Dentsu : supports IMD research to accelerate sustainable business transformation

― Professor Goutam Challagalla is appointed as dentsu Group Chair in Sustainable Strategy and Marketing and will lead a research enterprise to look into the correlation between sustainability and business growth ―

Dentsu Group Inc. (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Hiroshi Igarashi, President and CEO; capital: 74,698.1 million yen; hereafter "the Company") is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Goutam Challagalla as the dentsu Group Chair in Sustainable Strategy and Marketing. The chair will support the activities of IMD's Center for Sustainable and Inclusive Business, which aims to generate cutting-edge insights and practical solutions for businesses that aspire to create positive social and environmental impact.

Professor Challagalla, a leading expert in strategy and marketing at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), and his team will collaborate with the Company, which has a strong track record of providing sustainable business solutions, including business accelerator "dentsu good"*. One of the expected outcomes of the research is the development of indicators to measure the sustainability transformation of companies and businesses − including consumer awareness − and, with that, provide an insight into the concrete impact of promoting business sustainability on brand and corporate value.

A renowned researcher − and recipient of the 2015 Maynard Award for the best paper in the Journal of Marketing published by the American Marketing Association − Professor Challagalla has helped many companies rethink their business models and build new capabilities in the face of the digital revolution. Now, he is helping companies to integrate sustainability-related challenges and opportunities into their strategy. "Placing sustainability at the core of a business model is complex and requires unconventional thinking. There is only one credible path to understanding the complexities of this phenomenon: through research," he says.

The research findings will be published by IMD and be shared by the Company as well. The Company and IMD are also considering co-organizing sustainability-related events to disseminate the research results and engage with various stakeholders. In addition, dentsu will apply the insights gained through the research to the further sophistication of related solutions and implement its management policy of "B2B2S (Business to Business to Society)," and contribute to the sustainable growth of society by solving social issues together with client companies.

About the Institute for Management Development (IMD)

Founded by business executives for business executives, IMD is an independent academic institute based in Lausanne and Singapore. It strives to be the trusted learning partner of choice for ambitious individuals and organizations worldwide. Its executive education and degree programs are consistently ranked among the world's best by the Financial Times, Bloomberg, Forbes, and others.

*: The official name is dentsu good: a sustainability accelerator. It is dentsu's sustainability solutions led by a global team of experts to help clients achieve both business growth and social contribution, or to meet the emerging demand for solutions to social issues through business.

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Contacts:
Research inquiries:
Solutions Office
Dentsu Group Inc.
Email: dentsugood@dentsu.com

Media inquiries:
Group Corporate Communications Office
Dentsu Group Inc.
Email：group-cc@dentsu-group.com