The Good Business Festival is coming. Eve Halliday finds out more as we chat to Festival ambassador and iamtheCODE founder Mariéme Jamme…
The Good Business Festival is heading for Liverpool, with Act 1 due to take place on 8 October 2020. With partners ranging from Coca-Cola to Greenpeace, the Festival will unite some of the biggest names in business and social consciousness in debates, panels, and much more – and Ethos is a content partner, working alongside the team on the Good Business Journal.
The Covid-19 pandemic has shone a revealing light on businesses and conscious capitalism, bringing the response of businesses and organisations to centre stage. Now, more than ever, businesses are entangled in matters of politics and public health, and The Good Business Festival will be a platform to discuss and encourage ethical business practices and how we can move forward with them, with a focus on the coronavirus aftermath for businesses.
Passionately non-exclusive, anyone is welcome at The Good Business Festival. More and more people are tuning in to the idea of purposeful business trying to do good, and Act 1 of the Festival is a chance for anyone from any social background or business experience to learn what it means to be a business in the current climate, and how we can all be a part of the global good business movement. Plus, with a range of participants, from writers and creatives to scientists and titans of industry, The Good Business Festival will have something for everyone within a true festival environment, as well as plenty of opportunities to socialise and explore the city region.
The setting is an important and conscious choice by The Good Business Festival, with Liverpool being a hub for startups in the tech for good movement. Festival ambassador, Mariéme Jamme, activist, technologist, and founder of iamtheCODE, has spoken exclusively to Ethos about the importance of the Good Business Festival and its setting…
“I came to Liverpool to launch for the first time the UN Sustainable Development Goals and help young girls from marginalised communities learn how to code, through a two day hackathon,” she says. “We partnered with businesses and the local council to give girls access to coding skills. The event was part of the city’s RISE programme… After the event, I straight away got inspired and wanted to become Liverpool Ambassador, so when Sue [Finnegan] told me about the Festival, I straight away thought I would be a great ambassador and help them promote the UN Global Goals.”
Jamme also muses on how we will look back on the past few months in years to come, with the climate crisis, the global pandemic, and the racial justice movement; whether this will this mark a turning point in the relationship between business and society, and what should that relationship look like in the future.
“For decades business took consumers and society for granted, but I think Covid-19 has demonstrated that we must pay more attention to who buys our products and services. Brands should be more responsible and inclusive post Covid-19. The business will need to show up to their consumers, and create a meaningful relationship with the Government. It’s time for us all to work together.”
Looking for a silver lining from the last few months, Jamme hopes that society will respond to the moral test, putting people before profit with “a need for moral leadership”. On her own personal development, she says: “I have learnt so much… I learnt new skills. I have become a podcast host, I learnt not to remain silent especially when there are not new, positive narratives.”
To hear more from Jamme and a host of business leaders, innovators and thinkers, find out more online.
