The event, organised by Business in the Community and supported by Ulster Bank, was designed to encourage delegates to examine the local and international trends that will change the ways we live and work in the coming decades, and challenge them to consider how they can adapt to be more sustainable and flourish in the future.  

Hosted by broadcaster Wendy Austin, the event featured more than 40 leading speakers and thinkers from a wide range of backgrounds. The day began with Business in the Community’s annual CEO Breakfast Forum, delivered in partnership with the CBI. 120 Chief Executives attended the early morning event which saw keynote speaker, Jeremy Darroch, Chief Executive, Sky plc challenge them on the subject of innovation as a means of futureproofing business.   

More than 250 delegates attended the main Summit where they explored some of the key challenges facing business through a mixture of plenary sessions and workshops. Topics included mental health at work, fake news and changing communications models, social mobility, the future of work and education, and the problem with plastics.   

Kieran Harding, managing director, Business in the Community, said: 

“In a world that is ever-evolving, it is vital that businesses are agile and ready to adapt to meet new challenges and opportunities. Events like this are the ideal platform for businesses to come together and learn, not only from leading speakers and thinkers, but also from each other.  

“I hope that all delegates found the day valuable, with lots of thought-provoking content to help them make their businesses more responsible, relevant and sustainable in the future.”  

Richard Donnan, Head of Ulster Bank in Northern Ireland said:  

“We’re really pleased to be a core part of the communities that we serve through, and being part of the Responsible Business Summit enables us to look at new and better ways that we can do that. It was great to see so many here today, to engage in discussions about ways business can innovate, adapt and thrive in the future. Embracing innovation is imperative to long-term success and sustainability, and this event provided the ideal opportunity for like-minded businesses to share ideas for improvement.”    

The Summit is held in partnership with the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and supported by a number of leading organisations including ASDA, Belfast Harbour, BT, Diageo, firstsource and Origin Digital.  

For more information on the Responsible Business Summit visit www.RBSummitNI.com