Attending the Impact Summit

The 14^th of September saw the return of the Impact Summit. This purpose led event appeals to a wide range of individuals from entrepreneurs to executives, from small to big business. Focusing not just on ways to help businesses thrive but also have a global impact in a more ethical way. Although taking place virtually this did not distract from the quality of the panels and speakers as well as the question-and-answer sessions. Online networking was made possible using Remo, an online events platform, which in the moment made you forget you were at a fully online event.  

Wider impact

The day comprised of a range of speakers, workshops, and panels which added to the summit feeling much more interactive and engaging. The first speaker of the day was Iza Sia Login founder and CEO of Reemina academy, who manged to empathises the need for creating a purpose and impactful driven businesses. Her academy that focuses on business manifestation highlights this further. Wider impact was a definite theme for the whole summit, as the name would suggest. Iza highlighted this through examples in her own background of app development as one of the creators behind Talking Tom & Friends. Highlighting that something as simple as a fun app can make an impact on people’s lives. Often when running your own business this detail is forgotten, but she highlighted that the moments where we pause and reflect are key in business.  

Net Zero

During the event there was the choice of workshops to attend, the first that I attended was hosted by Nexio Projects, this workshop focused on the small steps business can do to become net zero. Nexio projects is an international consultancy company that aims to enable businesses to reach their sustainability goals whatever they may be. With an emphasis on small steps and awareness, as for many smaller businesses becoming net zero is not only a huge undertaking but a costly expense. Through various levels we were talked through the ways that businesses can progress through the undertaking. This workshop felt very engaging and the range of questions from the audience on how this could be applied to a wide range of industries and small business. The team at Nexio highlighted that the most important step (step 1) was awareness, the idea that we should as businesses and employees be having the conversation around sustainability.  

Representation

During the afternoon session we were joined by Bolor Battsengal the secretary of state for the Mongolian government. Bolor talked us through her impressive career as well as the growing tech industry in Mongolia. As well as highlighted the importance of women’s representation in tech but also in politics. Her drive for digitalisation and increasing tech business within Mongolia was truly inspiring to listen to. Additionally, her passion for being a role model for women in Mongolia, as not only do women globally lack representation in tech and politics but in Mongolia this is even more so the case. Listening to her speak on this topic reminded me of the quote “You can’t be what you can’t see” by Marian Wright Edelman. Highlighting the importance of representation.  

The benefits of purpose above profit

The last workshop that I attended was hosted by the Joyful Agency which focused on the idea of turning purpose into net positive impact. This relaxed workshop highlighted in both real-world examples and examples from the audience how having a purposeful business not only had a range of benefits to the company (higher retention rates and profits for example) but was the key to making a real impact as part of your business. Lucy had used the example of Patagonia who market themselves as a sustainable company with a difference, with a range of campaigns in the past such as ‘Don’t buy this jacket’ that put purpose above profit in a way that long term benefits the company. The idea that in creating a business we too should create a legacy to leave behind.  

Sustainability

Our next speakers focused on sustainability, another one of the key ideas behind this years Impact Summit. Again, the message came back to small steps that can make a huge difference. The speakers Rebekah Brasswell CCO of life land company, Saasha Celestial-One the co-founder of Olio and Mike Barry the former head of sustainability at M&S. These three speakers along with Bruce walker the cofounder of Future X, discussed a range of topics around the wider impact of sustainability, what sustainability meant for small business and long-term strategies. Food waste was a huge topic with the co-founder of Olio a food sharing app meant to reduce food waste and Mike with his experience at M&S. I enjoyed the way the speakers emphasised little steps. Olio for example was being widely used by the members of the audience, highlighting that sustainability on an individual level can be relatively easy and fun. This was also captured by the earlier workshop by Nexio projects. The idea that as individuals and businesses if we are doing something that’s always better than nothing.  

Ethics

The final speaker for the day was Reena Jana. Reena is the head of content & partnership enablement for responsible innovation at google. Reena and her colleagues work in a way that enables AI to be responsible in a way that benefits other. Much of the world debates the value and ethics around AI. Reena highlighted the value of putting ethics at a forefront of product design. A part of this discussion that I found of particular interest was the notion of collaboration of not just Reena and her team and the wider team working around AI at Google, but everyone at Google for them to add value to projects which impact a wide range of individuals.  

 

Overall, the day was insightful and a great experience to network and meet a range of individuals from different industries but also to listen to a wide variety of speakers. At AAB People we work with a range of purpose driven and impactful businesses, who like ourselves aim to make an impact in whatever industry they work in.

If you would like any more information on how AAB People can help make a difference for your business, then please do get in touch at info@aabpeople.com