The webinar on “Corporate Sustainability in Global Supply Chains: Practitioner and Academic Insights” was sponsored by the Center for Emerging Markets at Northeastern University. The webinar was conducted in conjunction with a Special Issue initiative at the Journal of International Business Studies (JIBS) (link to the call for papers). This event explored the opportunities and challenges associated with the diffusion of sustainability practices in global supply chains through the lenses of four distinguished speakers from the academic, private and non-profit sectors:

  • Robert Klassen, Professor of Operations Management & Sustainability, Ivey Business School, Western University, CA
  • Juliane Reinecke, Professor of International Management & Sustainability, King's College, UK
  • Bambi Semroc, Vice President of Sustainable Markets and Strategy, Conservation International
  • Dave Stangis, Founder & CEO, 21C Impact, LLC

This event was moderated by Jonathan Doh (Associate Dean of Research and Global Engagement and Herbert G. Rammrath Endowed Chair in International Business at Villanova University). 

This webinar was co-organized by the JIBS Special Issue Editors: Sjoerd Beugelsdijk (University of Groningen, NL), Jonathan Doh (Villanova University, USA), Tatiana Kostova (University of South Carolina, USA), Valentina Marano (Northeastern University, USA), and Miriam Wilhelm (University of Groningen, NL).

About the speakers

Robert Klassen

Robert Klassen is a Professor of Operations Management at Ivey Business School. Robert's research interests focus on exploring the linkages between operations and sustainability with a particular focus on supply chain management.  This research has emphasized, first, characterizing management practices and organizational capabilities, and second, understanding both the antecedents and performance outcomes of these practices and capabilities. His research has been published in Management ScienceProduction and Operations Management, Journal of Operations ManagementAcademy of Management Journal, and International Journal of Operations & Production Management, among others. He is currently serving as co-Editor for International Journal of Operations & Production Management, and as co-Department Editor for Production and Operations Management. In addition to teaching the first-year operations management course in the MBA and EMBA programs, Robert has recently introduced a new course in Managing for Sustainable Development. He has also taught electives in the Developing and Managing Technology, Management of Services and Operations Strategy. He continues to actively develop new teaching materials, including over 20 cases and exercises in the area of operations strategy, process analysis, quality management and environmental management.

Juliane Reinecke

Juliane Reinecke joined King's Business School in 2017 as Professor of International Management & Sustainability and Associate Dean (Impact & Innovation). Previously, she was Professor at Warwick Business School. Juliane also holds a Visiting Professorship in Sustainability at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

She is a Research Fellow at Cambridge Judge Business School, from where she earned her MPhil and PhD, and Fellow at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, both University of Cambridge. Juliane has studied Philosophy & Economics in Germany, USA and France and worked in strategy consulting.

Juliane's research draws on insights from organization theory, political philosophy and process studies to explore, broadly speaking, how transnational governance institutions emerge and evolve as a result of the interactions of multiple stakeholders to promote more just and sustainable forms of globalization in global supply chains, but also organizations in general.

Her work has won a number of awards, including the Journal of Management Studies (JMS) Best Paper Award, the Best International paper award & Best Environmental and Social Practices paper award, Academy of Management (OMT Division).

Bambi Semroc

Bambi Semroc is Interim SVP of the Center for Sustainable Lands and Waters at Conservation International. The Center brings together key elements of sustainable production, water, incentives, and sustainability in priority landscapes and seascapes. She leads the Sustainable Coffee Challenge, a sector-wide effort to make coffee the world's first sustainable agricultural product.  Ms. Semroc has been at Conservation International for more than 15 years, always focusing on sustainable agriculture. She engages leading retailers and consumer goods companies on sustainable agriculture programs designed to maintain critical natural capital, mitigate climate change, and increase the resiliency of farmers to shocks while maintaining productivity. Semroc works to ensure that these companies have the information and tools necessary to integrate natural capital and ecosystem service considerations into decision-making processes. Throughout this time, she has worked in collaboration with companies such as Starbucks Coffee Company, Walmart, McDonald's, Nestle, and The Coca-Cola Company. Prior to Conservation International, Ms. Semroc worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer in northern Togo. She holds a master's degree in International Development from American University and a bachelor's degree in English and French from Indiana University.

Dave Stangis

Dave Stangis most recently served as Chief Sustainability Officer and VP Corporate Responsibility/ Public Affairs at Campbell Soup Company, where he reported to Campbell's President and CEO. Dave currently advises leading companies on ESG, technology, and reputation and resiliency strategies.

Over the course of 20 years, Dave led two very different Fortune 500 corporations, Intel and Campbell, from a standing start to clear and consistent world-class leadership in ESG, Sustainability & Social Responsibility. He guided both companies to multi-year runs on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, the 100 Best Corporate Citizens List, the Most Reputable Companies in the U.S, World's Most Sustainable Corporations, and recognition among the World's Most Ethical Companies.

At Campbell, he created and led the Company's strategies and external engagement related to CSR Strategy, Responsible Sourcing, Sustainable Agriculture, and Operational Sustainability. He served as an infotech and biotech expert.

Dave has served on the boards of many non-profit organizations and two Public Benefit Corporations (Plum Organics and The Soulfull Project). As Chair of the Board at Net Impact, a global community of 100,000 emerging leaders, he led a successful CEO search and transition.

As the creator and leader of Intel's Global Corporate Responsibility function, Dave established corporate governance processes, operationalized citizenship and sustainability, and managed activist campaigns.

Dave has been named to the 100 Most Influential in Business Ethics by Ethisphere Magazine in 2008 & 2013, and a Top 100 Thought Leader in Trustworthy Business Behavior by Trust Across America every year from 2011 to 2014. He is an Entrepreneur in Residence at Babson College, an Executive Advisor for the Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College and a Mentor to the AgFunder Network. Dave serves as an Advisor to Magnomer and Stojo; and is the co-author of two books on strategic corporate citizenship. Sept. 2018.

Dave earned a B.S. (Chemistry/Biology) from the University of Detroit, an M.S. in Occupational and Environmental Health from Wayne State University, and an M.B.A (Finance/Gen. Management) from the University of Michigan.