(RED) Attends the KIN Global Conference at the Kellogg School of Management

Last week I participated in KIN Global – a conference hosted by the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University just outside Chicago. It was a three-day gathering of about 200 people from around the world who came together to discuss one topic – the importance of innovation in building global prosperity.

A wide range of people joined the discussion and it was wonderful to hear so many viewpoints. From Admiral James G. Stavridis, Commander of the United States Southern Command who discussed the importance of public/private partnerships in creating prosperity in South America, to Kimmie Weeks, Executive Director of Youth Action International a non-profit working to rebuild war torn African communities, and John Simon, the former ambassador to the African Union, the discussions and insights were fascinating.

Admiral James G. Stavridis

The topic was broad and the discussion fierce. Ideas flowed freely – some that may work, others that may not – yet what was as important was the ability to exchange these ideas with people from around the world, across many different disciplines

I walked away both excited and hopeful for where we are headed as a global society. There is a growing tide taking us in a direction where corporations will realize that doing good means doing good both financially and socially; where addressing the needs of the bottom billion means also engaging these individuals in the process and creating prosperity along the way; where military ‘strength’ takes on new meaning and creates economic opportunity as a way to head off the need for violent conflict; and where we recognize that our natural resources, when managed correctly, are core to sustainable economic growth and security.

Most importantly, the time I spent here reminded me how important these conversations and debates are. Taking time to surface new ideas, stretch our thinking and find ways to take action on new opportunities is always an invigorating experience. Thank you to all who attended that helped provide new ideas for (RED) and who are off taking action on many of the new ideas from the week.

To find out more about the conference and the Kellogg Innovation Network visit http://www.kinglobal.org/

Susan, CEO, (RED)