Outgoing UN Global Compact Executive Director Shares Experiences in Retirement Lecture

(London, 9 June 2015) – Outgoing Executive Director of the UN Global Compact, Georg Kell, reflected on his 15 years of leading the debate on corporate citizenship and responsibility in a retirement lecture yesterday. 

The event – held at KPMG’s London headquarters and co-organized by Global Compact Network UK – was chaired by Lord Michael Hastings CBE, Global Head of Citizenship for KPMG International, and Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, Chair of the Foundation for the Global Compact.

Mr. Kell, who will retire in September 2015, was one of the key architects behind the Global Compact, and has been its Executive Director since it was launched in 2000. The breakfast lecture heard Mr. Kell share his experience from the front line on business ethics, environmental sustainability and human rights practices, as well as his vision for the future.

After a warm introduction by Lord Hastings, Mr. Kell paid tribute to a number of instrumental figures who have given shape and direction to the Global Compact, saying it has come a long way since it was first conceived – initially “just as a good policy speech.”

Recalling the phases of developing the Global Compact – from learning how to walk and talk to building a global infrastructure to support local networks – Mr. Kell said he thinks corporate sustainability is nearing a tipping point. “I believe we have now entered into a potential phase of transformation where business engagement has become so material and serious that there’s an opportunity to channel transformative impact and change.”

Reflecting on the major developments he has seen over the last 15 years, Mr. Kell said: “Looking back, I can say with new certainty that a silent revolution is taking place within the market. What started off as a moral imperative to do the right thing, or as reactions to incidents and environmental disasters, is today a forward-looking strategic concept.”

Mr. Kell linked the growth of corporate sustainability with a number of key trends, including growing global awareness on transparency; fundamental value changes in foreign direct investment; and changing conceptions of stakeholder engagement.

Highlighting progress by issue platforms like the CEO Water Mandate and Caring for Climate, he said he has “no doubt that so long as the world stays open and by and large peaceful, this agenda is irreversible.” Expressing his continuing belief in idea power, responsible entrepreneurship and technological development, he said: “We have the capacity and solutions we need to change.”

Mr. Kell closed his lecture by calling for a stronger focus on leadership criteria and more responsible lobbying, stressing the unprecedented opportunities associated with the post-2015 development agenda. “I urge business to continue to support the United Nations as a foundation for openness, peace and prosperity,” he concluded.

Media Contact

Kristina Wilson-Rocheford
UN Global Compact
kwilson@unglobalcompact.org