Veolia Water Technologies proudly announces today the official launch of its Think Tank Asia initiative. This first edition is co-organized with ESSEC Business School (ESSEC) and the French Embassy in Singapore. Taking place in ESSEC’s Singapore Campus, the one-day executive workshop brings together a circle of 20 leaders and influencers from major industries across Asia, to share their views on sustainability, industry specific needs, and green corporate agendas, so as to define future business models in a world of limited resources.
Today, natural resources are becoming increasingly scarce as the human population’s needs continue to grow in an ever more densely populated and urbanized world. The world faces climate change issues and has to rethink its relationship with resources, to come up with new social and economic growth models that are more efficient, better balanced, and more sustainable. With 160 years of expertise in the management of water, energy and waste, Veolia applies its capacity for innovation to pursue human progress and wellbeing, as well as to improve the performance of businesses.
Jean-Philippe Filhol, Chief Executive Officer, Asia Industrial, Veolia Water Technologies, shared, “Through the Think Tank Asia initiative, we aim to create an opportunity to bring together innovators, social leaders, and decision makers who are dedicated to preserving scarce global resources. As a leading environmental solutions provider, Veolia has a strong legacy in sustainability, and we recognize that sustainable innovation is essential for harmonious growth. This is also timely, as the event echoes what is being discussed at the Paris Climate Change Conference (COP 21), which Veolia strongly identifies with.”
Led by Professor Cédomir Nestorovic (Professor of International Marketing & Geopolitics at ESSEC Business School) and Professor Kevyn Yong (Academic Dean of ESSEC Asia-Pacific and Associate Professor of Management at ESSEC Business School), the objective of the Think Tank Asia workshop is to create awareness amongst leading international organizations and to encourage companies to understand and address properly challenges relating to business sustainability, rules and regulations in Asia, non-governmental organizations, and green corporate agendas.
Consisting of two parts – The Geopolitics of Limited Resources & The Challenge of Sustainable Innovation – the seminar aspires to spark off innovative solutions and new business models. These solutions will aim to create more value for businesses, while reducing the impact of industrial activities on the environment, steering Asian industries towards more environmentally conscious business decisions.
Professor Kevyn Yong said, “As a business school, we are concerned about the development of future business leaders who will not only be skilled managers, but who will also see sustainability as a driver of strategic innovation. ESSEC’s educational approach has always been to pioneer business innovation and entrepreneurship, and it is boosted in ESSEC Asia-Pacific by combining Western and Asian philosophies."
Jean-Philippe concluded, “We cannot afford to ignore any longer the impact that our businesses have on the environment, and manufacturers should firmly push sustainable innovations into their production lines, such as the use of sustainably sourced renewable raw materials or reuse and recycling opportunities. Veolia sees value in facilitating open discussions to engage top-level decision makers at a strategic level. We will continue to push out similar initiatives to increase awareness across global industries and contribute to the rise of a circular economy.”
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