Sir Mark
Moody-Stuart, Chairman of the United Nations Global Compact Foundation –
regarded as the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative - has
delivered a public lecture at Northumbria University, Newcastle, on how to make
a global impact through sustainable development.
The former Chairman
of Royal Dutch Shell also met with students from Northumbria’s Enactus Society and
heard how they use entrepreneurial action to transform lives. His visit and
lecture formed part of a series of sustainable development initiatives at
Northumbria as part of the University’s Go
Green Week.
During his
lecture, Sir Mark Moody-Stuart detailed the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development and how its 17 goals provide a framework to address social and
economic development issues, including poverty inequality and social injustice,
and tackling climate change. Exploring opportunities for businesses, the higher
education sector, government and wider society, he focused on the need for
sustainability strategies that not only meet the needs of consumers but also
have a lasting change on a global scale. He also discussed the development and
role of the United Nations in meeting global sustainability goals.
The lecture
attracted guests from the region’s educational, business and cultural sectors.
It was delivered at Northumbria’s Newcastle Business School, which recently
became a United Nations Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME)
Champion School – one of just 38 globally and chosen from more than 700—higher
education institutions
Dr Alex
Hope, Associate
Pro Vice-Chancellor Learning and Teaching for Business and Law at Northumbria,
and Vice-Chair UK & Ireland United Nations Principles of Responsible
Management Education (UN PRME) Chapter, said: “Sustainable development is a
familiar term, but understanding what this actually means and how to make a
real impact is not so clear. We were delighted therefore to welcome someone of
Sir Mark Moody Stuart’s stature to Northumbria and to benefit from his insight
and clarity.
“It was also a valuable opportunity and learning experience
for our students to meet and question an internationally recognised authority
in sustainable development. Northumbria supports the UN’s sustainable
development goals through our research, education, operations, campuses and
partnerships. We have also committed to the higher education sector’s
Sustainable Development Goals Accord – and a key motivator behind this is increasingly
high expectations of students that sustainability is a core part of the
University’s strategy.”
Sir Mark Moody-Stuart
began his career at
Shell as an exploration geologist, working in Holland, Spain, Oman, Brunei,
Australia, Nigeria, Turkey and Malaysia, and UK. He became Managing Director of
Shell Transport and Trading Company plc in 1991.
Sir Mark was
a Member of the International Council for Integrated Reporting: Chairman
of the of the Global Business Coalition for HIV/AIDS 2002-2011; board member of
Global Reporting Initiative 2002-7 and the International Institute for
Sustainable Development 2002-2011.
He is
the Author of “Responsible Leadership – Lessons from the Front Line of
Sustainability and Ethics”. He became a
Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St George in June 2000
