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Registration for the 11th annual Asia Summit in Singapore September 18-20 is now open!

Investing for Profit and/or Purpose? (Invite only)

Tuesday, May 03, 2022
Investing for Profit and/or Purpose? (Invite only)
2022 Milken Institute Global Conference
2022 Milken Institute Global Conference

Investing for Profit and/or Purpose? (Invite only)

Tuesday, May 03, 2022
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Santolina
It is a long-held belief that commercial enterprises must have one clear objective: profit. Two years ago the Business Roundtable challenged that belief with a statement on the importance of stakeholder capitalism, that maximizing shareholder value should not be the ultimate goal: Businesses must also invest in their employees, protect the environment, and deal fairly and ethically with their suppliers. Some critics suggested that capitalism itself was under attack. Others countered that the Business Roundtable didn't go far enough, because profit without purpose is shortsighted. After a global pandemic that highlighted deep inequities and the growing perception that underserved communities will suffer the most from climate change, is an exclusive focus on profit still sustainable? Should 2022's business philosophy center on the mutually beneficial and not exclusive relationship of profit and purpose; namely, how maximizing stakeholder capitalism leads to sustainable shareholder returns? Panelists will share stories from the field on the true and false tradeoffs of profit and purpose, and public- and private-sector experts will debate the merits of what is necessary to drive sustainable post-pandemic growth.