Thematic forum, Tuesday, 18th June 2019, 15:30–17:00

Business for decent work

The private sector has a crucial role to play in shaping the work of the future. It is an engine of growth that creates decent jobs. Its influence on economic and social development, respect for the environment and efficiently and effectively managing resources represents an important contribution to the well-being of communities. Yet more can be done to shape business incentives in support of a human-centred growth model. This session will examine the contribution of the private sector to full and productive employment and decent work. It will also discuss those measures that might best encourage the development of sustainable enterprises.

Highlights from the forum

  1. Moderator

    Ms Linda Yueh

    Ms Linda Yueh is an international journalist. She is a Fellow in Economics, St Edmund Hall, Oxford University; Adjunct Professor at London Business School; and Visiting Professor at LSE IDEAS. She is also a broadcaster and writer. Her latest book, "The Great Economists: How Their Ideas Can Help Us Today", was selected among The Times Best Business Books of 2018 and Newsweek’s Best Books of 2018.

Panel discussion

  1. Ms Olajumoke Adekeye

    Youth representative, Founder, The Young Business Agency

    Ms  Olajumoke is the founder of the Young Business Agency, a social enterprise that provides employability skills training and recruitment services to job seekers.  She is also a research associate for the Clinton Health Access Initiative, an organization dedicated to saving lives through the scale-up of medical treatment and diagnostics in low and middle-income countries.  An aspiring social impact investor, Olajumoke has served as an investment analysis lead on the United Nations Foundation’s Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves initiative.

  2. Ms Jacqueline Baroncini

    International Food, Farm and Hotel Workers Worldwide (IUF)

    Jacqueline Baroncini joined the IUF in 1990, where she has supported IUF affiliates in the food and tobacco sectors in conflicts over rights issues with companies and governments, through campaigning and through the use of the complaint mechanisms offered by the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association. She has also participated in negotiations with companies on international framework agreements covering such issues as health & safety, precarious employment and gender equality.

  3. Mr Jacques van den Broek

    CEO, Randstad

    Mr van den Broek is Chief Executive Officer of Randstad with responsibility for Germany, the United Kingdom and Ireland. In addition, he is responsible for Global IT, Business Concept Development, HR, Marketing & Communications and Public AffŽairs. After graduating in law, Jacques van den Broek held a management position with an international trading company until he joined Randstad as a branch manager. Appointments followed as Regional Director in the Netherlands and, subsequently, as Marketing Director Randstad Europe. In 2002, he moved to Capac Inhouse Services as Managing Director, also taking on responsibility for Randstad in Denmark and Switzerland.

  4. Mr Stephen Cotton

    Secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation

    Mr Stephen Cotton is the General Secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) – a global union federation of 665 trade unions representing 20 million workers in 147 countries in the seafaring, port, road, rail and aviation sectors. He was elected to the position at the 44th ITF Congress held in Singapore in 2018. Under Cotton’s leadership of the ITF’s maritime section, significant achievements were made that have positively impacted the maritime industry and bettered the lives of seafarers. Cotton oversaw major Flags of Convenience (FOC) policy changes and led the introduction of ‘Oslo to Delhi’ and Mexico City policies, which laid the foundation for the landmark 2006 signing of the International Labour Organization’s Maritime Labour Convention.

  5. Mr Laurent Freixe

    Executive Vice-President, Nestle

    Born in Paris, France, Laurent Freixe joined Nestlé France in 1986. After holding different positions with increasing responsibilities in Marketing and Sales, he became the head of the Nutrition Division of Nestlé France in 1999; and was appointed in 2003 Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé Hungary before becoming CEO of the Nestlé Iberian Region in 2007. In November 2008, Laurent Freixe joined the Nestlé Executive Board as Executive Vice President with the responsibility for Zone Europe and since 2014 Chief Executive Officer of Zone Americas, the largest region for Nestlé, accounting for 45% of its turnover.

  6. Mr Gustavo de Hoyos Walther

    Presidente Nacional de la Confederación Patronal de la República Mexicana (Coparmex)

    Gustavo de Hoyos Walther has a Law Degree from the Autonomous University of Baja California and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Cetys-Universidad. He has a Specialty and Masters in Corporate and International Law from the Cetys-University of Baja California. In 1994 he joined Coparmex as a partner, and since then he has held various responsibilities at the local and national level. He has participated as a National Counselor and member of the Executive Committee for the last ten years. Gustavo is currently Chairman of the Board of the Autonomous University of Baja California for the period 2015-2020. He is also a member of the Boards of Directors of the Institute of the National Workers' Housing Fund, Nacional Financiera and the National Foreign Trade Bank.

  7. Mr Richard Samans

    Member of the Global Commission on the Future of Work, Managing  Director of World Economic Forum (WEF)

    Mr Richard Samans is the Managing Director and Member of the Managing Board of the World Economic Forum (WEF), responsible for Policy and Institutional Impact. He also co-leads the Forum’s Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution headquartered in San Francisco. Mr Samans served as Director-General of the Global Green Growth Institute from 2011 to 2013. He also served as Special Assistant for International Economic Policy to US President Bill Clinton as well as Senior Director for International Economic Affairs in the National Security Council, among other positions he occupied in government, the private sector and think tanks. Since 2007, he has also been Chairman of the Climate Disclosure Standards Board.