Mervyn King, lawyer, academic, former Supreme Court judge, corporate mandarin, corporate governance maven, chairman of the King Committee on Corporate Governance in South Africa, and current chairman, IIRC, has been confirmed as keynote speaker and headliner of the 2015 Africa CEO Round-table and Conference on Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility (AR-CSR™).
This year’s event is particularly significant, not just because it is taking place in Lagos, but because it marks the fifth anniversary of the The AR-CSR™ that has become the biggest platform for discussing issues of sustainability, corporate social responsibility, as well as the enhancement of a public-private synergy for the attainment of a credible business environment in Africa.
This year’s AR-CSR conference will proceed under the theme: ‘From Corporate Governance to Sustainable Governance,” and during the conference speakers and panellists and participants will seek to interrogate some of the following issues: “What is the role of corporate governance in relation to sustainability?”
“What is the link between the individual pillars of sustainable development and corporate governance?”
“Is there a nexus between the economic, environmental performance, social performance and corporate governance of an organisation?” among others.
A statement by the conveners, ThistlePraxis Consulting, explains the choice of speaker and theme: “We have chosen Professor King as our keynote speaker because he is the pre-eminent authority on the subject and we hope that his address will explore public concerns and practical issues deeply while attempting to rethink theoretical debates and institutional policies critically in the broad area of corporate responsibility, corporate governance and sustainability around the world. It will examine the social, economic and environmental impacts of corporations, and the real effects of corporate governance, CSR and business sustainability on societies in different regions. We hope that deliberations during the conference will further facilitate a better understanding of how value systems, cultures and traditions in different societies may affect the policies and practices of corporate governance and sustainability. It will clearly identify and define the future development trends of corporate governance and sustainability in contexts.”
King is a globally respected authority on corporate governance. He is a lawyer and former judge as well as an academic. He is also a renowned South African corporate attorney, arbitrator, mediator, corporate director, commission chair, author and speaker. Mervyn King is currently chairman of the IIRC and chairman emeritus of the Global Reporting Initiative as well as director of the Association of Business Administrators of Southern Africa.
He is known globally for his thorough and ground-breaking work as chair of the King Committee on Corporate Governance, which issued three comprehensive reports in 1994, 2002 and 2009, which provided an integrated and inclusive approach to corporate governance in South Africa.
ThistlePraxis Consulting is a Management Consulting firm that assists organisations in all sectors improve their organizational effectiveness and business operations to achieve sustainable growth and profitability through the delivery of innovative solutions, using effective strategies.
Other confirmed speakers are: Nat Ofo, lecturer, College of Law, Igbinedion University, Nigeria; Eric Hensel, partner, Sustainable Square; Reana Rossouw, CEO, Next Generation Consultants South Africa; SHYAKA Anastase, CEO, Rwanda Governance Board; Audrey Joe-Ezigbo, director, Falcon Corporation; Sune Skadegaard Thorsen, CEO, Global CSR, and Monaem Ben Lellahom, partner, Sustainable Square.
