Mark’s experience at Ella’s Kitchen over the past 9 years has been life-changing. He believes that business as a whole can be a part of the solution - and, at Ella’s Kitchen, he gets to be at the frontline of the revolution. At Impact Summit 2020, he told us more about how people are using business as a force for good, and how everyone can be part of the movement.
It’s 1999 during the Bosnian refugee crisis. Hundreds of thousands of people fled the conflict and struggled to meet their basic needs: security, safety and food. As families were separated with no identification, there was little chance of reconciling them, no matter how much the UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) wanted to help.
This issue made the front page of French newspaper Le Monde and caught the attention of three Microsoft engineers. They realised that they could offer what the UN needed: a data programme that identified people and reconnected them with their families. Just three months later, a team of 40 technicians from Microsoft sent to the Balkans had solved the problem.
To Mark, this is exactly what the B Corp Movement is all about. “As a society, we expect governments to help solve a lot of the societal and environmental problems that we face - but they don’t have the resources to fix everything,” Mark says. “But, if you think about the technical brilliance and the creativity that we have in our companies - if we can turn these to society's benefit we could achieve amazing things.”
This is only the beginning of the story! Want to know more? You can listen to Mark’s talk for free here!
Mark's Talk covers:
- Ella’s Kitchen’s mission and what motivates them
- What the B Corp movement is about, including examples of other companies
- What the B Corp certification process is like
- Incredible initiatives some companies have taken during the Covid-19 crisis, mixing innovation and purpose
What others have said about Mark’s talk:
- “Mark is a huge inspiration and I found his talk incredibly valuable!”
- “I’ve bought products from Ella’s Kitchen in the past and I loved hearing Mark talk about how committed they are to changing the planet for the better.”
- “It’s great to hear a practical talk on purpose from a business that’s gone through the whole B Corp certification process.”
Resources mentioned in Mark’s talk: