Responsible leadership — a global business challenge

Открыть страницу: на русском языке

18 June 2008 — The International Roundtable on Responsible Leadership, organised by PricewaterhouseCoopers, was held on 5 June. The event included a presentation of the book Responsible Leadership.

Roundtable participants discussed definitions of responsible leadership in Russia and in the West and underlined the need to promote the responsible leadership concept and develop a new generation of responsible leaders. Among other issues raised in the course of discussion was leadership in and coordination between public agencies, companies, businesses and non-governmental organisations, as well as the role of society, business and the state in this sphere.

The roundtable was attended by Russian business leaders, journalists, NGOs and public authorities:

  • Andrei Khazin, deputy chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Economic Policy, Business and Property;
  • Ruben Vardanyan, chairman of the Board of Directors, Troika Dialog Group;
  • Alexander Murychev, first executive vice-president, Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs;
  • Thomas Maak, research director, Institute for Business Ethics, and senior lecturer on corporate responsibility, University of St. Gallen (Switzerland);
  • Nikola Pless, director, Public Leadership Centre, and senior lecturer on responsible leadership, University of St. Gallen (Switzerland);
  • Dmitry Zimin, founder of the Dynasty Foundation;
  • Andrey Volkov, dean, Moscow School of Management Skolkovo;
  • Yuri Blagov, director, Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility, St Petersburg State University School of Management;
  • Valeri Panyushkin, reporter, Vedomosti newspaper, writer.

The discussion opened with a presentation from Thomas Maak and Nikola Pless, authors of Responsible Leadership. They spoke about the book’s concept and touched upon the issues related to business leadership and moral values that they investigated in their research. Thomas Maak spoke about responsible leadership in developed countries and expressed his view of the concept of responsible leadership around the world.

The presentation was followed by a discussion among representatives of the business community and public authorities, who agreed on the issue’s relevance for all parties concerned. The discussion covered the development of business in Russia, changes to public and government structures in recent decades and their impact on business strategy. The result of these changes was the Russian business community’s transition to civilised business conduct, with corporate social responsibility seen as a focus by many Russian companies (over 100 social reports have been released by companies in recent years). The contributors stressed the importance of responsible business in modern society, and noted that it is a part of Russia’s newly-shaped business environment like never before.

Further, the experts discussed a responsible leader’s education: What qualities make a person a responsible leader, how can responsible leaders be cultivated, and how can business ethics be taught in the Russian business environment. Speakers from Skolkovo School of Management and St Petersburg State University School of Management noted that similar programmes have been included in Russian MBA programmes since 1993, and that current students are significantly more concerned about social responsibility and business ethics than their peers in the past.

Summing up the meeting, Samuel DiPiazza, CEO of PricewaterhouseCoopers international network, noted that responsible leadership rightfully can be regarded as a hot topic in the business world for both developed countries and emerging markets:
“A dynamically growing economy, Russia has only started to define the concepts of building and developing business. We can see Russia’s companies improving the quality of interaction with stakeholders and increasing the transparency of social reporting. This is an example of how the concept of responsible leadership is being implemented to embrace the social, environmental, commercial and ethical aspects of business management.”


Social responsibility

PricewaterhouseCoopers has a corporate social responsibility programme in Russia to address various issues related to education, culture, children and the environment. For many years, the firm has been sponsoring orphanages, secondment programmes for university post-graduates and the restoration of historical and cultural heritage sites. PricewaterhouseCoopers has widely participated in international charity programmes aimed at raising funds for orphans and children from underprivileged families. A new initiative was launched recently to encourage sport in Russia; the pilot project was sponsorship of the legendary CSKA hockey club.

In 2005, PricewaterhouseCoopers started the Charity Instead of Gifts programme. For two years in a row, the firm brought this idea to life, reallocating its funds for New Year’s business gifts to charities. In 2007, over 90 companies joined this effort, and the number of contributors continues to grow. Apart from addressing specific social issues, the project helps develop a charity-minded culture in Russia.

Notes for editors

  1. For additional information, please contact Vera Totskaya, PR Manager, or Anna Aristova, PR Assistant Manager.
“PricewaterhouseCoopers” refers to the network of member firms of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity.