CSR Discussions: Wesley Gee from Canadian Business for Social Responsibility

On April 1^st, Nick and I had the opportunity to meet numerous CSR professionals at Toronto’s first Sustainability Leadership Exchange. Amongst this group of experts was Wesley Gee from Canadian Business for Social Responsibility (CBSR), a member-led non-profit with the mission of ‘Changing the Way Business Does Business.’

As CSR Advisor and Member Development Manager, Wesley helps promote and improve corporate social responsibility practices in Canada. I recently had the opportunity to ask him a few questions about CBSR and Canadian corporate social responsibility.

 
CBSR was founded in 1995. Do you feel that there's been a significant difference in the way that Canadian businesses have responded to social and environmental concerns since then?

Wesley Gee (CBSR): Definitely, over the past few years we have noticed a significant shift in mindsets and activities from ‘random acts of kindness’ to those which are more strategic and focus on trying to link CSR with bottom line success.

Most if not all aspects of CSR have improved and are continuing to move in a positive direction (e.g. energy and waste reduction, supply chain integrity, social equity, reporting and disclosure, governance, employee engagement), though there is still much room to grow. The next big challenges will come from moving beyond ‘low hanging fruit’ into more transformational approaches so that companies can think creatively about new market opportunities, better recognise their areas of risk, and gain competitive advantage, rather than simply ‘keeping up with the Joneses’.

Where did your personal interest in corporate social responsibility stem from? 

WG: It started with in 1996 through my involvement with an international student organization called AIESEC, which is based in universities across Canada and in roughly 100 countries. I meet a number of emerging young thinkers and doers who focused on topics like business ethics, sustainability and values-driven leadership. As a biology-turned commerce student these topics seemed critical in appreciating how businesses, people and the natural environment could coexist and thrive – this 3BL approach has always seemed like common sense.

I was lucky as a fourth year undergraduate to be allowed to take Masters level courses in environmental management and sustainability, which helped build a strong a foundation. Following university I lived abroad in several countries, worked for several companies, and met many talented and inspiring people. I truly learned (the hard way) how to gauge the interests of and investment from senior executives, as they were a tough bunch, but they helped me move out of my “ivory tower” and into the real world of understanding how big, bottom line businesses make big decisions.

Has there been any indication that Canadian business leaders value CSR more than their international peers, or do you feel that Canadian leadership has been lacking on a global level?

WG: We are moving in the right direction, even though Canada is not always considered to be in a leadership position on sustainability. There are a number of Canadian companies doing many positive things (e.g. Cascades, MEC, Loblaws, Hydro-Quebec), and other companies following the leadership of their internationally-based head offices (e.g. Wal-Mart, Seventh Generation, Nike, Shell). We are doing more than simply following the practices of our EU-based peers, but we are also not overly represented in lists such as The 100 Most Sustainable Companies – perhaps because we tend culturally to ‘play it safe’.

What would you say are the biggest challenges faced by businesses when making efforts to integrate CSR into their strategies and operations in this post recessionary economy?

 WG: Gaining the C-suite and board level buy-in is critical as this is where big decisions and investments will be made, and where accountability will flow. However many businesses believe that once this occurs they will become sustainable, which couldn’t be further from the truth. I believe the biggest challenge is in learning how to operationalize the commitments that are coming from the top, which often requires a significant change management effort – i.e. changing the way people think about what success looks like (longer term 3BL thinking), improving corporate accountability, communicating openly and honestly, and collaborating with both colleagues and unusual suspects to capture new opportunities.

How do you see CSR and CBSR evolving over the next decade?

WG: In terms of CSR, one word: disclosure. There is a growing need for much more of it when related to disclosing company, product and project level environmental and social risks. More info, better metrics and standard practices/approaches will help businesses make business decisions, in terms of who they decide to partner with, buy from, invest in and recognise as an industry leader.

CBSR is a constantly changing organizing that has grown significantly over the past few years, in terms of our member companies, team members and overall ability to encourage and support the shift to better business practices. As CSR becomes more and more mainstream, companies will be investing in more in-house staff, while consulting firms will continue to develop and expand their CSR capabilities.

As a result, CBSR will not only need to remain ahead of the curve in terms of knowledge, networks and service delivery, we will need to strategically partner with organizations that can keep creativity high and help us further our mission of “changing the way business does business”.

To get more specific, our interactions will be more virtual and viral, we will have better touch points with the investor community, and we (along with our members) will need to be better engaged with several sectors of society to continue to thrive and survive.

What exciting news, projects, or events can we expect to see from CBSR over the next year?

WG: There is plenty of research, tools development, learning events and networking opportunities planned for our members and the broader business community in 2010. As we have a very diverse team of advisors and associates, we will be ‘specializing in versatility’, focussing on topics including employee engagement, measuring social impact, understanding the new business case for CSR, integrated water management, governance of sustainability and collaboration for managing change. We are also growing our team of advisors in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto to match our growing membership base and needs for both executive and operational level support. More information on our upcoming events, tools and research, and employment opportunities can be found on our website at www.cbsr.ca. 

Wesley Gee (BComm, MSc) is a Corporate Social Responsibility Advisor and Member Development Manager with Canadian Business for Social Responsibility. His work experience includes roles as an Industry Manager (Energy & Industrial) with The Canadian Institute, and a Market Analyst with Ernst & Young. Wesley also currently serves as a Board member with The Canadian Baha’i Business Forum (CBBF), and Chair of Board for AIESEC York.