Dark and Bright Pat­terns of Cor­pora­te Sustai­na­bi­li­ty

The event will include discussions of controversial business conduct as well as examples of inspiring corporate sustainability initiatives. The seminar will also address the inherent tensions and paradoxes built into the fabric of organisations and corporate sustainability.        

The seminar begins with a keynote speech by Professor Guido Palazzo (University of Lausanne), who will present his new book ‘The Dark Pattern: The Hidden Dynamics of Corporate Scandals’ (co-authored by Ulrich Hoffrage). The book analyses the root causes of corporate scandals and offers practical advice for building morally resilient organisations. The presentation will be followed by a panel discussion with practitioners, who have all been involved in public debates linked to corporate sustainability issues. Panelists include Journalist, Filmmaker and Producer Miki Mistrati, Stakeholder Engagement & Human Rights Manager Claus Teilmann Petersen (Bestseller), and Engagement Manager Ariel Storm (Klimabevægelsen).

The second part of the seminar zooms in on how companies can integrate corporate sustainability in strategy and operations. Regenerative Buildings Officer Hanne Tine Ring Hansen (Søren Jensen Engineering), Co-Founder and CCO Alejandro Franco (Kaffe Bueno), Local Engagement Manager Nanna Bonde (European Energy) and Partner and Advisor Steffen Kallehauge (MäRK) will share their experiences on how they work with corporate sustainability and what they think is needed to further strengthen these efforts in the future. The discussions will draw on insights from a new massive open online course (MOOC) on corporate sustainability integration developed by Esben Rahbek Gjerdrum Pedersen (Copenhagen Business School), Kirsti Reitan Andersen (Royal Danish Academy), and Ana Diaz (Honest fashion). The MOOC will be launched on Coursera late 2025-early 2026.