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Megan Amrich headshot

Dr. Sally Uren, Forum for the Future CEO, receives OBE

By Megan Amrich

Dr Sally Uren, CEO of sustainability non-profit Forum for the Future, has been awarded an OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) award for services to sustainability.

Forum for the Future specialises in addressing critical global challenges by catalysing change in key systems we all rely on, such as food, apparel, energy and shipping. The organisation convenes unique industry-wide collaborations to drive change, by partnering with businesses and other organisations to help them lead by example, and by building a global community of pioneers and change makers.

Dr Uren said, “I’m totally delighted and honoured by the award. It provides important recognition of the urgent need to address critical challenges that face our world today, and of Forum for the Future’s work in tackling these issues head-on to create a more sustainable future.”

This accolade for Dr Uren comes at a time when Forum for the Future is consolidating its 20 plus-year track record of working with pioneering businesses such as Kingfisher, M&S, Unilever, US retail giant Target, and others to address complex challenges. From its four offices in the UK, US, Singapore and India, the organisation has become known for its systems approach to sustainability, and for its expertise in tracking future trends. It is set to release a new Future of Sustainability report for 2018, highlighting dynamic megatrends that will play both positive and negative roles in shaping the global future.

Dr Uren said, “We live in a rapidly changing landscape where business as usual won’t deliver the scale of the ambition described in the Sustainable Development Goals. In these shifting times, in order to catalyse large-scale change at the speed required, we need more collaboration and more systems thinking. Only by working together can we create new, more sustainable patterns and reinvent the way the world works.”

Mr Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, a founding partner of Forum for the Future, said, “During her time at Forum for the Future, Sally has provided invaluable support and advice to Unilever, both to our local UK business and globally. She has pioneered practical ways for companies to engage on creating wider change at scale with others – peer companies, NGOs and government. She has built strong relationships, and is widely admired at senior levels in many leading UK companies. She is making a significant contribution in helping to address one of the biggest challenges we face today – how to achieve sustainable growth – and she is well worthy of recognition for the influence and impact she is having.” 

Dr Uren joins an illustrious group of people recognised by the Order of the British Empire for their pioneering work in sustainability. This includes Forum for the Future Founder-Director Sara Parkin, who was awarded an OBE in 2001 for outstanding services to sustainable development.

The Investiture Ceremony, in which Dr Uren will receive her insignia from a senior member of the Royal Family, will take place later this year.

To find out more about Forum for the Future’s work in sustainable development, visit www.forumforthefuture.org.

Forum’s Future of Sustainability 2018 report is due to be released in January 2018 – for updates please follow @Forum4theFuture on Twitter.

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Megan is a writer and editor interested in sharing stories of positive change and resilience. She is the author of Show Up and Bring Coffee, a book highlighting how to support friends who are parents of disabled children. You can follow her at JoyfulBraveAwesome.com.

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