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WBCSD appoints Whiteman as first Professor-in-Residence

WBCSD appoints Whiteman as first Professor-in-Residence

Appointment aimed at strengthening the collaboration between academia and the private sector

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) today announced the appointment of Gail Whiteman, Professor at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) as its first Professor-in-Residence. As a sustainability expert with deep links to the scientific community, Professor Whiteman will provide academic advice to and help set priorities for the WBCSD’s work program and its executive education programs.

Peter Bakker, President, WBCSD said: ”I am pleased that Gail Whiteman has accepted this position. She brings a tremendous knowledge of sustainability topics. She will challenge us and strengthen our thinking by bringing access to a wide ranging network of academic perspectives and academic rigor to our work program. We are at a crucial point in time for the world: we need to accelarate the pace of change towards sustainability not just within the private sector, but in society at large. The change needed can only be achieved through a broad collaboration of all parties in society sharing their knowledge and working together. Gail will play a key role in helping bring about this change.”

Whiteman: “I am delighted to accept this position. The WBCSD is the leading industry organisation on corporate sustainability and Peter Bakker is an inspiring leader. I am honoured to be able to help him accelerate the pace of sustainable change within the private sector. At present, we are at a critical juncture and corporate sustainability faces a paradox: on the one hand, sustainability is no longer a fringe topic and companies have begun to integrate sustainability in all decision making. On the other hand, data from science indicates a worsening, and in some cases, alarming state of affairs for our planet. Why this disconnect? Part of the problem may be that we are not harnessing the power of science to help us reinvent the system.”

The WBCSD’s new position of Professor-in-Residence forms part of its strategy of accelerating scale in corporate sustainability. 

About Gail Whiteman

Originally from the private sector, Gail Whiteman became a professor in order to harness the power of organisations to deal more effectively with sustainability challenges. She currently holds the Ecorys NEI Chair in Sustainability and Climate Change at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University  (RSM) in the Netherlands. She has recently been appointed part-time Professor-in-Residence at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

Professor Whiteman’s work has been published in top business and ecology journals such as the Academy of Management Journal and Nature, and she has over thirty-five academic peer-reviewed academic publications on sustainability.

A co-founder and Director of the Centre for Corporate Eco-Transformation, Whiteman undertakes research with multinational companies, particularly on the strategic role of companies within the transition towards low carbon, sustainable cities; on the impact of natural resource extraction on local sustainability; and on drivers of sustainable innovation. The broad objectives of the Centre are to reach a clearer understanding of the management challenges posed by climate change and to identify how to accelerate change in climate adaptation and mitigation.  In 2011 she was a Global Finalist in the Aspen Institute’s ranking of Faculty Pioneers in sustainability.

Whiteman held her inaugural address as professor at RSM in April 2011 with a speech entitled “Making sense of climate change: How to avoid the next big flood?  Management lessons for the 21^st century’. She argued that in order to make sense of climate change, it is essential that companies listen to two groups of experts -- natural scientists and local people -- and learn to share sensemaking. Her academic network crosses many disciplines including the natural sciences. She is an associate member of the Resilience Alliance, a world-class, multidisciplinary research organisation comprised of scientists and practitioners that explore the dynamics and resilience of social-ecological systems. The body of knowledge developed by the RA includes key concepts such as resilience, adaptability and transformability and provides a foundation for sustainable development policy and practice.

About the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development is a CEO-led organization of forward-thinking companies that galvanizes the global business community to create a sustainable future for business, society and the environment. Together with its members, the council applies its respected thought leadership and effective advocacy to generate constructive solutions and take shared action. Leveraging its strong relationships with stakeholders as the leading advocate for business, the council helps drive debate and policy change in favor of sustainable development solutions.

The WBCSD provides a forum for its 200 member companies - who represent all business sectors, all continents and a combined revenue of more than $7 trillion - to share best practices on sustainable development issues and to develop innovative tools that change the status quo. The Council also benefits from a network of 60 national and regional business councils and partner organizations, a majority of which are based in developing countries.www.wbcsd.org

About RSM

Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University is consistently ranked amongst the top 10 business schools in Europe. It is located in the international port city of Rotterdam where core Dutch values of openness, flexibility and acceptance of diversity have attracted businesses on a global scale. Our emphasis is on ground-breaking research and practices relevant to business; our primary focus is on developing business leaders who carry their innovative ideas into a sustainable future. Our portfolio includes a broad array of bachelor, master, doctoral, MBA and executive education programmes. www.rsm.nl

For more information, please contact:

Peter Paul van de Wijs, Managing Director, Communications, WBCSD
vandewijs@remove-this.wbcsd.org
+41 22 839 3141

Marianne Schouten, Media & Public Relations Manager, RSM
mschouten@remove-this.rsm.nl
+31 10 408 2877