The League of Corporate Foundations (LCF) has successfully concluded the 19th LCF CSR Expo & Conference which took place from the 6th – 8th of July 2021 via virtual platform under the theme “Rebuilding Together with the Changing Landscape of CSR”.
The three-day virtual conference witnessed the participation of 15 expert speakers, 406 attendees and 28 virtual exhibitors
The virtual conference, which was postponed last year due to the pandemic, was officially opened by LCF Chairperson and Aboitiz Foundation President & COO, Maribeth Marasigan, followed by a conference overview from LCF Secretary and CSR Expo Chairperson and Manila Water Foundation Executive Director, Reginald Andal.
Representatives from several government agencies and well-known personalities in the CSR and business sectors also joined in the lively and insightful discussions among speakers and expert panelists, which were moderated by top broadcast journalists Karen Davila, Jing Castañeda, Christian Esguerra, and Ron Cruz.
“Corporate social responsibility continues to be an important support to the government’s efforts to see itself through the health, economic and social challenges, which has left us with higher unemployment – with many Filipinos out of work, and with pressure on the public budgets,” Marasigan said in her welcome speech.
“I am convinced that by embracing social awareness more closely today, we will collectively realize our conference theme: “Rebuilding Together with the Changing Landscape of CSR.”
On Day 1, the topic of discussion was on “Revisiting Social Resilience” and featured various speakers and thought leaders on corporate social responsibility, sustainability, and resilience.
Keynote speaker John Elkington, who spoke about “Why CSR And Sustainability Need An Exponential Reset”, is an authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development known for coining the terms environmental excellence, green growth, green consumer, the triple bottom line approach of People, Planet and Prosperity.
Day 2 was about “Redefining Social Responsibility” and featured various speakers who talked about collective social responsibility, agricultural systems in the time of crisis, collaboration over competition, and maximizing technology in CSR.
For Day 3, the discussion was about “Reimagining Social Impact”. Speakers from different sectors talked about poverty alleviation, healthcare provision, business recovery, hunger reduction, relevance of CSR, solidarity with CSR stakeholders, and the impact of data and innovation in social good efforts.
Asked about his assessment of the successful conclusion of the 19th LCF CSR Expo and Conference, Andal said: “What resonated for me in the LCF Expo and Conference was it proved we all share a common vision, whether you are from government or the private sector, we can overcome the challenges our world is facing right now. We are determined to contribute in finding cohesive solutions that will result in a better life for all our stakeholders.”
