(New York, 20 April 2018) – UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced the appointment of Bola Adesola to serve as a new Vice-Chair of the Board of the United Nations Global Compact. She will co-Vice Chair with Paul Polman
Bola Adesola succeeds the out-going Vice-Chair of the UN Global Compact Board, Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, former Chairman of Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies and of Anglo American plc.
Adesola and Polman previously served on the UN Global Compact Board, and bring significant expertise to the role from their wealth of experience in the private sector, the corporate sustainability space and specifically with the UN Global Compact itself.
Adesola is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Ltd , a role she has held since 2011. She has over 25 years of banking experience, having held various leadership positions in First Bank of Nigeria, Citibank and Kakawa Discount House. Adesola is an alumnus of Harvard Business School and Lagos Business School, and she also holds a Law degree from the University of Buckingham.
Adesola and Polman have been long-standing supporters of the UN Global Compact, and were both featured at UN Global Compact events held during the 72nd Regular Session of the UN General Assembly in 2017.
In her address to the United Nations Private Sector Forum on 18 September, Adesola said,
“I urge the companies present here to look at your businesses, map them to the SDGs, and then see how you can enhance those activities and play to your strengths, because, I think, it’s all about impact, and everything we do counts — whether it’s paper, whether it’s light — they all count.”
The UN Global Compact Board has a vital role to play in shaping the strategy and policy of the initiative, which acts as the United Nations flagship for responsible business action. Designed as a multi-stakeholder body, the Board provides ongoing strategic and policy advice for the initiative. Board members are considered champions who are willing and able to advance the mission of the UN Global Compact to mobilize a global movement of sustainable companies and stakeholders to create the world we want. They act in a personal, honorary and unpaid capacity.
Secretary-General António Guterres serves as Chair of the UN Global Compact Board, having assumed the role in conjunction with his appointment as Secretary-General in 2017 following the tenure of Ban Ki-moon. Going forward, he will work closely with Adesola and Polman, along with UN Global Compact CEO & Executive Director Lise Kingo, as they lead the UN Global Compact — the entry point for business within the broader United Nations system and the largest corporate sustainability initiative in the world.
You must be logged in to post a comment.