Business

Business Innovations & Initiatives

Listen in to Ian Leader, Social Impact Pioneer, cross-sector strategist and founder of Local Works. Ian shares his experience in building partnerships that really work, between business, community and government.
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Held at the University of Oxford. The Forum offers a private, business-only space for senior practitioners with 10+ years of experience to reflect, share
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In this interview, we hear from Ulrich Assouah, Managing Director of IFP Humanitarian Studies, based in Douala, Cameroon. With a background in humanitarian leadership development, organisational governance, and capacity building for local NGOs and young professionals across Africa and fragile contexts, Ulrich brings a practitioner’s lens to the question of AI’s role in locally led humanitarian action.
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Across the corporate social impact community, budgets are tightening and many companies have gone quiet on commitments. New research from Project ROI, aggregating 640+ peer-reviewed studies, shows the opposite move: high-performing companies invest more in CSR during downturns. Here’s the data, and what it means for corporate leaders and their nonprofit partners.
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Social Impact Pioneer Hesham Elzeftawi, shares his journey developing deep understanding and appreciation for cross-cultural learning.
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Dignity is more than compassion, it is a business strategy. Drawing on experiences in Haiti and healthcare, this article explores how designing for human dignity improves trust, engagement and outcomes. From patient care to workforce participation, organisations that prioritise the human experience can strengthen retention, reduce inequality and create more resilient, impactful systems.
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In this episode, we’re joined by Devon Fritz, author of The High-Impact Professional’s Playbook and co-founder of High Impact Professionals. An experienced coach and strategic philanthropy adviser, Devon helps people bridge the gap between good intentions and measurable outcomes.
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Purpose-driven leadership starts with personal clarity. This article argues that leaders must define their own values before building organisations for social impact. Without this internal work, strategies lack direction and authenticity. By aligning personal purpose with organisational goals, leaders can create more resilient, trusted and effective businesses that deliver lasting impact.
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Business Fights Poverty and Learn Biomimicry come together to explore how nature offers a powerful lens for going beyond resilience, helping organisations not just withstand adversity but grow stronger because of it.
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Social Impact Pioneer Michelle Grogg is the Executive Director of the Mars Impact Fund. Listen in as Michelle shares her insights on why Mars can do more with an Impact Fund now. She shares her experiences on how businesses can drive meaningful social impact at scale and how delivering impact through both business operations and targeted investment is a vital way to make limited resources go further.
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As the World Bank’s Spring Meetings begin, a vital question returns: is GDP growth enough to improve lives? This article argues for a more useful lens, combining economic growth with multidimensional, household-level poverty data. Drawing on fresh evidence, it shows how better measurement can drive smarter policy and more inclusive, lasting gains in wellbeing.
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Strong partnerships are essential to building resilient, climate-smart supply chains. Drawing on ofi and GIZ’s multi-year collaboration, this article shares five practical lessons for empowering women farmers at scale. From aligning around shared challenges to designing inclusive, long-term programmes, it shows how partnership can unlock livelihoods, strengthen value chains and drive measurable impact.
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Why do so many impact ventures fail to scale sustainably? The Billions Burned webinar series explores how Lean Startup and patient capital models can undermine long-term success in “build to hold” ventures. It argues that structural cost-to-value barriers – not lack of effort or money – drive failure, and highlights the need for new innovation frameworks that prioritise profitability, resilience and real-world impact.
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New research offers practical approaches to strengthening traceability and supporting smallholder inclusion at the start of agricultural supply chains. Jessica Fryer from ISEAL discusses the research findings and what this means for building resilient and inclusive supply chains.
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Supply chain resilience begins at the household level. Drawing lessons from the cocoa sector in West Africa, this article explores how strengthening women’s financial inclusion, decision-making power and access to savings groups can stabilise farming families and reduce risks across global supply chains. When households become more resilient, companies gain stronger, more reliable and sustainable supply systems.
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Listen in to this podcast episode to hear from Social Impact Pioneer Marike Runneboom de Peña, Interim CEO of Fairtrade International, about why this moment is a turning point for fair trade and global supply chains.
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Businesses face growing pressure to turn sustainability insight into action, yet fragmented evidence often slows progress. The Business Fights Poverty Institute bridges this gap by combining academic rigour with real-world expertise to deliver practical, actionable guidance. By enabling collaboration across sectors, it helps companies build resilient, inclusive strategies to tackle global challenges effectively.
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Forced labour in supply chains is no longer just an ethical issue, it is a growing competitiveness challenge for UK businesses. As global regulations tighten, responsible sourcing is becoming essential for market access, resilience and investor confidence. Stronger frameworks can protect workers, level the playing field and position the UK to lead in sustainable, high-integrity global trade.
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The Social Impact Landscape for Business: Planning for 2026 This paper explores how businesses can navigate an increasingly complex and polarised social impact landscape
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What is working for social impact professionals in 2026 As social impact becomes increasingly politicised and misunderstood, how organisations communicate is critical to sustaining
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Dive into the world of business innovations dedicated to combating poverty. We spotlight transformative ideas and practices that are making an impact.

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