Our job is not to predict the future, but to shape it.
— Rodney Irwin’s welcome speech at Business Council for Sustainable Development in Hungary (BCSDH)’s 10th anniversary celebration of its Future Leaders Talent Program.
The below is translated from an article published originally in Hungarian by BCSD Hungary at https://bcsdh.hu/hirek/nem-az-a-feladatunk-hogy-megjosoljuk-a-jovot-hanem-hogy-formaljuk-azt-rodney-irwin-koszontoje-a-bcsdh-a-jovo-vezetoi-10-eves-jubileumi-unnepsegen/
Budapest, 8 November 2023: Rodney Irwin, COO of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and lead of its Education Program, delivered a keynote speech during the 10th-anniversary celebration of BCSDH’s Future Leaders Talent Program. He emphasized the importance of closing the sustainability skills gap, and stated that “Educating the heart is as important as educating the mind”.
With approximately 130 alumni members, mentors, and experts in attendance, the event commemorated a decade of nurturing future leaders committed to sutainability in Hungary. Irén Márta, Executive Director of the Business Council for Sustainable Development in Hungary (BCSDH), stated in her welcome speech:“In a unique way within the Global Network, we adapted the WBCSD Future Leaders program with the participation of recognized domestic experts and have been continuously developing it since. Today, the Alumni community, comprised of graduate students, has grown to over 300 members, who have become a vital driving force for sustainability transformation.”
At the anniversary event, Rodney Irwin underscored the transformative journey required, stating “There is a need to transform our systems and ourselves. To achieve this transformation, we need an understanding of sustainable development, the ability to make decisions in a complex and integrated world, innovation, collaboration, resilience, and a learning mindset. The purpose of business is no longer just profit generation, but to produce profitable solutions to the problems of people and the planet.”
The Future Leaders Talent Program has emerged as a significant catalyst for this transformation in Hungary.
“The Talent Program, launched ten years ago, is one of the greatest sources of pride for our organization, the Business Council for Sustainable Development Hungary, as it offers a unique opportunity for participants to become committed leaders in sustainability, capable of addressing the ever-changing challenges of the future,” added Attila Chikán Jr., President of BCSDH, in his speech.
Rezső Rózsai, National Senior Partner of KPMG in Hungary, provided participants with insights into the results of the KPMG CEO Outlook 2023 survey conducted among over 1,300 CEOs. Currently, geopolitics and broader political uncertainty represent the most significant risks to a company’s business success. While dealing with this increasingly uncertain situation, the strategic priorities for business leaders remain the following: technology-digitalization-AI, the ESG framework, and the workforce-talent trio.
The Business Council for Sustainable Development in Hungary (BCSDH) is a CEO-led organization of forward-thinking companies that galvanizes the business community in creating a sustainable future for business, society, and the environment. Through its members, the Council applies its respected thought leadership and effective advocacy to generate constructive solutions, and take shared action. The BCSDH was founded in 2007 and has 130 corporate members in 2022. The BCSDH is a coalition of CEOs of large companies that account for approximately 30% of Hungary’s GDP.
