What is it?

The Beyond Profit Annual Lecture invites renouned speakers from business and society to Cambridge to voice their opinion about matters such as social entrepreneurship or sustainability.

2nd Annual Lecture – 2012

Please check back in early 2012 for more information.

Inaugural Annual Lecture – May 2011

Last year, The Cambridge Union Society played host to the inaugural Beyond Profit Annual Lecture. The lecture, entitled ‘Every little helps: Big Business’ role in society’ was delivered by Sir Terry Leahy, former CEO of TESCO.

This was one of Sir Terry Leahy’s first talks since retiring from the role of CEO at Tesco. In a career that started with shelf stacking, Sir Terry worked his way up through the ranks at Tesco, becoming chief executive in 1997. Under his leadership Tesco became the 2nd biggest retailer by profit in the world and the first supermarket chain to introduction zero carbon stores.

Sir Terry addressed our questions as we wonder whether big business can truly have a positive role in society, and if, so what it is. Having worked in what is undeniably a controversial position, Sir Terry Leahy presented the case for big-business, showing how corporations can be socially responsible and why they might even be the most efficient vehicles for improving our society.