What a time to join the shared value community as SVP's new CEO – when the opportunity (and responsibility) to glue social progress to strategic business is so vivid. It’s a privilege to be here.
The crises of 2020 have demonstrated that clarity can come from some of our greatest challenges. We’ve realised what’s most important, and what people and business can and can’t live without. The key takeaway: we need one another to not only survive long-term, but to thrive to our full potential.
This profound interdependency is now impossible to ignore, providing a hotbed for shared value thinking (I reflect on this here). My hope is that business models will now catch up, to meet this urgency and expectation for a more inclusive kind of capitalism – one which will ultimately pay greater dividends.
Of course, the foundations for this shift have already been laid – by many of you. Along with the support and leadership of SVP co-founder Helen Steel, your inspiration and example remains critical to advancing a shared value future. We’ve collated just a few of the highlights from what this community has achieved over the past 18 months alone. Congratulations to you all.
At SVP, we have commenced our planning for what will be (another) big year in 2021. If 2020 was a year dominated by responding and pivoting; 2021 will be a year for innovation and creativity, partnership and new horizons. It won’t be without its challenges, but when tackled through a shared value lens, we believe it will present some of our most significant opportunities yet.
Finally, I want to thank you for the warm welcome to the SVP network over the past four weeks. I’m enjoying getting to know each of you, and hearing how myself and the team can continue to power your shared value journey. If I haven’t reached you just yet, I encourage you to connect with me at sdownie@sharedvalue.org.au.
I wish you all a safe and relaxing break as we take stock of 2020, and re-energise ahead of 2021.
Sarah Downie
CEO, Shared Value Project
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