Rewiring the Economy

Rewiring the Economy 15
Laying the foundations for
a sustainable economy will
require widespread and
long-term commitment to
collaborative action
Making progress on sustainability over the next decade will require
the creativity and determination of business, government and finance
leaders, all working together. Adapting and implementing the tasks
within Rewiring the Economy will be challenging for any organisation,
regardless of its scale or the scope of its sustainability ambition.
The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability
Leadership (CISL) is committed to working with leaders
from business, government and finance, and work is
already underway on many of the tasks outlined in the
plan. Rewiring the Economy helps connect the dots so
that we can see how these efforts add up to put us on a
path to a sustainable economy.
A unique partner
CISL is a unique partner in this process. We bring academic
rigour to bear on business and policy problems and translate
findings into actionable steps. We have the ability to convene
across boundaries and create space to initiate difficult
conversations and help stakeholders co-create solutions.
We see our role in Rewiring the Economy as follows:
• Convening leaders and groups of companies
with a common commitment to change and a
desire to achieve things collaboratively that they
can’t achieve on their own
• Building leadership capacity through executive
and graduate education
• Undertaking applied and fundamental research
to build the knowledge base
• Working with individual companies at a strategic
level to support transition
• Enabling our active network of organisations
and individuals to champion change
We will measure our impact by our ability to catalyse the
ten tasks outlined in this plan. In short, how effectively we
contribute to ‘rewiring’ the economy.
We believe our strengths lie in four strategic areas:
Leadership capacity for system change
New approaches to leadership development across business,
finance and policy that develop the capabilities, knowledge
and mindsets necessary to lead change.
For example: The Prince of Wales’s Business & Sustainability
Programme and our customised programmes for companies
convene senior executives to engage and empower leaders
to act. Graduate qualifications and online learning tools build
capacity and specific skills in individuals and organisations.
Natural resource security
Building the evidence base and co-designing solutions to
enable incumbent businesses to operationalise sustainability
in their value chains.
For example: The Natural Capital Leaders Platform helps
progressive companies develop practical tools for businesses
to value, measure and manage their opportunities from,
and impacts on, natural capital. Our ‘Leadership Labs’ bring
together practitioners and executives to learn more about
business model innovation.