KoboriGrillsCSR

Michael Kobori has led sustainability at Levi Strauss & Co. since 2001. In this role, he is responsible for the company’s sustainability vision and strategy across all business functions. Under Kobori’s tenure, Levi Strauss & Co. has been an industry leader in sustainability, pioneering initiatives such as the rollout of Water Less production techniques, reducing water use by more than 2 billion liters to date; growth of Better Cotton to 21 percent of all the company’s cotton usage; development of a hazard-based Screened Chemistry Framework; expansion of Worker Well-Being programs to more than 100,000 workers; and inclusion of Care for the Planet™ labels on all products. Previously, Kobori was a vice president at BSR and spent nearly 10 years at The Asia Foundation.

Wei Dong Zhou is responsible for setting the strategic direction of all of The Sustainability Consortium's projects in China as chief representative. He has also been newly selected as executive secretary-general of the Alliance of Green Consumption and Green Supply Chain in China. Zhou has more than 20 years of experience in Chinese government, nonprofit organization management, CSR and sustainability strategy, philanthropy, the state owner sector, and multinational companies. Prior to joining The Sustainability Consortium, Zhou worked for a private foundation in China as general manager for one year, and for seven years prior to that, worked as BSR's China Country Director. At BSR, he founded offices in Beijing and Guangzhou and provided advice and counsel to BSR's member companies and their sustainable supply chain partners.

KaraHurst

Kara Hurst leads Worldwide Sustainability at Amazon. Utilizing Amazon's scale, speed, and innovation, Sustainability at Amazon includes core teams focused on packaging innovation, renewable energy, energy efficiency, circular economy, social responsibility and human rights, sustainability science and innovation, sustainability technology, partnerships and external engagement, and sustainable transportation. Prior to Amazon, Hurst served as CEO of The Sustainability Consortium and as a Vice President of BSR for 11 years, where she built global industry practices in technology, pharmaceuticals, hospitality, and entertainment. Prior to BSR, Hurst worked in Silicon Valley as executive director of the public-private venture OpenVoice, in corporate affairs for the Children’s Health Council, as a research lead at the Urban Institute, and as a policy staffer for both Mayor Willie Brown of San Francisco and the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York.

AnnieG_Photo

One of the first women photographers to work for National Geographic, Annie Griffiths has photographed in nearly 150 countries during her illustrious career and has worked on dozens of magazine and book projects for National Geographic. Griffiths’ work has also appeared in Fortune, GEO, LIFE, Smithsonian, and Stern, among other publications. In addition to her magazine work, Griffiths is deeply committed to photographing for aid organizations around the world. She is the founder and executive director of Ripple Effect Images, a collective of photographers who document programs that empower women and girls in the developing world. Ripple has produced 26 films and built a photo library of more than 20,000 images since 2010. Using these assets, Ripple’s aid beneficiaries have raised more than 10 million U.S. dollars, expanded their programs to multiple countries, and proven that women and girls are the best investment the world can make in our shared future.