John Elkington
Executive Chairman and Co-Founder, Volans VenturesWriter, thought-leader and business strategist, serial entrepreneur and, at heart, an environmentalist. Founder and Chief Pollinator at Volans, and Honorary Chairman of SustainAbility.
Author of Cannibals with Forks and co-author of The Breakthrough Challenge.
Unleash Opportunity brings together business leaders, writers and thought-leaders who are shaping the future of global trade. The gathering is rooted in a simple idea: that commerce can be a force for positive change, balancing commercial ambition with responsibility towards people and planet. Across plenary sessions, panels and digital talks, speakers share practical experience from the worlds of supply chains, sourcing, brand building and shared value, offering perspectives drawn from real operating environments rather than abstract theory.
The 2019 plenary line-up featured voices working on open and sustainable trade, including strategists who have spent careers helping companies navigate complex regulatory landscapes and shifting public expectations. Sessions addressed transparency in supply chains, the role of collaboration between brands and their suppliers, and the opportunities that emerge when sustainability is treated as core business strategy. Attendees were encouraged to reflect on how far progress has come and how much critical work remains in the decade ahead.
Conference programming extended beyond the stage, with online elements, webinars and participant exchanges allowing a wider audience to follow the discussion. Themes included the practical steps organisations can take to identify opportunity, build collective action, and ignite possibility in sectors from apparel to consumer goods. Formats ranged from inspirational keynote addresses to focused working conversations, giving delegates space to explore ideas, challenge assumptions and consider how they might contribute once they return to their own organisations.
Unleash Opportunity is part of a broader international network committed to inspiring sustainable business and enabling better conditions in global supply chains. The programme welcomes conversation, collaboration and the sharing of experience, and keeps its content open so that participants worldwide can engage with the ideas long after the event itself. For those unable to attend in person, recordings, speaker contributions and further updates remain available, supporting continued learning and the kind of multi-year commitment that meaningful progress in responsible trade demands.