An Ignatian perspective
The Ethics Center joined with the Lasalle Institute in Switzerland to sponsor an international conference in May on the ethical challenges facing businesses in a globalized world and how Jesuit institutions can respond. Center Executive Director Kirk Hanson and Leadership Ethics Director Ann Skeet both gave presentations.
The first day of the conference, the “academic day,” Skeet presented research she conducted on ethical corporate culture with Cecilia Martinez of the Business Ethics Program at Deusto University in Bilbao, Spain. John Dardis, S.J., Curia Rome, discussed how Ignatian formation shapes business ethics, and Florian Wettstein delivered a keynote on business ethics and human rights. Peter G. Kirchschalgäger, from the University of Lucerne, gave a compelling talk on Digitalization and Ethics, presented in just 15 minutes. Slides from the keynote presentations are available here.
The second day of the conference was a corporate day and included about 25 business leaders from Switzerland. It was launched by a keynote from Pius Baschera, former CEO of Hilti, a maker of leading edge technology for the construction industry. He was then joined by Antoinette Hunzker-Beneter, former president of the Swiss Stock Exchange and CEO of Forma Futura Invest AG, an investment company focused on companies that improve the quality of life, and Peter Zehnder from Egon Zehnder, an international executive recruiting firm, for a panel on the challenges of ethical leadership. In the afternoon of the second day, three speakers, including Hanson, addressed the business ethics of companies in Switzerland, the United States, and Asia, followed by speakers discussing the evaluation of ethical culture.
The conference drew more than 100 participants from around the world. It was the second of three planned conferences that reflect an Ignatian approach to business ethics, sponsored by the Center and other Jesuit universities. The first was at Atteneo de Manilla in the Philippines. The third will take place at Santa Clara University in July 2019.