“I am proud to be part of this global collective of business and civil society leaders working together to make business a force for good”

- Sir Richard Branson, Founder, Virgin Group, Co-Founder, The B Team

October 11, 2018, Sydney: Bold, purpose-driven business leaders are stepping up to commit to a new way of doing business—one which benefits people and the planet as well as profit. Together, they have formed a new leadership group, The B Team Australasia, and they are calling on other purpose-driven leaders across the region to join them in championing this narrative.

The B Team Australasia is a regional platform which enables committed business leaders across Australia, New Zealand and the broader Asia-Pacific, to collectively drive progress towards a better way of doing business, addressing critical issues across the region.

The group seeks to influence regional business leadership to build a better way of doing business and advance corporate change. “The time is right for each of us to demonstrate how business leaders can and will create an even better world. We look forward to inspiring others to join the movement,” said Lynette Mayne, Co-Chair of The B Team Australasia.

The B Team Australasia is part of the international non-profit organization The B Team, which was co-founded by Richard Branson and Jochen Zeitz in 2012, based on their mutual belief that business can, and must, be a driving force for social, environmental and economic benefit.

The B Team is a catalyst for bold dialogue and brave business action toward a fairer, greener and more human economy and its mission and impact to date reflect the tremendous power of the private sector to drive long-term, inclusive, sustainable economic growth. Leaders who join The B Team agree that by starting ‘at home’ in their own companies, taking collective action to scale systemic solutions and by using their voice on the issues that matter most, they can make a difference.

The B Team Australasia’s ambitious agenda includes developing forward looking principles to advance human dignity in a changing world of work, in addition to driving net-zero emissions by 2050. Working together, The B Team Australasia Members are aiming to spark private sector commitment to carry out a new vision for the future of work, one that empowers workers and communities, across their region and the world. In David Gonski’s words, as Co-Chair of The B Team Australasia, responsible for its Future of Work initiative, “The B Team provides a wonderful opportunity to bring those involved in business in our region together to focus on, consider and offer solutions to some of the issues generally affecting society in the longer term."

At the launch of the B Team Australasia on October 11, Sir Richard Branson and The B Team Australasia Members will discuss how purpose-driven leadership can create better long-term value for business and help build a more sustainable future for all.

For more information on The B Team, please visit www.bteam.org or reach out via the contact information below.

Contacts

Press

To arrange an interview, please contact Tyler Zang tz@bteam.org (New York) or Jeanne Zweck jeanne@mintmarketing.au (Sydney).

Regional Development

For B Team Australasia inquiries, please contact Lynette Mayne via +61 438 328 285 or lynette.mayne@spirit-e.com.au. For general inquiries about the B Team please contact Carina Larsfalten cl@bteam.org.

About The B Team

The B Team is a catalyst for bold dialogue, courageous leadership and brave business action toward a fairer, greener and more human economy. The B Team’s global collective of business and civil society leaders are working together to build a principled and purpose-driven private sector and demonstrate that, with courageous leadership, business becomes a force for good.

The B Team was co-founded by Sir Richard Branson and Jochen Zeitz, and includes Leaders Oliver Bäte, Marc Benioff, Sharan Burrow, Kathy Calvin, Bob Collymore, David Crane, Emmanuel Faber, Christiana Figueres, Mats Granryd, Arianna Huffington, Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, Dr. Mo Ibrahim, Yolanda Kakabadse, Isabelle Kocher, Guilherme Leal, Andrew Liveris, Indra Nooyi, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, François-Henri Pinault, Paul Polman, Mary Robinson, Ratan Tata, Hamdi Ulukaya, Zhang Yue and Professor Muhammad Yunus.

The B Team Australasia includes

• Sir Richard Branson, Co-Founder, The B Team, Founder, Virgin Group
• Sharan Burrow, Vice-Chair, The B Team, General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation
• David Gonski, Co-Chair, The B Team Australasia, Chairman, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ANZ Bank); Chancellor, University of New South Wales
• Lynette Mayne, Co-Chair, The B Team Australasia, Director, Chief Executive Women + its Leaders Program; Asian Development Bank’s Female Leadership Program in the Pacific
• Peter Allen, CEO and Executive Director, Scentre Group
• Michael Cameron, CEO and Managing Director, Suncorp Group
• Andrew Liveris, Former Chairman and CEO, Dow Chemical and B Team Leader
• Geoff Lloyd, CEO of MLC
• Susan Lloyd Hurwitz, CEO and Managing Director, Mirvac
• Sam Mostyn, President, Australian Council for International Development
• Radek Sali, Chairman and Founder, Light Warrior Group
• Ann Sherry, Executive Chairman, Carnival Australia
• Catherine Tanna, Managing Director, EnergyAustralia