UVA Darden Business in Society Conference Features Keynote Speaker Kip Tindell, CEO of the Container Store

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business will host the Business in Society conference 7–8 February 2013. Kip Tindell, chairman and CEO of The Container Store, will present a keynote speech on Thursday, 7 February from 1:30–2:30 p.m. Tindell’s speech is part of the Darden Corporate Relations’ Leadership Speaker Series.

For more than 34 years, Tindell has held the position of CEO of The Container Store, a private company based in Dallas that sells storage and organizational products. Tindell serves on the board of Whole Foods Market and is involved in Conscious Capitalism Inc., a community of business people and academics that emphasize a conscious approach to business.

Darden’s Business in Society Conference is an annual event co-organized by the student-led clubs: Net Impact; Energy; Business & Public Policy; Healthcare; Education; and Emerging Markets Development, with support from the Darden Research Center Initiative for Business in Society. The theme “Building Shared Value” will explore the idea that the profitable and sustainable business model of the future will involve addressing society’s toughest challenges.

The conference will feature a diverse collection of panelists from the public, private and non-profit sectors. Panels will focus on how businesses in a variety of industries can and do build shared value for multiple stakeholders and how the government should incentivize such efforts.

“Today, as communities struggle with limited resources, businesses, governments and the public need to productively engage with one another, so they innovate through cooperation and build shared value,” said Mary Margaret Frank, associate professor of business administration and an academic director of the Initiative for Business in Society.

“Student-led career clubs at Darden have planned a great line-up of panelists for the conference, including prominent executives in numerous industries from healthcare to international development,” commented Second Year MBA student Laura Durity, vice president of Darden Net Impact Club and one of the conference planners. “Students, faculty and staff will interact with panelists and learn more about a variety of career alternatives.”

Online registration is available at the Business in Society Conference website.