

Ethical Leadership In Business 2019
Rethinking trust in the digital age
Please note that this conference is now over. You would like to know more about ELB 2019?
- Read our report 2019
- Watch the video on 2019 highlights
- Discover the pictures of the event
- Relive some of the highlights by watching our interviews and coverage on Facebook
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Trust is at the centre of human relations and is the glue that holds our society together. In business, trust is a critical ingredient for innovation and investment, to foster consumer loyalty and nurture employee motivation. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the digital economy where public trust in the benefits of the digital transformation has been the basis for economic growth and societal progress.
Trust in technologies – also called Digital Trust – is constantly challenged by an increasing number of security and privacy breaches, either by hackers or user data collection without clear user consent. Faith in the promise that new technology leads to progress and a better human future is beginning to dwindle as digitization is significantly transforming the world of work with uncertain outcomes. Such breaches also jeapodise consumer trust and confidence in the brand and company. Companies that engage in building digital trust and strengthening faith in a humane future will have a crucial competitive advantage.
About Ethical Leadership in Business
What is trust? According to the Cambridge dictionary, trust is ‘to believe that someone is good and honest and will not harm you, or that something is safe and reliable’. In our private and professional lives, trust reduces uncertainties and enables reliance on others. In the digital economy public trust in the benefits of the digital transformation has been the basis for economic growth and societal progress. However, the general public is becoming increasingly aware that the convenience and possibilities afforded by emerging technologies also bear wide-ranging risks for business and society.
With the general public increasingly expecting ethical behavior from business and its leaders, trust building through ethical leadership has become as important as the services and products themselves. Businesses who establish clear values and ethics to inform compliance, governance and decision-making will ensure their brand’s reputation. Given that it is individuals rather than organizations who make the decisions, businesses need to strengthen ethical leadership at all levels to avoid trust breaches. Companies that go beyond the legal requirements and ask themselves, ‘what is the “right” thing to do?’, will gain an important economic advantage over those who do not.
- a clear understanding of specific trust challenges
- an awareness of various forms of trust building in the digital age
- IofC’s ethical leadership approach
- business best-practices tools and actions to strengthen stakeholder trust
- the results of an in-depth personal investigation of your own degree of trust in the digital transformation
- energy from having disconnected from your busy life and met a diversity of people
- an enlarged network, built over three full days of activities
- structured activities such as panels and workshops, but also time and space for a ‘recharging’ retreat experience
- learning through personal and professional best-practices from expert speakers and participants
- an international conference that reflects ‘global contrasts and perspectives’ on the impact of disruptive innovation
- optional morning ‘quiet time sessions’ giving leaders the opportunity to practice inner listening and to identify concrete steps for values-based leadership
Ethical Leadership in Business welcomes around 70-80 leaders from various business sectors. The group is purposefully kept at this size to allow speakers and participants to contribute to the learning journey and engage in conversations that create a sense of community throughout the event.

The Ethical Leadership in Business event is a conference-retreat that offers structured activities such as panels and workshops, but also time and space for a ‘recharging’ retreat experience.
The Caux Forum – ethics in business – provides a very open and calm environment for conversations to take place where we take the time to listen. This means we can tackle tricky topics differently from how they are treated in the press which is always the same. Here we can share ideas with a new approach to ethics and technology.
Father Eric Salobir, President OPTIC Technology
I’m leaving the conference enriched and content, and with considerable take-aways for my professional life.
Antonio Hautle, Global Compact Network Switzerland, Senior Programme Leader & Network Representative
The idea of self-reflection and what you can do on a personal level to have a bigger impact in the world is really important.
Tara Scanlan, Customer Success Group, Salesforce
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