About the Breakfast Series
The multiple crises we are confronted with today call for transformations towards more sustainable societies. Businesses, as major actors of, and in, society have a crucial role to play. In this context, the question of purpose becomes central. In a rapidly changing world, some companies have already started their sustainability journeys, others are considering strategic moves. Sybille van den Hove, together with a series of guest speakers, will explore why and how to place purpose and sustainability at the heart of business vision, mission and strategies.
Session 2: Sustainability at the Heart
General Outline
- When business is designed to solve sustainability issues, the case of Urbike
- The cooperative model as a way to support a focus-centred company
In this session, Philippe will share his experience as an entrepreneur developing a business where sustainability has been placed at the heart from the very beginning. The case of Urbike will be discussed. Urbike is a Brussels-based cyclo-logistics cooperative. It aims at improving the quality of life in cities by shifting the last-mile transport of goods in the cities from vans and light trucks to cargo-bikes. Today Urbike has 45 employees and has delivered more than 350000 parcels which allowed for avoiding more than 80 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
About the Speakers
Host : Sybille van den Hove
Sybille van den Hove has been exploring sustainability issues for almost 3 decades, in science, at the science-policy interface, and with businesses. She builds bridges with the hope of fostering transformations. She is also an independent Director at IBA and co-founder of the 2030 CEO Alliance for Sustainability.
Guest Speaker: Philippe Lovens, Urbike, Co-founder and CEO
Philippe Lovens is an entrepreneur, co-founder and CEO of Urbike. He puts his energy, his curiosity, his pragmatism at the service of innovation and the concretisation of systemic solutions working for the global improvement of our society.
The Upcoming Breakfasts
During the 5 breakfast sessions that will take place between September 2023 and January 2024, interactions with speakers and between participants will help you embark on your sustainability journey or reinforce your existing plans. We aim to share with you intellectually rigorous and practically inspiring knowledge, ideas and tools.
The format will be highly interactive and the last breakfast will be a workshop dedicated to work on your business transformation ideas and plan.
| Webinar: Purpose at the Heart – A rationale for business transformation Setting the Scene Sybille van den Hove | 15 June 2023 Past Event |
| Session 1: Purpose and Sustainability Transformation Pierre Mottet, Chairman of the Board – Company: IBA | 21 September 2023 Past Event |
| Session 2: Sustainability at the heart Philippe Lovens, Co-founder and CEO – Company: Urbike More info and registration for session 2 here | 12 October 2023 |
| Session 3: A rationale for business transformation Sybille van den Hove – Company: Alliance for Sustainability | 9 November 2023 |
| Session 4: Views from the Future: bringing in the voice of the Youth Members of Corporate Re-generation | 7 December 2023 |
| Session 5: Let’s get started Workshop Interactive workshop and sharing of experience between participants | 18 January 2024 |
Registration is open until 11 October.
For more information about the event, please contact Megan O’Shea megan@bmiinstitute.com
Register