The B Team, a global non-profit incubated by Virgin Unite and founded by Richard Branson and Jochen Zeitz, revealed its starting line-up of business leaders today. They will work together to deliver a new way of doing business that prioritises people and planet alongside profit – a Plan B for businesses the world over.
The leaders joining The B Team founders Richard Branson and Jochen Zeitz are:
• Shari Arison, Owner, Arison Group
• Kathy Calvin, President and CEO, United Nations Foundation
• Arianna Huffington, Chair, President & Editor In Chief, The Huffington Post Media Group
• Mo Ibrahim, Founder, Celtel
• Guilherme Leal, Founder & Co-Chairman, Natura
• Strive Masiyiwa, Founder & Chairman, Econet Wireless
• François-Henri Pinault, CEO & Chairman, Kering
• Paul Polman, CEO, Unilever
• Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus, Tata Group
• Professor Muhammad Yunus, Chairman, Yunus Centre
• Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, Deputy Chair, The Elders (Honorary Leader)
• Mary Robinson, Secretary, The Elders and President, Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice (Honorary Leader)
The initial B Leaders have been selected by a global network of advisors. They have come together as a group of committed business leaders to use their collective voice to help engage other leaders and will act as a catalyst to help deliver Plan B. They will work with partners to break down entrenched barriers and ensure there is a clear way forward.
The B Team will address three initial Challenges: “The Future of Leadership”, “The Future Bottom Line” and “The Future of Incentives” to help focus business away from short term gain and to balance the long term benefits for our people and our planet.
In a live online broadcast to over two hundred gatherings in sixty cities around the world, The B Team Leaders also issued a joint Declaration today, acknowledging key global problems such as growing inequality, unemployment and the unsustainable use of natural resources. The group commits to accelerating a movement of leaders around the world driven by a better way of doing business.
“Today we want to start a global conversation on a “Plan B” for business,” said co-founder Richard Branson. “We are working with government agencies, the social sector, and business leaders to help get on top of some of the world’s seemingly intractable challenges. We are keen to listen, learn and share with others to build businesses that do what’s right for people and the planet.”
“Business is integral to society, but it has also created most of the negative environmental challenges of this century,” co-founder Jochen Zeitz added. “The B Team will help to catalyse a shift away from the existing short-term, unsustainable mindset, towards the long-term interest of people, the planet and the wider economy. Tackling these three challenges is a starting point for a Plan B to form.”
The B Team will be holding a series of community events over the coming months. Input from stakeholders participating in today’s global digital gathering will contribute to The B Team’s plans for these first three Challenges and the formation of a comprehensive “Plan B” for business. The B Team is also encouraging the general public to submit their views on a new charter for better business at www.bteam.org.
