Leadership skills gap is UK’s “most pressing challenge in transition to a sustainable economy” - inquiry

HRH The Prince of Wales’ National Ambassador Vincent de Rivaz and Stephen Howard, Chief Executive of Business in the Community unveil findings of the “Leadership Skills for a Sustainable Economy” inquiry and launch Taskforce to address skills needs.

Business has a key role to play in the transition to a sustainable economy."

Key findings:

• Over nine in 10 businesses already recognise these skills are a critical business issue
• Nine out of 10 agree that businesses need to do more to prepare their people for the transition to a sustainable economy
• But only 15% think developing the skills needed is well or partly established
• Eight out of 10 think there is an urgent need to put more programmes in place

EDF Energy Chief Executive Vincent de Rivaz and Business in the Community (BITC) Chief Executive Stephen Howard today launched the findings of their inquiry into the Leadership Skills for a Sustainable Economy.

More than 150 business leaders gathered in London to discuss the report, led by Mr de Rivaz in his role as HRH The Prince of Wales’ National Ambassador working in partnership with the BITC, and will be invited to sign up to a new cross-industry Taskforce.

Over 700 business leaders took part in research into the leadership skills that companies will need to transform themselves into sustainable businesses.

The inquiry found that 70% thought the gap in these leadership skills will become one of the most pressing challenges facing UK businesses in the next five years.

The overwhelming opinion of those surveyed is that there needs to be a transformation to promote the skills required for a sustainable economy.

Examples of excellence were found, with several companies developing innovative programmes to build skills. But the inquiry found that many businesses have not yet connected with the commercial benefits of sustainability. Furthermore, 84% of businesses want programmes and tools that can be tailored to the specific needs of their organisation.

In response to this, today marks the launch of a new industry-led Taskforce which encourages companies to throw open their doors to share best practice, resources and intellectual property.

Founding members of the taskforce include EDF Energy; M&S; WSP; Lloyds TSB; EDF Energy, Adnams; Boots and RSA Group. The Taskforce will be challenged and supported by BITC working together with the Cambridge Programme for Sustainable Leadership; Global Action Plan and Forum for the Future.

Over the next 12 months, the Taskforce will hold thought leadership sessions and networking events to share the resources they have developed within their own organisations and identify how best to address the skills gaps identified [see notes to editors for examples]. A resource library will also be established under the guidance of the Mayday Network of the BITC.

The Taskforce will seek to develop scaleable examples of best practice in four categories of employees; senior managers, middle managers, customer-facing staff and the general workforce.

Vincent de Rivaz, Chief Executive of EDF Energy and HRH Prince of Wales’ National Ambassador, said:

“What is striking is how much UK business wants to make a difference and has the power to make things happen. Business has a key role to play in the transition to a sustainable economy. It is in each company’s own interest as well as in our broader economic, social and environmental interest to act now.

“To achieve this is critical that individuals at every level of business have the skills to help their organisation take action on climate change and to prepare for a sustainable economy.

“Key leadership skills needed include the ability to develop a long term vision of how the organisation will contribute to a sustainable economy, the ability to inspire a broad range of people internally and externally and the ability to work collaboratively with different stakeholders. 
“I am delighted that today we are launching a taskforce that will see businesses of all sizes and across many sectors open their doors to share knowledge to the benefit of all.”

Stephen Howard, Chief Executive of BITC, said:

"This Skills Inquiry has shown overwhelming recognition of the need for leadership skills on the issue of sustainability; and also the distance we still have to travel. This distance is too great for any one business to cover alone - collaborative business-led action is essential to share resources and address the skills gap.

"The most effective businesses are those that can unlock the potential of their employees to play a positive role in creating transformational change in their workplace and communities. At Business in the Community we make it our mission to help employers to do just that."

