RBS London

yes, you are right. I have not posted on my blog in a couple weeks. This is because things have been AMAZING and busy for me. And I'm a bit lazy and disorganised....
After being in LA for a month (really, a whole MONTH) I am back in the UK. Been moving around a lot. I returned to the UK to attend the Responsible Business Summit in London.
http://www.ethicalcorp.com/rbs/?t=europe%202007
It was amazing! I had such a good time! The topics covered everything related to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) - ethical sourcing for raw materials for manufacturing; partnering with NGOs; reducing your company's carbon footprint; community engagement; CSR in developing countries; ways to limit corruption; and a few case studies/reports out on successes companies have actually had with their CSR programs. Why do large corporations do green and/or ethical things? How does it affect their bottom line?
Perhaps an invigorating chat on the realities of child slavery and how children's wages may help a family to survive, had with the head of UNICEF Europe, is not everyone's cup of (ethically sourced, fair trade) tea? But I was thoroughly engaged, thrilled, excited, pumped...... WOW.
In addition to the man from UNICEF, I met lots of other incredible contacts. Some were people at a lower level, some were consultants like me. But others were "CSR Royalty": CEOs, ground breakers, people who regularly meet with Bill & Melinda, the White House, the UN, sit on councils that discuss international trade in Africa, etc. etc.

So I think it's clear how fits into my Big Picture of What I Want To Do (= ethical and profitable work in Africa). But how does it tie to the small picture? How will I actually pay my bills? I did get head hunted by an executive search firm..... Probably the job is not quite what I want at this point, but it does seem that something will shake loose. I met people with Big Influence, and Big Budgets, who don't need to be sold on the wisdom (and positive effect on the bottom line) of working with communities.

"I can feel it coming on the air tonight." --Phil Collins