Biography
Deborah Leipziger has reshaped how we think about the role of corporations in promoting human rights and the environment. Through her books, lectures, consulting, and teaching, Deborah has given voice to the concept that companies have a responsibility to the communities in which they operate, and that global organizations can create social value alongside financial value. Ms. Leipziger is the author of several leading books in the fields of sustainability and corporate responsibility, including The Corporate Responsibility Code Book and co-author of Creating Social Value: A Guide for Leaders and Change Makers.
Prof. Leipziger has advised companies and organizations around the world on social and environmental issues. She has been a force for change in fields as diverse as food, fashion and energy. Her client list, past and present, includes Primark, The Boston Beer Company, Heineken, Ajinomoto, and Shell. Deborah has advised corporations and nonprofits in many countries, including India, Nigeria, Brazil, Peru, the Netherlands, and the US.
Deborah has not only led the chorus of international organizations asking for more from companies, she had articulated how companies can become true global citizens. Her pioneering work on social standards such as Social Accountability 8000 and the Ethical Trading Initiative changed how companies address human rights in the workplace.
She has developed curriculum for teaching social innovation, social enterprise, and Open Hiring and she has trained hundreds of executives on corporate responsibility issues in seven countries. Deborah advises organizations on issues of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity and has lectured at top universities on the emerging language of this field. Having lived in countries on three continents, Deborah recognizes her own obligations as a global citizen and contributes to advancing the betterment of the planet having worked with Oxfam, the Global Reporting Initiative, and the UN Environment Program.
Deborah is a Senior Fellow in Social Innovation at the Lewis Institute at Babson College. She has taught at the Bard MBA in Sustainability, the Simmons School of Management, and the Hult MBA program. Born in Brazil, Deborah has a Masters in Public Administration from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and a BA from Manhattanville College in Economics and International Studies.
Recommendations
"Deborah Leipziger has the eye of a visionary, the mind of a scholar, the heart of a champion, and the soul of a poet. Her work on institutional accountability to ethical environmental and social principles has balanced both applied and theoretical perspectives. She's well-aware of the implications of distributed power and networks, and knows that good citizenship and leadership stem from core beliefs, adapted to turbulent times, with humility and a desire to learn. At a time when "sustainability" has become trendy, Deborah's stalwart efforts are testimony to the fact that, over and over again, she's ahead of everybody else. True pioneers don't brag about that, but their colleagues can. Deborah's someone whose creative vision and disciplined approach, coupled with her exquisite style and grace, elevate all with whom she works. Don't put her in a "slot" or "box"—she's a person who spans boundaries, before there was such a term."
-- Marcy Murninghan, ESG/Sustainability Practitioner and Scholar, Co-Author, Trusting Harvard