Skills we need our leaders to develop, according to inquiry findings:

• The ability to consistently work towards a longer term vision for how the organisation will contribute to a sustainable economy (88%)
• The ability to inspire change on sustainability in a broad range of people within and outside of the organisation (87%)
• The ability to empower a diverse range of people within the organisation to make sustainable business decisions (84%)
• Commercial awareness to identify the risks and opportunities presented by a sustainable economy (89%)
• Sufficient knowledge about sustainability to translate it into successful business strategies (87%)
• The ability to innovate in sustainable approaches, technologies, products and services (79%)
• The ability to work collaboratively with different stakeholders (such as other companies, Government, the third sector and community groups) towards a sustainable economy (82%)
• Effective and persuasive communication on sustainability issues, using clear and accessible language (88%)

Notes to editors

The report into the inquiry can be accessed at: http://www.bitc.org.uk/resources/publications/index.html

HRH The Prince of Wales Ambassador – the role

As President of BITC, HRH The Prince of Wales, annually presents the role of Ambassador to an individual whose leadership and commitment to responsible business practice and the actions they have taken personally to promote the Business in the Community agenda, have created a positive impact both inside their company and on wider society.
Vincent de Rivaz, was named Ambassador in July 2009.
In presenting Mr de Rivaz with the award, HRH The Prince of Wales described him as a powerful force for change - someone who not only demonstrated clear leadership personally, but also in his determination to define what companies should be doing on climate change.
Through his role as HRH The Prince of Wales’ Ambassador, Vincent de Rivaz was keen to bring together a wide range of stakeholders to not only understand the skills gaps that must be addressed if we are to achieve a sustainable economy but also to use the extensive BITC network to instigate transformational change across the UK.

How Leadership Skills for a Sustainable Economy was undertaken

The inquiry was framed by a small Steering Committee of business and third sector leaders from Business in the Community, EDF Energy, Adnams; BskyB; Marks and Spencer; Lloyds TSB, WSP as well as non-governmental organisations – Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership; Forum for the Future and Global Action Plan.
This then informed an online quantitative survey distributed to over 2,000 member organisations of HRH The Prince of Wales’s Mayday Network on Climate Change, and of Business in the Community. Board-level and sustainability contacts were invited to participate. Over 700 responses were given by individuals in organisations of a mix of sizes and from a broad range of industry sectors. The fieldwork was conducted by Ipsos MORI between March and April 2010. In parallel, 12 qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with companies which have already created (or are planning) programmes to develop sustainability skills. The responses therefore represent the views of those who have already started to engage.

EDF Energy

EDF Energy is one of the UK’s largest energy companies, producing around one-fifth of the nation's electricity from its nuclear, coal and gas power stations, as well as combined heat and power plants and wind farms. The company provides power to a quarter of the UK’s population via its electricity distribution networks and supplies gas and electricity to more than 5.5 million business and residential customers. It is the number one supplier of electricity to major business in the UK.
EDF Energy’s safe and secure operation of its eight existing nuclear power stations at sites across the country makes it the UK’s largest generator of low carbon electricity.  EDF Energy is also leading the UK's nuclear renaissance and has published plans to build four new nuclear reactors, subject to the right investment framework. These new plants would generate enough low carbon electricity for about 40 per cent of Britain’s homes. They would make an important contribution to the UK’s future needs for clean, secure and affordable energy. The project is already creating business and job opportunities for British companies and workers.
Through Our Sustainability Commitments, EDF Energy has launched the biggest environmental and social programme of any UK energy company.
EDF Energy is part of EDF Group, one of Europe’s largest power companies. Following the integration with British Energy in 2009, the company employs nearly 20,000 people.

For more information please visit: www.edfenergy.com

Aideen Lee on 020 7396 7491 or by e-mail at alee@brunswickgroup.com

Phillippa Coates on 020 7752 2266 or by e-mail at phillippa.coates@edfenergy.com

Business in the Community

Business in the Community mobilises business for good. Being a member of BITC means being part of an international network of responsible businesses committed to a sustainable future for people and planet. Our approach to responsible business provides a framework to support and challenge business to improve its performance and benefit society through our four areas of expertise – community, environment, workplace and marketplace.

We ask members to: Integrate responsible business across all areas of their operations; Collaborate to tackle key social issues in areas of greatest need; Communicate and inspire others by sharing their experiences and encouraging more to follow their example. www.bitc.org.uk