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The Business Fights Poverty Institute aims to advance knowledge and foster peer learning to ignite business innovation and drive actionable, cross-sector collaboration for a more equitable and resilient world.

Launched at the Business Fights Poverty Global Equity Summit on 7 March 2024 at Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge, the Institute is the culmination of nearly 20 years of Business Fights Poverty’s community-driven approach to peer learning and collaboration. Through the Institute, we create cutting-edge thought leadership reports and toolkits that drive forward thinking and, importantly, bridge the gap between academic research and business action.

Latest Publications

Building Business Partnerships That Are Fit for the Future: A Renewed Vision for Business Action on Green and Inclusive Growth

This report provides insights on building partnerships for green and inclusive growth, showcasing how collaboration between businesses, governments, and civil society can address global challenges of poverty, inequality, and climate change. By aligning social and environmental goals, harnessing core business strengths, and engaging local communities, the report offers a practical framework for creating scalable, impactful partnerships. Case studies include companies like Anglo American, Visa, GSK, Primark, Cemex, and the Clean Cooking Alliance. This report is a valuable tool for organizations looking to drive sustainable change through innovative, collaborative efforts. With the FCDO and Business Fights Poverty.

Safer Workplaces: How companies can support survivors of domestic violence and abuse

This Toolkit emphasizes the critical role of companies in combating domestic violence, particularly within the realm of work. It showcases the significant contribution of Dr. Jane Pillinger’s expertise, combined with the knowledge gathered from global organizations like the ILO and UN Women. Through practical guidance and insights from interviews with survivors, managers, and colleagues, the Toolkit offers a roadmap for businesses to support survivors of domestic violence. It underlines the necessity for workplace interventions and highlights how companies of all sizes can engage in preventing domestic violence and providing a safe environment for employees. With the support of global and sector-specific best practices, the Toolkit aims to foster awareness, safety, and prevention in the professional sphere.

Senior Fellows

At the heart of the Business Fights Poverty Institute is a Faculty of Senior Fellows, leaders from academia and business.

Alice Allan

Director, Collaboration

Director, Collaboration

Business Fights Poverty

Anna Barford

Director, Business Fights Poverty Institute and Principal Research Associate, Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics

Director, Business Fights Poverty Institute and Principal Research Associate, Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics

University of Cambridge

Annabel Beales

Collaboration Lead

Collaboration Lead

Business Fights Poverty

Anouk Heilen

Head of Social Sustainability

Head of Social Sustainability

Unilever

Lindsey Block

Head of Social Impact

Head of Social Impact

Primark

Isabella Bunn

Research Fellow in Governance and Global Ethics, Regent's Park College

Research Fellow in Governance and Global Ethics, Regent's Park College

University of Oxford

Payal Dalal

EVP, Executive Vice President, Global Programs, Center for Inclusive Growth

EVP, Executive Vice President, Global Programs, Center for Inclusive Growth

Mastercard

Olayinka David-West

Associate Dean and Professor of Information Systems

Associate Dean and Professor of Information Systems

Lagos Business School

Catalina Garcia

Global Director, Corporate Affairs

Global Director, Corporate Affairs

AB InBev

Amanda Gardiner

Head of ESG

Head of ESG

Meta

David Grayson CBE

Professor Emeritus of Corporate Responsibility

Professor Emeritus of Corporate Responsibility

Cranfield University School of Management

Katie Hyson

Director, Thought Leaderships and COO

Director, Thought Leaderships and COO

Business Fights Poverty

Mary Johnstone-Louis

Senior Fellow in Management Practice, Saïd Business School

Senior Fellow in Management Practice, Saïd Business School

University of Oxford

Drew Keller

Director, Institute for the Study of Business in Global Society

Director, Institute for the Study of Business in Global Society

Harvard Business School

Natasha Kwakwa

Global Head, Community Impact

Global Head, Community Impact

Standard Chartered Bank

Jane Nelson CMG

Director, Corporate Responsibility Initiative

Director, Corporate Responsibility Initiative

Harvard Kennedy School

Jane Pillinger

Visiting Senior Research Fellow, Department of Social Policy and Criminology

Visiting Senior Research Fellow, Department of Social Policy and Criminology

Open University

Ravi Shankar Chaturvedi

Managing Director, Digital Planet, The Fletcher School

Managing Director, Digital Planet, The Fletcher School

Tufts University

Myriam Sidibe

Founder and Chief Mission Officer

Founder and Chief Mission Officer

Brands on a Mission

Edward Tay

Associate Professor (Practice) in Sustainability and Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations Institute for Training and Research & Adjunct Associate Professor, Asian Institute of Digital Finance

Associate Professor (Practice) in Sustainability and Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations Institute for Training and Research & Adjunct Associate Professor, Asian Institute of Digital Finance

National University of Singapore

Zahid Torres-Rahman OBE

Co-Founder and CEO

Co-Founder and CEO

Business Fights Poverty

The six pillars

The Business Fights Poverty Institute is built on a unique combination of 6 pillars for a fresh approach to tackling the world’s biggest social challenges.

01.

World-Leading Thinkers

At the heart of the Institute is a faculty of Senior Fellows who are each pioneers in their fields, from academia and business, including from Business Fights Poverty partner companies and beyond.

02.

Forward-Thinking Companies

The Institute is rooted in solving the real-world challenges of business practitioners. That understanding is underpinned by the companies that sit at the centre of Business Fights Poverty.

03.

Practical Peer-Learning

The Institute supports genuine peer learning. This is underpinned by the Business Fights Poverty Peer Club, a network of 150+ employees working on the front lines of sustainability in global companies.

04.

Experienced Impact Partners

Original knowledge and insights are informed by Business Fights Poverty’s global network of Impact Partners, including international NGOs and think tanks, ensuring we combine global learning and local action.

05.

Global Community of Professionals

The Institute’s insights are co-created with and disseminated across the Business Fights Poverty community of 30,000 practitioners from business, civil society and government.

06.

AI-Enabled, Human-Centred

The Institute is human- centred, AI- enabled and impact-focused. We use the latest technology to distil insights from across our community and deliver them in multiple formats and in multiple languages.