Bob Willard, Corporate Sustainability Author; Sustainability Advantage

Bob Willard is a leading expert on quantifying and selling the business value of corporate sustainability strategies. Drawing insights from his 34-year career at IBM Canada, he advises business community on how to avoid risks and capture opportunities by using smart environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies.

He is author of four books --The Sustainability Advantage (2002), The Next Sustainability Wave (2005), The Sustainability Champion's Guidebook (2009), The New Sustainability Advantage (2012) — and the creator of numerous capacity-building resources and DVDs for sustainability leaders.

In addition to serving on the advisory board of The Natural Step Canada and Forum for the Future US, Mr. Willard is on ad hoc advisory committees for sustainable business certificate programs at Seneca College, Algonquin College, and Ryerson University. He is also on the core faculty of the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) and is a citizen member of the Durham Region Roundtable on Climate Change (DRRCC).  He hopes to help develop a Gold Standard for truly sustainable enterprises through his work with the Global Initiative for Sustainability Ratings (GISR) Technical Advisory Committee and with the B Lab Large Company Sustainability Working Group.
In 2011, he was inducted into the International Society of Sustainability Professionals' Hall of Fame. He was one of the first Certified B Corps in Canada, and in 2012 was honored to be named to B Corp's "Best for the World" Overall Impact list of the top 10 percent of worldwide B Corps with fewer than 10 employees.

He has a Bachelor of Science degree from McGill University (1964), and a Master of Education (2000) and PhD (2005) from the University of Toronto.