Championing Sustainability: A View on the Hoffmann Institute’s Impact

The Hoffmann Global Institute for Business and Society has made significant strides in its second year, with no signs of slowing down.

Established in August 2018, the Institute acts to transform business education to deliver positive outcomes aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Named in recognition of Rosalie and André Hoffmann MBA’90D for their foundational gift, the Institute has benefitted from annual gifts by alumni who support its goals. These gifts also uphold student and school-wide initiatives, like those highlighted below.

Uniting thinkers and leaders

One highlight was INSEAD’s inaugural SDG Week. Organised in collaboration with student clubs, the three-day event saw 14 interactive sessions with 1,369 registrants and addressed topics such as the circular economy, supply chains and innovation. SDG Week 2020 is now lined up for early November.

As an Academic Partner of the ChangeNOW International Summit in Paris – a global positive impact conference – the Institute convened INSEAD’s first Business and Society Forum on Health exploring solutions for SDG3: Good Health and Well-being, with the partnership continuing into 2021.

The Hoffmann Institute also engaged with more than half of INSEAD’s full-time faculty, helping finance 31 research projects for 27 faculty members, spanning all nine academic areas. Through online conversations and webinars, the Institute informed the INSEAD community of the latest evidence-based solutions during the pandemic.

Enhancing the MBA experience

Applying their knowledge in real-world settings for the Business as a Force for Good Practicum for Master Strategist Day, MBA students visited the Peace Parks Foundation in South Africa to tackle wildlife conservation issues and Almouneer Diabetic Eye Care in Egypt to address challenges in providing affordable and accessible healthcare.

Students were also challenged with the SDG Bootcamp, an intensive two-day experiential course focused on framing and solving real-world issues. Meanwhile, the Institute supported other student initiatives like the Summer Start-up Tour (‘SSUP)!, which took students across the world to explore the global start-up ecosystem.

Undeterred by COVID, two winning teams also benefitted from the INSEAD COVID-19 Innovation Competition, which was organised for students pitching business ideas to resolve challenges brought on by COVID-19.

Walking the talk

A comprehensive Sustainability Report organised around the Hoffmann Institute’s pillars of Knowledge, Learning, Engagement and Walk-the-Talk was produced to measure INSEAD’s delivery on its promise of conducting sustainable business. This report placed the school among the top 10% of all ranked organisations for the EcoVadis Score – a scorecard which evaluates sustainability performance.

All of these efforts of integrating sustainability across INSEAD were made possible with the support of the many donors who believed in the Hoffmann Institute’s mission, and generously stepped forward to endorse it.