The partnership was announced at the Annual Tri-Sector Forum organised by SMU. It aims to set the foundation for tri-sector collaborations to discover new opportunities and new solutions to overcome societal challenges, such as climate change, energy, health and wellbeing. This in turn will boost economic prosperity, environmental quality and social responsibility, and would ultimately improve the lives of people today and for generations to come.
Sustainability is recognised by DSM not just as a responsibility but also as a key differentiator and driver of value in its markets, enabling the company to address the challenges of the present while ensuring the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
On the partnership, Ann Florini, professor of Public Policy at the School of Social Sciences at SMU and academic director of the Master of Tri-Sector Collaboration program, said: “SMU greatly appreciates DSM’s farsighted support for our efforts to advance the theory and practice of cross-sector collaboration through our teaching and research programmes.” As the company demonstrates, such partnerships among business, government, and civil society are crucial to solving the great challenges of the 21st century.
The DSM senior fellow appointed by SMU is Simon Zadek, a senior fellow at the Global Green Growth Institute and the International Institute of Sustainable Development. Mr Zadek’s work is focused on the intersection of economic policy, business strategy and transformation, and sustainability outcomes. During the course of his fellowship, he will be teaching a course on ‘Partnership Mindset and Sustainability’; looking at the rationale behind the three sectors working together more closely to build businesses and societies that are able to thrive in an interconnected 21st century environment.
