Steve Kenzie, Executive Director, UN Global Compact Network UK

In 2001 my daughter was born, and that was the turning point. All of a sudden my interest in the world extended out immediately a 100 years: for my daughter, for my grandchildren. I love to ski, I love the mountains, I like nature. And I thought for my daughter: How is she going to ski? What will the lakes look like for her when she’s older?

I wanted to demonstrate that it was possible to run a business on a large scale in a way that was sustainable, not destructive of the social fabric and the environment. I felt this in my gut, and I wanted some more concrete arguments to support that.

I believe in Compact Network. The principles are robust. The concept of getting CEOs to make a personal public commitment to principles is a powerful mechanism.

When I can convince a company to sign up, it’s a small victory. When we do an event on a topic that I have a personal interest in and I see that people share that interest and there is a lot of engagement, that’s very satisfying.

Steve Kenzie is Executive Director of UN Global Compact Network UK, a group of businesses, NGOs and government representatives committed to the UN’s corporate responsibility framework.