Our Shaping the Future Global Conference (SFGC2023) serves as a global forum for specialists from universities and institutes, corporates, impact investors, and communities. A unique feature of the SFGC conference series is its integration of our Future Leaders Programme, Sustainability Awards, certified Masterclass Training and Roadmapping Workshops for advancing the transformation of sustainable supply chains. Twenty years ago, the word Sustainability was almost completely synonymous with green and eco-friendliness. Today, it is a significantly more holistic term with coordinated actions driving decentralised food, energy, and water systems. Corporates and Investors cannot truly understand their own environmental, social and governance (ESG) position, without including the impact of their emerging supply chains. Food systems are responsible for a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions. The transition to net zero demands that we embrace the complexity inherent in food systems that are interconnected with water, energy, biodiversity and social inclusion.

Sustainable supply chains develop with collaboration, leveraging the best available technologies, setting consistent standards and communicating success stories from our Innovation Platform. It fully integrates ethical and environmentally responsible practices into a competitive and successful economic model. This conference aims to adventure into social innovation potential areas when bridging the gap between understanding sustainability challenges and means to systematically develop shared value with insights from our Sustainability-as-a-Service (SaaS) case studies. Corporates don’t win over investors just by issuing sustainability reports and engaging in other standard ESG practices. Corporates need to integrate ESG into strategy and operations and embed it into their value creation.

Corporates and Impact Investors now have a much greater ability (and obligation) to demonstrate ESG responsibility and to share best practice stories to access climate funds. Circular, transparent and green are all components to achieve the Net Zero targets and United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. Digital transformation and the growing sophistication of digital technologies are playing a major part in the evolution of Sustainability. Big Data management, advanced analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), Digital Twins, Blockchain and Internet of Things (IoT), have brought unprecedented visibility and accountability to traditional supply chains. Other technology components include Machine Learning, Robotics, Additive manufacturing and Modern ERP databases. Removing carbon from supply chains by switching to renewable energy or; with reforestation and soil-based carbon capture projects are the most responsible choices we can make for our planet.

The NSA Sustainability Conference (August 2023) under the theme: People, Planet, Purpose, addresses from C-suite downwards, the practical approach in embedding sustainability into everyday practices and business strategy, in the context of energy constraints and economic survival. By embracing ESG principles we can build a more resilient and sustainable economy that benefits us all.

Sustainability experts joined by leading business decision makers, will discuss some of the most pressing issues facing our world today: ESG, innovation in energy, responsible supply chains, resilience, and emerging sustainable technologies. These are topics that are critical to the future of our planet. We believe that Africa can lead the way in creating a more sustainable and equitable future.

Another important aspect of sustainability is responsible supply chain management. This means ensuring that the products and services we use are made in a way that is ethical, transparent, and environmentally responsible. We must also consider the impact of our supply chains on local communities, and work to promote fair labour practices and social equity.

This Conference will help you embed sustainability into everyday practices and across the wider supply chain and ultimately reach those ESG goals. It will also help to enhance the understanding of the action that we need to take NOW!

More details to follow soon......

Risk management has undergone many changes since COVID-19. This training course builds on the November 2019 version and includes the latest KING IV guidance, the Institute of Directors guidance and the new three line model published by the IIA Inc. It focuses on the new normal, emerging risks and the role that combined assurance can play to allow organizations to seize opportunities and challenge the achievement of their objectives.

Presentations will include

1. Why and how risk management has become pivotal in all industries today
2. An integrated approach to Board oversight
3. Discussing the key risk frameworks: COSO and ISO31000
4. King IV’s requirements on risk management and its impact on internal auditors
5. Applying a risk assessment to evaluate an organisation’s ethical climate
6. A risk management maturity model
7. The value proposition for ERM - value preservation versus value creation
8. Core risk management process steps depicted and discussed
9. Risk oversight structures and roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders
10. Case studies on the integration of risk management and internal audit
11. Why risk management initiatives fail
12. How to embed risk management into the organisation
13. Introduction to risk modelling and general quantification techniques