About The BSR Conference 2017
The Leading Event for Collaboration and Action on Sustainable Business
The BSR Conference is one of the most important annual gatherings dedicated to finding solutions to our most pressing global challenges. Every year, nearly 1,000 sustainable business experts from Fortune 500 companies, as well as leading foundations, nonprofit organizations, and government, gather for unparalleled networking experiences, powerful plenary addresses and breakout sessions, and interactive professional development opportunities.
Join us this October to be a part of innovative solutions to the world’s biggest sustainability challenges.
BSR Conference 2017 Theme
How Business Leads
It’s BSR’s 25th anniversary year, and profound change is shaping sustainable business.
Be Inspired
Spotlight on Speakers
Brad Smith
President and Chief Legal Officer, Microsoft
Brad Smith is Microsoft’s president and chief legal officer. In this role, Smith is responsible for the company’s corporate, external, and legal affairs. He leads a team of more than 1,300 business, legal, and corporate affairs professionals working in 55 countries. These teams are responsible for the company’s legal work, its intellectual property portfolio, patent licensing business, corporate philanthropy, government affairs, public policy, corporate governance, and social responsibility work. He is also Microsoft’s chief compliance officer. Smith plays a key role in representing the company externally and in leading the company’s work on a number of critical issues including privacy, security, accessibility, environmental sustainability, and digital inclusion, among others. Smith joined Microsoft in 1993, and before becoming general counsel in 2002, he spent three years leading the Legal and Corporate Affairs (LCA) team in Europe, then five years serving as the deputy general counsel responsible for LCA’s teams outside the United States.
Nancy McFadden
Executive Secretary, Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown
Nancy McFadden has served as executive secretary for Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. since 2011—the title in law for the chief of staff position. Throughout her career, McFadden has served as a key legal, political, and policy official at both the federal and state levels, as well as in the private sector. McFadden was a senior vice president for Pacific Gas and Electric Corporation. A high-ranking member of the Clinton Administration for eight years, McFadden served as deputy chief of staff to Vice President Al Gore, general counsel for the U.S. Department of Transportation, and deputy associate attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice.
Al Gore
Former U.S. Vice President, Chairman, Generation Investment Management
Former Vice President Al Gore is a co-founder and chairman of Generation Investment Management. He is a senior partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and a member of Apple, Inc.’s board of directors. Gore is also chairman of The Climate Reality Project, a nonprofit organization devoted to solving the climate crisis. Gore was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1976, 1978, 1980, and 1982 and to the U.S. Senate in 1984 and 1990. He was inaugurated as the 45th vice president of the United States on January 20, 1993, and he served eight years. He is the author of the best-sellers Earth in the Balance, An Inconvenient Truth, The Assault on Reason, Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis, and, most recently, The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change. He is the subject of an Oscar-winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, and a new film premiering in July 2017, An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power. Gore is the co-recipient, with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, for “informing the world of the dangers posed by climate change.”
Bob Dunn
Former President and CEO, Synergos Institute
Bob Dunn, previous president and CEO of BSR, has served in leadership positions in the private, public, and independent sectors, most recently as president and CEO of the Synergos Institute. Dunn has also worked as a corporate vice president at Levi Strauss & Co., a senior aide to U.S. President Carter in the White House, an advisor to the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, and as chief of staff and budget director for a Wisconsin governor. He has been a lecturer in the M.B.A. program at Stanford University and a dean and lecturer in political science at Wesleyan University and is currently a guest lecturer in the Master's program at Glasgow Calidonian University. He is also an executive coach and mentor for executives, social entrepreneurs, and philanthropists.
Why Attend
Connect with Global Business Leaders
Join an influential community of changemakers at more than 20 networking events over three days.
“A great group of people attend this conference—exactly the kind of people I want to meet and talk with … Definitely worth the time, effort, and money.”
Why Attend
Never Stop Learning
Get unrivaled access to more than 30 candid discussions offering practical solutions to build a better future.
“The quality of the content and the networking opportunities are the best I've seen in this field.”
Why Attend
Redefine Sustainable Business
A new approach and a new voice to build a better future.
“You are the sustainability conference. I always feel challenged and inspired.”