Panellist profile: Manny Amadi

Labeled a 'responsible business guru' by The Guardian newspaper, and termed a 'corporate raider' by Third Sector magazine, Manny is a trusted adviser to some of the world's foremost companies and NGOs, Trusts & Foundations (T&Fs), and high impact philanthropists. He has been a consultancy leader for over a dozen years, following his earlier careers in the corporate and non-profit sectors. He leads on strategy, programme design and strategic counsel work at C&E, the highly respected Business & Society consultancy which he founded. Manny advises, coaches and writes on sustainable business, inclusive growth, stakeholder engagement, Corporate Responsibility, social innovation and community issues. His contributions have been published in a range of sources, including Time, Economist and Newsweek magazines. With a passion for placing societal consideration at the heart of business purpose and share holder value-creation, Manny has worked in an advisory capacity on a wide range of issues across most continents, with leading multi-national companies including Accenture, Allianz AG, E.ON AG, Vodafone Group, BP, Barclays, Sky, Unilever, Microsoft, Mars Inc., Aviva, IKEA, Hitachi, ArcelorMittal, and Warner Bros. He has advised on some of the world’s leading corporate-non-profit collaborations and has inspired and facilitated dialogue and collaborations between previously antagonistic companies and NGOs. Manny also advises leading T&Fs on strategy, programme review, as well as on convening, nurturing or scaling peer collaborations in order to enhance collective impact. In this capacity, he has worked with and convened processes for or with foundations and organisations including OECDnetFWD, Stars, Aldridge, Ford, Gates, Comic Relief, The UK’s Department for International Development and many more. He has undertaken similar work for major philanthropists and their family offices. Manny maintains a deep commitment to community and societal issues. In addition to working professionally with a wide range of NGOs and international agencies, including Greenpeace, UNICEF, Plan International, WWF, Cancer Research, Practical Action, UNDP and Nelson Mandela's Children's Fund, he advises a number of local, national and international NGOs in a voluntary capacity and has a particular commitment for working to advance the interests of young people around the world. He has been a non-executive/trustee of VInspired, the major implementation body set up to significantly increase youth engagement in their communities through volunteering; is a founding governor of the acclaimed Charter School in London; a Fellow of the RSA; and is currently the lead Founder of an inclusive, state secondary school in his local community. Manny has been awarded a number of honours, including selection in 2000 as a GLT (Global Leader for Tomorrow) by the Davos-based World Economic Forum. In 1999, he was awarded an MVO (Member of the Royal Victorian Order) by HM The Queen, for services to the community in support of disadvantaged young people. He is married, has four sons and lives in London.