WITH over 150 leaders from the private sector, the public sector and civil society from Egypt in attendance, the AUC John D. Gerhart Centre for Philanthropy and Civic Engagement Monday launched the Corporate Sustainability Capacity Building Programme in Cairo. The programme has been developed to respond to the clear need for the private sector in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia to not only understand what corporate sustainability means to their business, but also to acquire the skills necessary to implement sustainable business practices, say officials in the centre. By doing so, they will be able to both implement and integrate corporate sustainability in a manner that will serve the bottom- line of their companies and positively impact the sustainable development of their surrounding communities. Moderated by AUC Provost Lisa Anderson, the event was highlighted with a panel discussion entitled: "Sustainability: A Paradigm Shift in Management". An introduction was given by David Arnold, President of the American University in Cairo. The panelists included: Mahmoud Mohieldin, the Egyptian Minister of Investment; Fadi Ghandour, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Aramex International; Frederic Sicre, Executive Director of Abraaj Capital; Helmy Abouleish, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of SEKEM; and, Mounir Thabet, UNDP Country Director. During a dynamic and thought-provoking discussion, the panelists focused on the evolution of corporate sustainability in a global context with emphasis on the transformative effects corporate sustainability can have on the Arab region as a whole.
