Leading with Purpose: Navigating An Evolving Business Landscape

Join VBSR and The Sustainable Innovation MBA (SI-MBA) program of the University of Vermont’s Grossman School of Business for an evening of networking, warm coffee, and inspiration as our panel shares real-world examples of leading with values in today’s evolving business landscape!

According to this year’s Conscious Consumer Spending Index, 66% of Americans believe it’s important to support socially responsible brands, and 32% plan to increase spending with these companies in 2025. While these numbers are lower than the record highs of 2023, the success rate for socially responsible goals has also dropped to 55% this year.

In a challenging business environment that prioritizes finance and functionality, how can socially responsible businesses stay true to their values while avoiding backlash? Join us to gain valuable insights on driving positive change, overcoming obstacles, and building organizations that thrive in a dynamic market. There will also be plenty of time for Q&A with the panelists!

All Vermont business leaders and students are welcome. This is a great opportunity to meet and network with UVM SI-MBA students and alumni! We will have plenty of time for networking and connecting with one another before and after the panel in the beautiful atrium of Kalkin Hall.

Food & Drinks

There will be complimentary drinks including hot tea and coffee, in addition to delicious appetizers and desserts, including gluten free and vegan options! Courtesy of the University of Vermont’s Grossman School of Business.

Meet our moderator!

Srini Venugopal, Ph.D.

Academic Director, Sustainable Innovation MBA Program; Donald and Gabrielle McCree Endowed Professor of Business ; Associate Professor

Srini Venugopal is an Associate Professor and holder of the Donald and Gabrielle McCree Endowed Professorship of Business at the University of Vermont’s Grossman School of Business. Srini’s research demonstrates how social innovation can serve as a potent tool in providing wellbeing enhancing solutions in contexts of poverty. He has published 20 articles on the subject of social innovation based on field data gathered from diverse contexts of poverty spanning five continents. Srini is an award-winning researcher and teacher. His research has won discipline-wide awards from the American Marketing Association and the Association of Consumer Research. For his teaching efforts, Srini was voted the professor of the year by SI-MBA students for three years in a row. Prior to pursuing an academic career, Srini led a technology-based social venture in India. His venture was focused on delivering education services to low-income consumers in rural India. Committed to being an engaged scholar, he continues to lead an education-focused social enterprise called Diya that operates in several low-income neighborhoods in South India.

Thank you to our host!

The Sustainable Innovation MBA (SI-MBA) at the University of Vermont Grossman School of Business is the leading program for emerging change-makers who believe business can, and must, become a force for good. Our accelerated, one-year program integrates sustainable business practices across disciplines, focusing on the essential toolkit needed to manage — and transform — business.

SI-MBA graduates jump back into the world making an impact in half the time and with half the cost of a traditional MBA. They become change agents in fields as diverse as impact investing, sustainable development, mission-driven marketing, supply chain management, nonprofit management, and other socially responsible business functions.

During the full-time, on-campus program, SI-MBA students gain unique access to Vermont’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Students learn from sustainable business leaders working to transform business into a force for good. We continually revise our curriculum and extracurricular activities with input from leading sustainability thought leaders. The SI-MBA experience is capped off with a practicum project, where students work on consulting engagements within sustainable businesses across Vermont, the US, and beyond.

Our program is currently recognized as the #1 Better World MBA in the United States and #2 globally, by Corporate Knights. Additionally, our program has been and continues to be the U.S.’s highest ranked green MBA program accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the most prestigious accrediting body for business programs. Only 5% of programs worldwide earn this honor. AACSB accreditation means that our curriculum, faculty, and program governance regularly pass an in-depth review by academic business experts.

Businesses of the future need to work for people and the planet. For that to happen, we need to evolve how business is taught. That’s what we’re here to do. .

Parking

Free parking is available on site in the parking lot highlighted in orange on the map below, the Faculty/Staff lot behind Votey Hall (includes spots for accessible parking).

From highway:

Take Exit 14W off 1-89 on us Rte 2W /Main Street Williston Road. Travel 0.6 miles and take right onto University Place. When the road ends, take a right onto Colchester Avenue and take the first right into the Votey Parking Lot (indicated with yellow star).

From downtown Burlington:

Travel uphill on US Route 2E/Main street, turn left onto South Williams

Street. Take a right onto Pearl street/Colchester Ave. After passing

University Place, take the first night into the Votey Parking Lot (indicated with yellow star).

This event is family-friendly and caretakers of any kind are welcome to attend with your dependents!

Please make note of any accommodation requests when you register.

Questions? Interested in sponsoring this event? If so, please contact to Molly Rand at [email protected] for details.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Kalkin Hall, University of Vermont Campus, 55 Colchester Avenue Burlington, VT 05405, Kalkin Hall, University of Vermont Campus, 55 Colchester Avenue Burlington, VT 05405, Burlington, United States