11 January, 2013
Swire employees join Leaders for Tomorrow Field Programme
The five-day Leaders for Tomorrow Field Programme piloted in October in Dinghushan Nature Reserve, Guangdong province, an ecological and spiritual jewel, which attracts over one million visitors a year and preserves 800 hectares for scientific research.
"It is important to ensure sustainability is integrated into all Swire business decision making," says Stephen Pennicott - GM Consulting. "Our young managers are the ideal people to take this forward so we need to bring it to life for them."
Participants explored Dinghushan as a live case study, interacted and engaged with local reserve managers, fishermen, villagers, farmers and business people, worked with scientists in the field and took part in facilitated sessions to share and explore their understanding and perspectives of local sustainability issues.
"Showing and experiencing is more powerful than lectures and words," recalls one participant. "Insights acquired through direct interactions with stakeholders are more powerful and memorable," says another.
After three days of social and ecological research, the team was challenged to find a sustainable solution to a real life business problem before presenting back to a Dragon’s Den style committee made up of experts from Swire and Earthwatch.
"It will be the start of a movement," says one Swire Manager, "sustainability is not just a buzz word on the Swire strategic plan but something that can be owned by individual leaders."
This programme is an example of a bespoke Earthwatch programme, co-designed with our corporate partners to meet their goals and complement their wider engagement strategy.
To learn more about working with Earthwatch, please contact our Corporate Development Team at corporate@earthwatch.org.uk