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Creating shared value: Corporations meet communities- Interview with CCSR conference Chair Eli Fathi
Posted on October 7, 2011 by François Couillard
I met with Ottawa’s serial entrepreneur and community leader Eli Fathi over coffee to talk about the upcoming Corporate and Community Social Responsibility(CCSR) conference. Over 1000 participants are expected at this event to be held November 15th in Ottawa.
Eli, could you first tell me what motivated you to put together such a conference?
Four years ago I joined the board of a community loan fund (OCLF). That experience sensitized me to the social needs of the community. I started thinking of the ways we could encourage companies to take greater responsibility for addressing our most pressing social issues. Philanthropy has its limits. Government incentives and regulations, the carrot and sticks approach, works only as long as they are in place- when you take them away goodbehavior withers away. It dawned on me that education might be the best way of changing behaviors. I approached the president of Algonquin College in Ottawa and, with his support, within 6 weeks we organized the first CCSR conference. It brought together over 320 people!
What’s unique about this CSR event?
The event is a first in many ways. Most important, it brings together business and community in the same room.
Why the focus on communities?
Companies tend to focus their CSR efforts on the environment because outcomes are easier to measure- reduction in pollution or waste… However, when we polled Canadians we found that the majority are more concerned by social issues such as healthcare and poverty than environmental ones- although still important. We want to encourage companies to shift some of their efforts to the social or “people” aspect of CSR. In a way, we were ahead of Porter and his concept of Creating Shared Value (read more about this here).
Who will be some of the key speakers?
We have been very fortunate to attract leaders like Mario Pilozzi, former CEO of Wal-Mart Canada and executives from dozens of organizations like Coca-Cola, MaRS,Cascades, BMO…
Who are your key partners?
We have partnered with 5 teaching institutions: Algonquin College, the Universty of Ottawa, Carlton University, the University of Waterloo and the Red River College.
Eli’s passion for the conference is palpable. He’s already planning next year’s event, which promises to be even larger…
