Georg Kell

Georg Kell is the founder and former Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact.[1] He is also the Chairman of Anglo-German asset manager, Arabesque Partners.[2]

Georg Kell
Born
Germany
Alma materTechnical University of Berlin
OccupationChairman of Arabesque Partners

In January 2015, it was announced that Kell would retire as Executive Director of the UN Global Compact after over 25 years of service to the United Nations. Lise Kingo was announced in June 2015 as his replacement.

In January 2016, Georg Kell was named as one of 2015's Most Influential People in Business Ethics by the Ethisphere Institute.[3]

Career

Georg Kell's early career began at the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology and Innovation in Berlin after completing his advanced degrees in Economics and Engineering at the Technical University of Berlin. Kell was a researcher whilst undergoing his postgraduate studies – he was a financial analyst specialising multinational portfolios in Asia and Africa.[4]

United Nations

Kell started his United Nations career at the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva in 1987.

In 1990, he joined UNCTAD's New York office, which he headed from 1993 to 1997.

In 1997, Kell became a senior officer in the executive office of the UN Secretary-General, responsible for fostering cooperation with the private sector.

United Nations Global Compact

The idea behind the UN Global Compact originated in a speech by then Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the World Economic Forum in the late 1990s.[5] The speech was called ‘The Global Compact’ and it called on business, in an era of globalization, to take on more responsibility, not just to look for profit but also to build social, environmental and governance pillars.[6] Popular reaction to the speech led to the official creation of the United Nations Global Compact in 2000, with Georg Kell as the founding Executive Director.

The Global Compact calls on companies to align strategies and operations with universal principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and take actions that advance societal goals. The ten principles are derived from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work [International Labour Organization], the Rio Declaration on Environment and the UN Convention Against Corruption.[7] Under the Global Compact, companies are brought together with UN agencies, labour groups and civil society. Cities can join the Global Compact through the Cities Programme.[8]

In June 2015, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his gratitude for Kell's services to the UN Global Compact and his commitment in fostering cooperation between the private sector and the United Nations. He cited Kell's exemplary leadership in the creation and management of the United Nations Global Compact since its creation.[9]

Arabesque Partners

In July 2017, Kell was announced as Chairman of asset management firm Arabesque Partners, taking over from Prof. Robert Eccles.[10]

In making the announcement Kell said: “After spending most of my professional career building an ESG framework for companies, joining Arabesque seems the logical next step to help integrate this framework into portfolio management for the benefit of investors, corporations and all stakeholders alike.”[11]

Arabesque integrates environmental, social and governance data with quantitative investment strategies. The firm was named as SRI Manager of the Year at The Investment Excellence Awards 2015 organized by Global Investor.[12]

Other activities

References
  1. Kell, Georg (September 2003). "The Global Compact". Journal of Corporate Citizenship. Greenleaf Publishing in association with GSE Research. 2003 (11): 35–45. doi:10.9774/GLEAF.4700.2003.au.00007.
  2. Jessop, Simon (31 August 2015). "MOVES-Fund house Arabesque hires founder of UN sustainability programme". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  3. Nabozny, Clea. "Ethisphere Releases Listing of 2015's 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics from Around the World". Ethisphere. Ethisphere® Institute. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  4. "Georg Kell". WEF.com. World Economic Forum. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  5. "Interview with Georg Kell, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact". UNITED NATIONS 2015. UN News Center. 23 June 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  6. Annan, Kofi (31 January 1999). "SECRETARY-GENERAL PROPOSES GLOBAL COMPACT ON HUMAN RIGHTS, LABOUR, ENVIRONMENT, IN ADDRESS TO WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM IN DAVOS". United Nations © 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  7. "The Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact". The UN Global Compact. The UN. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  8. Williams, Oliver F. (October 2004). "The UN Global Compact: The Challenge and the Promise". Business Ethics Quarterly. 14 (4): 755–774. doi:10.5840/beq200414432.
  9. "'Business can be a global force for good,' Bans says as General Assembly honours UN Global Compact". UN.org. UN News Center. 25 June 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  10. "Arabesque Announces Appointment of Georg Kell as New Chairman". BusinessWire. Arabesque Partners. 7 July 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  11. "Georg Kell Announced as Vice Chairman-Designate of Arabesque Partners". PR Newswire. Arabesque Partners. 31 August 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  12. "SRI Manager of the Year: Arabesque Asset Management". Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC. Global Investor Magazine. 3 July 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  13. Volkswagen Group appoints international Sustainability Council Archived October 2, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Volkswagen, press release of September 28, 2016.
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