Defining ‘purpose’ in a business context: Top CEOs and leading academics come together at “Purpose Days”

POLIMI Graduate School of Management in Milan is a business school that puts ‘purpose’ into action. Leading a number of initiatives, projects, and events related to ‘purpose’, the school’s most recent event was “Purpose Days” which was held at their brand new Navigli Campus on 25th October, in partnership with world-renowned consulting group BCG Brighthouse.

With top CEO’s attending “Purpose Days” alongside professors and higher education leaders, the event created an opportunity for discussion between the world of business, academia and institutions on the theme of ‘purpose’ and its role in business and society.

“We want to prepare our students and future generations of leaders to fully understand the importance of ‘purpose’ in their organisations and in society” said Federico Frattini, Dean of POLIMI Graduate School of Management.

Panellists included Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo, Colin Mayer, Oxford professor and author of “Prosperity”, Ranjay Gulati, Harvard Business School professor and author of “Deep Purpose”, and Alex Edmans, London Business School professor and author of “Grow the Pie” – plus many more.

Francesco Guidara, BCG Brighthouse Managing Director said:

“Culture, identity and purpose have firmly entered the agenda of CEOs, and have taken on a crucial role in all the most important processes of business transformation and repositioning,”

Through the schools’ programmes, ‘purpose’ is also a core theme. Last year, the school launched ‘The New Generation MBA’, alongside business consultancy ‘The Mind at Work’, which not only delivers advanced management skills, but also combines these with tools to unleash the covert power of purpose and enable a new generation of leaders to meet the unique challenges of the 21st century.

In fact, Darren Rudkin, coach and co-founder of The Mind at Work, also featured as one of the speakers at “Purpose Days” where he shared his valued expertise on the topic, discussing how to generate and sustain higher levels of meaningfulness, motivation and effectiveness in yourself, your team, and your organisations.

 “Purpose Days” was an inspiring event that opened up discussion about how purpose will continue to affect all aspects of an organisation, emphasising the importance and value of social responsibility in a business context from the experts themselves.

Vittorio Chiesa, President of POLIMI Graduate School of Management said:

“Students need to know how to face the challenges of the future with responsibility and awareness. Partnering with BCG Brighthouse to advance the “Purpose Days” initiative is a key step in this direction,”