Sprott students host conference on the opportunities of business to create a better world
Holding the values of compassion, imagination and purpose close to heart, the student-run Sprott Social Impact Club (SSIC) at Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business brought together high school and university students, faculty, alumni, business and thought leaders to discuss and showcase how business can create a better world for all.
“Throughout our studies, traditionally, we have learned that there is business and then there is doing good. Through the Sprott Social Impact Club, we want to demonstrate that you can combine those two things,” said Gabrielle Kolotinsky, SSIC president and fourth-year Bachelor of Commerce student. “We organized this conference to show that you can do good regardless of your role, regardless of your organization.”
The conference aligns closely with the Sprott School of Business mission to cultivate the enterprising spirit of business to improve lives worldwide.
“We no longer have the privilege as businesses, leaders, future leaders, and profit-makers to turn our backs on the people and the planet that provide us with the resources that enrich our lives,” said Sprott School of Business dean Dana Brown in her opening remarks at the event. “Increasingly, I believe that, as the events of the world shake us and our access to information about what is happening around the world increases, more of us are realizing that we are all in this together.”
“Turning our attentions to opportunities for positive impact, which is what this conference is about, and defining what exactly that means and how we even know that it’s happening is the first step in a very complex journey.”
Through this event, SSIC organizers also wanted to engage like-minded high school students, who are in the midst of making important decisions about their future education.
“Students may want to study business, and they may also be passionate about sustainability or want to make a social impact. We want them to know that these things aren’t mutually exclusive,” said Kayla Young, SSIC vice-president and second-year Bachelor of Commerce student. “We want them to know that through little steps, no matter what path they go down, they can have a positive impact.”
The conference featured four panels with expert speakers, each focused on an area of business and the opportunities to do good within it.
The first panel highlighted the opportunities of entrepreneurship to make an impact. Josh Campbell and Alex Zelensky, program coordinators at Carleton University’s Innovation Hub, spoke about the Hub’s Changemaker program. Generation Changemaker and Carleton’s Changemaker Challenge, programs for high school and Carleton students respectively, ask students to develop innovative solutions that address UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The second panel featured three Sprott alumni – Alex Corrigan (BCom/18), Richard Tuck (BIB/01), and Kendra Thorogood (BIB/13) – who are working in the areas of social finance and impact investing.
“It’s very much been shown that the traditional finance industry is incredibly broken, and it is up to us to challenge that, fix that,” said Kendra, investment director for Europe and Asia at Kiva. “So, try to think outside the box. Don’t think within the terms of the traditional finance industry, because there’s so much more out there.”
The afternoon panels addressed how adopting sustainability as a business strategy can be good for business growth while simultaneously creating a positive impact, as well as how to effectively create an organizational culture of equity, diversity and inclusion.
A community effort from start to finish, SSIC organized the panels with the help of the Innovation Hub, Women in Business at Sprott student club and the Sprott Marketing Students’ Association.
The day’s activities also included a case competition, which was run by Sprott DECA. Student participants worked in teams to develop a strategy that would help an investment firm become more environmentally friendly.
“I was really impressed with the calibre of the students in the case competition,” said Leanne Keddie, Sprott assistant professor of accounting and competition judge. “They had only 30 minutes to address the organization’s environmental problem and I was blown away by some of the creativity I saw in such a short amount of time.”
Gabrielle called the conference a big success.
“It’s an example of how people can come together despite challenges and execute something that can change others’ lives – which is at the heart of what SSIC aims to do.”
About the Sprott Social Impact Club
Founded in 2019 with the vision of making education more accessible, the Sprott Social Impact Club is a platform for students at the Sprott School of Business to run projects that address social issues. In its first year, SSIC raised funds and provided reusable feminine hygiene products to 75 girls in Uganda, preventing them from missing school. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they provided 140 girls in Longido, Tanzania, with masks and PPE to protect their health. This year, SSIC provided scholarships to four Indigenous students pursuing post-secondary education.
To learn more about SSIC, and get involved, visit their website.