to become champions who will help business and society
work together to create sustainable economic development.
These 3.5-day events are designed for business
leaders and senior executives who operate at a strategic level
within their organisation and who need to make the right long-term
decisions to ensure their organisations grow sustainably and
profitably.
Outstanding contributions from members of the
Programme’s Core Faculty and specially invited speakers, combined
with the knowledge, interest and authority of high calibre
participants, make these seminars unique. The opportunity to meet
and debate with like-minded peers and to search with them for
practical solutions using real business scenarios is also valued by
those who attend.
| Approximately 40 delegates are selected to attend each of the
six annual seminars, usually nominated by senior colleagues.
Delegates are predominantly from business, although around one
third are representatives from the public sector and NGOs. Business
delegates are typically CEOs, COOs, CFOs, Senior VPs, VPs and other
senior business unit leaders. Nominations are carefully vetted to
achieve a balance between industry sectors and between business,
government and NGOs. |
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Download the BEP
2009 Brochure
“It is remarkable to
think that the Prince commissioned The Prince of Wales's Business
& the Environment Programme from Cambridge University nearly 15
years ago. It is now rightly regarded as the best of its kind
anywhere in the world.”
H. Lee Scott, President and Chief
Executive, Wal-Mart