Local innovator and business leader Dr. Michael Crooke will be the keynote speaker at this Wednesday’s Sustainable Quality Awards (SQA) luncheon at the Le Meridien Delfina Hotel in Santa Monica.
Dr. Crooke is a Sustainable Business Maverick and former CEO of Patagonia, Inc. He is also an Assistant Professor of Strategy, and Founding and lead Faculty of the Socially, Environmentally and Ethically Responsible (SEER) business certificate program at Pepperdine University.
From 1999-2005, Dr. Crooke served as President and CEO of Patagonia, Inc., and Patagonia’s parent company, Lost Arrow Corporation.
Dr. Crooke has also been recognized by Trust Across America as one of Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business Behavior.
In April of 2012 the Ford Foundation named Dr. Crooke one of the “10 Innovators Changing Our World,” and profiled him as one of 10 cutting-edge innovators who are shaping new sustainable businesses and influencing positive change around the world.
Dr. Crooke said he would speak at the SQA luncheon about the SEER program, the values of business, innovation and disruption, promotion and strategies, and lateral thinking.
“Santa Monica is one of the more progressive cities in the world in regards to corporate social responsibility and sustainability,” Dr. Crooke said. “Finding role models like this is what really leads change. Santa Monica is leading change and that’s why I agreed to do this keynote because I’m so proud of what they’ve done. They are really helping turn the tide and help people understand and realize that thinking long-term about sustainability and corporate social responsibility is in the best interest of all stakeholders, including shareholders for the long-term.”
Dr. Crooke said he would touch on the topic of how sustainability is now embedded into the value chains of all great companies.
“There’s a lot of chaotic change in the world now in innovation and big bang disruption really has mandated that,” he said. “Companies are very dynamic and they’re watching the rising tide and what’s happening on the corporate social responsibility and environmental fronts. It’s no longer the days of just thinking about making lots of money and thinking short-term because that’s a recipe for disaster when you are looking long-term.”
In regards to his SEER program he started at Pepperdine, he said it is a program to allow full-time MBA (Master of Business Administration) students interested in eco-entrepreneurship to enhance their graduate business school experience and career opportunities.
“It really teaches MBAs about advance strategy,” he said. “You look at a lot of the great businesses today and they know how to invent the value of social and environmental good into their business models. The days of having a for-profit business only where you are not really concerned about the community or all of your stakeholders are over. It’s not just about the share holders, it’s about stakeholders in general.”
For more information about Dr. Michael Crooke, visit Michaelcrooke.com.
