Aspen Institute Business & Society Program

I’ve been spending the week at the Aspen ESG Summit, hosted by the Aspen Institute Business & Society Program. It’s been wonderful to reconnect with so many passionate leaders who are continuing to integrate social impact and sustainability more deeply into core business strategy and innovation. As I absorb all the insights from this week's discussions and focus forward on how we'll continue to advance progress, I can't help but reflect on how far PayPal has come in our sustainability work in such a short amount of time. Recently, TIME ranked the world’s 500 most sustainable companies for 2024, and we were honored to be included at number 16. While the recognition is exciting to see, we know there are still many complex challenges and opportunities before us and so much more important work to be done. Having the opportunity to collaborate with the leaders at this week's Summit and to learn from the companies on this year's TIME ranking keeps me optimistic during these uncertain times. Together, we're continuing to make progress -- and together, we'll continue to make a real difference. Check out the full list here:

Last week I attended the #AspenESGSummit, which has evolved to become one of my favorite events. For me, it provides a precious opportunity to: 👪 𝐁𝐔𝐈𝐋𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘 with leading peers in both the #sustainability and #investor spaces - getting out of our typical silos to #dialogue and #innovate around the #futureofESG. 🗣 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐏𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐄𝐒 in order to make our companies (and ourselves) better #ESG operators. 💡 𝐂𝐎-𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐒 for addressing the biggest barriers to scaling progress and solving sustainable business issues that can only be accomplished through #collaboration. 🤔 𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐘 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊 - including successes, challenges, roadblocks, and future possibilities to move the needle. There's no better setting than the mountains 🏔 of Aspen and its surrounds to pause, take a deep breath, and regain perspective! Thank you to The Aspen Institute and especially the Aspen Institute Business & Society Program for all you do to bring us together and make that bumpy plane ride ✈ ☁ worth its weight in gold! Judy Samuelson Nancy McGaw Felicia Davis Megan Shea Sue Allchurch Sanda Ojiambo Paula Luff Michael Kobori (he/him) Heidi DuBois Thomas Kamei Joanna R. Jennifer Silberman Julia Matthews Andrea Wood Ellen Weinreb Ann Tracy Scott Tew Jonah Smith Valerie Smith Judith Simon Kristen Siemen Amy Silverstein Amy Saltzman Kyle Peoples Katherine Neebe Brendan Morrissey Robert McKeehan Kim Marotta Denise Lucas Gabriella Herzog Swasti Gupta-Mukherjee Michael Gulich, AIA, LEED AP, LFA Cassandra Garber Balaji Ganapathy Sidney Dillard Stephanie DeClue Margaret Coady Jeffrey Burrell

Just back from the #AspenInstituteBusinessandSocietyProgram #ESGSummit. Many thanks to Judy Samuelson Eli Malinsky MIGUEL PADRO, Felicia Davis, and the whole BSP team for including me. I had the honor of moderating a panel featuring a group of leaders with deep private and public markets expertise. #ESG is a valuable analytical tool for understanding risk and value drivers as opposed to an investment style or asset class. However, reframing is needed: a pivot to driving growth and cash flows for companies and returns for investors, and away from focusing on disclosure and scoring. Thomas Kamei Machal Karim Marian Macindoe #AspenESGSummit24

2024 Aspen ESG Summit (Part 1 of 2) Another fantastic iteration of the Aspen ESG Summit wrapped up last week, seamlessly blending dynamic brainstorming, innovative problem-solving, sober stock-taking, mini artistic retreats, and gondola rides up the mountains to 11,000 ft. This meticulously curated gathering of powerful stakeholders influencing the trajectory of business, policy, and the planet included leaders from the private sector, government, non-profits, philanthropy, and academia. A few key takeaways/ food for thought for me on finance, corporate governance, and global mobilization for sustainability from the sessions: 💲 Future of finance & sustainability: Although ‘greenhushing’ remains a concern in the current business landscape, the last couple of years have helped to crystallize and mature the movement towards sustainable business practices. There is hope of the nuance- that was somewhat lost in hype and trend-chasing- being somewhat regained. New alliances are being formed to blend pragmatism and social impact, and the concessionary-capital narratives around financing sustainability are being challenged to focus on value-creation. 🗝Corporate governance as a battleground: With increasing scrutiny and demands for accountability, the role of the Board of Directors is under the spotlight like never before. The evolving realities, liabilities, and expectations of their governance role means that board members need to educate themselves and understand their expanding scope of responsibilities. ▶UN Global Compact for SDGs: The group of corporations aligning with the UN Global Compact's principles on human rights, labor standards, environment, and anti-corruption is over 20,000 and growing. It’s not just about compliance and risk management; it’s about businesses leading with purpose in achieving success measured on profits, people, and the planet. Thank you to the Aspen Institute Business & Society Program (The Aspen Institute) team for this exceptionally high-quality and memorable event: Judy Samuelson, Felicia Davis, Eli Malinsky, Miguel Padro, Nancy McGaw, Jaime Bettcher and others. Sanda Ojiambo Greg Ratliff Tim Mohin Anne Simpson Melissa James Carmen Lu Elliot Stultz Robert McKeehan Michelle Greene Nancy Reynolds Dee Siegel Youstina Megalla Linda Hill Divya Mankikar Brittany Agostino Ellen Weinreb David Young #AspenESGSummit24 #SustainableFinance #CorporateGovernance #ESG #BoardOfDirectors #Sustainability #UNGlobalCompact #CorporateResponsibility #SocialImpact #HumanRights #LaborStandards #EnvironmentalStewardship #AntiCorruption #FutureOfBusiness

I'm spending a couple of days this week at the Aspen ESG Summit put on by the Aspen Institute Business & Society Program. This Summit is a masterfully curated event which brings together business leaders in sustainability across many sectors in an amazing setting to dive deep into next frontier sustainability and social impact ideas, to share stories of transformation, to explore ways to embed equity more fully into sustainable business strategies, and to discuss the evolution of governance. #AspenESGSummit24 #sustainability #sustainablebusiness

Day two at #AspenESGSummit24 focused on the progress we’ve made year-over-year and the role that boards play in providing support to drive sustainable agendas. Many participants spoke about the increased sophistication of their boards that have been driven by equal parts regulatory requirements, a healthy dose of activism and a lot of personal passion from the board members themselves who recognize the challenges and opportunities at-hand. Boards play a significant role in governing and driving accountability with management teams to deliver on their actions and sustainability commitments to ensure organizations are equipped to drive impact at scale. It was encouraging to hear from so many peers how their board discussions have evolved, and I’m hopeful this will continue to grow in the years ahead. Another discussion that stood out to me was the necessity of organizations to meet regulatory and/or shareholder requirements, but the barriers it can incidentally create for bold action. This is very top of mind for me, and I’ll be curious to explore how it evolves over the next year, as we continue to balance compliance requirements with actions that can have a significant impact with the urgency required. As always, one of my favorite parts of attending the Aspen Institute Business & Society Program ESG Summit is the opportunity to reconnect with peers. Yesterday, I had the chance to catch-up with my good friend and Editor-In-Chief of Design Observer, Ellen McGirt (pictured here), who always brings a smile and unparalleled passion for making the world a better place. 🌍

Day 2 of the Aspen Institute ESG Summit 2024 focused on political risk. While the day began with anxious disillusionment and distress at corporate paralysis, it closed on a high note and that was before our trip to 11,000 feet. #AspenESGSummit24 #WhartonESG #ESG #ESGInvesting #ESGStrategy #PoliticalRisk Leadership Now Project