The CCI Executive Director’s Office was delighted to welcome students from the current Executive MBA programmes at Cambridge Judge Business School to the David Attenborough Building on 12 July.

Students heard presentations about CCI from CCI Executive Director Melissa Leach and examples of CCI projects being delivered by CCI partners, including CCI-supported projects on the Task Force for Nature-Based Disclosures from Richard Gregory (RSPB) and Nature Positive from Noelle Kumpel (BirdLife International), and the newly published Restoration Project Managers’ Playbook on Private Finance from Rodrigo Cassola and Giacomo Ascenzi (UNEP-WCMC). The ensuing discussion was rich and wide-ranging, demonstrating the value of bringing different perspectives together.

“The relationship between the private sector and conservation is hugely important and complex,” said Melissa. “A key focus for CCI is how best to work with businesses for the good of the planet, with much work underway across the CCI partnership considering private sector funding mechanisms for conservation. This session with the EMBA cohort was an excellent opportunity to invite reflections and questions from business leaders working across the globe”.

The students’ visit formed part of Executive MBA’s ‘Cambridge Ecosystem ESG Week’, which explores the challenges and opportunities for businesses to develop, integrate and promote more environmentally and socially sustainable practices, processes and policies.

“Visiting the David Attenborough Building gives the EMBA students an excellent introduction to the breadth of work being delivered in Cambridge and beyond on the natural environment, and underlines the importance of the private sector in this work,” reflected Jennifer Martin, the EMBA Executive Director. “The students really appreciated the opportunity to engage with the speakers, and to explore with them some of the inherent complexities in striving for sustainability within business”.