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

 

 

PDF ICON Download the BEP 2010 Brochure

 

Application form Apply for the Business and the Environment Programme

 

 

The Prince of Wales’s Business & the Environment Programme (BEP)

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.

HRH

 

The Challenge of Sustainability

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.

climate crime

 

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. Highgrove

 

"Working in electricity generation, and running a small sustainable energy charity, I already thought that I was alive to the issues of sustainability and climate change.  The seminar however had a profound effect on me.  In addition to the time to absorb more about consequences and possibilities, I encountered for the first time senior business leaders trying to make the business case for sustainability.  It came home to me that people may act individually, governments may legislate, but only business has the power to work through the economic systems and bring about a sustainable future." 

 

Managing Director Central Networks, E.ON UK