The Council on Business & Society (CoBS), visionary in its conception and purpose, was founded in 2011 by ESSEC Business School and is dedicated to promoting responsible leadership and tackling issues at the crossroads of business and society that include sustainability, diversity, ethical leadership and the place responsible business has to play in contributing to the common good. 

In 2021, member schools now number 7, all “Triple Crown” accredited AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA and leaders in their respective countries.
• ESSEC Business School, France-Singapore-Morocco
• FGV-EAESP, Brazil
• School of Management Fudan, China
• IE Business School, Spain
• Keio Business school, Japan
• Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
• Warwick Business School, United Kingdom.

The CoBS is a member of and/or conducts joint projects with: UN PRME, GBSN, GRLI, OECD

The Council believes that today’s challenges cannot be addressed at the level of a single country and offers a unique global, though local perspective on issues relating to CSR, sustainability and responsible business practices.

The Council effectively contributes to the ‘internationalisation’, ‘ethics & social responsibility’ and ‘corporate connections’ chapters for accreditations and rankings, has a global voice with an annual organic digital imprint of 1.4m and was ranked 6^th social media CSR influencer in the world (Twitter) in 2020 by the Social Media Research Foundation.

The CoBS is active in 3 Major Areas

• Research & Publications including co-authored research papers, weekly research-based thought leadership for the wider audience, a quarterly magazine Global Voice, and a series of thematic books and white papers
• Pedagogy including a Responsible Leadership online course, condensed learning capsules for practitioners, and CSR faculty exchange.
• Events including Global Forums, an annual Student CSR article competition and an online CoBS Masterclass series.

To go further, visit the Council on Business & Society website
For weekly research thought leadership, visit CoBS Insights