Sahara Group’s Executive Director and Co-Founder, Tonye Cole, has become a member of the Steering Committee of the World Economic Forum’s “Future of Trust and Integrity Project” as WEF continues to ramp up initiatives and collaborations aimed at enhancing transparency in business.
This project is a key opportunity for businesses globally to join an important initiative with leading businesses, experts and public figures dedicated to collectively designing trust into the system.
Cole’s appointment follows Sahara’s leading role in promoting transparency and good governance principles in Africa through its membership of WEF’s Partnering Against Corruption Initiative.
According to Ramya Krishnaswamy, the Head, Partnering Against Corruption Initiative and Member of the Executive of the World Economic Forum: “The objective of the project is to build trust and integrity while addressing the root causes of corruption to promote sustained economic growth, restore organizational credibility and build stability. As a leading African company, Mr. Cole and Sahara Group can bring unique experience and regional knowledge to benefit the Forum’s project and community.”
Cole described his membership as a “huge privilege to align with other stakeholders on how transparency in business can be achieved through regional collaboration and sustainable initiatives”.
He said: “Sahara Group is excited about this opportunity to serve alongside other corporations and organizations who share our passion for business integrity and transparency. We are excited that the PACI conversation is tilting strongly towards using the platform of cooperation between governments and the private sector as a major avenue for achieving PACI’s objectives.”
The multi-year project was mandated at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2017 in Davos-Klosters after a call for action for public-private cooperation to further address corruption.
The multi-sector project aims to capture regional dynamics to inform global debate through leveraging technological, behavioral and institutional enablers.
The Steering Committee consists of Forum Industry Partner CEOs and their respective senior executive delegates, adding that the Steering Committee members are responsible for the overall guidance and governance of the project, while the Advisory Committee – consisting of experts in academia, civil society and government – provides content for the project.
PACI has over the past 10 years become the leading global business voice on anti-corruption and transparency.
Under the aegis of PACI, over 80 active companies are leading the call to action for businesses around the world to commit to zero tolerance of corruption in all its forms and to join collective action initiatives to increase public trust in business, deliver fair markets and level the playing field by fighting corruption.
The invitation letter from WEF to Cole reads:
Dear Mr Cole,
We are pleased to invite you to become a member of the Steering Committee of the World Economic Forum’s Future of Trust and Integrity Project. The objective of this project is to build trust and integrity while addressing the root causes of corruption to promote sustained economic growth, restore organizational credibility and build stability.
This multi-year project was mandated at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2017 in Davos-Klosters, after a call for action for public-private cooperation to further address corruption. The multi-sector project aims to capture regional dynamics to inform global debate through leveraging technological, behavioral and institutional enablers.
This is an exciting opportunity for you to join a high-profile and high-engagement initiative with leading businesses, experts and public figures dedicated to collectively designing trust into the system. Your experience and knowledge will be of tremendous benefit to the Forum’s project and community.
The Steering Committee consists of Forum Industry Partner CEOs and their respective senior executive delegates. Steering Committee members are responsible for the overall guidance and governance of the project, while the Advisory Committee – consisting of experts in academia, civil society and government – provides content for the project. As key project champions we anticipate the CEOs will join one – two Steering and Advisory Committee calls and an associated project event.
The draft overview is provided to guide our strategic thinking. The project will establish working groups that will drive the topics mainly through virtual meetings, led by a business leader and facilitated by a leading academic. Should you wish to dedicate some additional time to work with us, we would be delighted.
We look forward to welcoming you to the Steering Committee. Please feel free to contact Isabel Cane, Project Lead (PACI) at isabel.cane@weform.org, for any further information required. We look forward to working with you on this project.
Yours Sincerely,
Ramya Krishnaswamy – Head, Partnering Against Corruption Initiative.
Isabel Cane. Project Lead, Partnering Against Corruption Initiative.