Over the last months, we have once again been reminded of the importance of coming together to explore new possibilities and to understand how we can use this moment in history to think and act differently to create positive impact. Therefore, members of the BMW Foundation Responsible Leaders Network, in collaboration with the BMW Foundation, are promoting a workshop series created by Rosario Londono in 2016 and now tailored to the North American Regional Network.

The Personal Accelerator is a space of possibility aimed at accelerating our Responsible Leaders’ growth and designing of their futures. The program consists of live online sessions, mastermind groups, guided coaching, self-creation, business modeling, and co-creation that introduces new mindsets, habits, and structures into their life’s rhythm.

What are the interwoven strands that make up the fabric of a just and sustainable future? What current trends will influence our ways of being and living together?

Over the course of four virtual meetings, responsible leaders from across Europe and the Mediterranean will explore these questions in sessions co-designed and hosted by BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt in collaboration with STATE Studio. New patterns may come to the surface through the interweaving of individual paths – aiding our joint inquiry into a just and sustainable future from a holistic perspective. The process provides a space of opportunities and resolutions, in order to cultivate a fertile breeding ground for new modes of change.

Interweaving Change, a joint operation of the BMW Foundation and STATE Studio, is guided by an inquiry into the threads and strands that make up the fabric of a better future. On various levels, we aim to create spaces for an artistic exploration of leadership, purpose, and possibilities, leading toward planetary visions for a more just and sustainable future in recognition of the interconnectedness of all living beings and systems.

Building on what started last year, the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt in 2020 again joins forces with Bits & Pretzels as a strategic partner for impact and sustainability. Our goal is to embed impact right at the heart of entrepreneurship.

We want to inspire founders to be part of the solution for a sustainable future.

Innovative business models have an important role to play for a sustainable and responsible economy, as startups have the agility and creativity to not only become drivers for innovation but also agents for change.

Titled “Bits & Pretzels Networking Week,” the event will be held virtually, offering a variety of innovative options for exchange, dialogue, and inspiration. The BMW Foundation will host the vertical session “Impact in Business”, including startup pitches and  keynotes, as well as talks and discussions.

What does the future of bureaucracy look like?

Cities are the places where global challenges are concentrated and intensified – from climate change and mobility, to integration and safety, to threats to democracy and social cohesion as a result of increasing fragmentation. Numerous success stories show, however, that positive impact can be most quickly achieved at the local level – and by involving all stakeholders. We promote the development and spread of scalable solutions for resilient, intelligent, sustainable, and equitable (RISE) cities.

With the aim of celebrating outstanding innovation in the public sector and its sustainable potential for society, the Creative Bureaucracy Festival brings together public sector workers and their peers. This year for the third time and completely digital: 28 September to 02 October 2020, Daily Highlight Hour 13h-14h CET. Register for free for the Creative Bureaucracy Festival 2020.

Join our RISE sessions at #CBF2020

Our regional network meetings are designed to build trust and connection within specific regions, show participants how to support each other, and co-create a space for Responsible Leadership in the region.

We cultivate a global network of Responsible Leaders to empower each other, exchange ideas, pool resources, and collaborate towards greater positive impact in keeping with the UN 2030 Agenda.

Denkraum Athens is the second event in the 2020 Denkraum series on “Good Life & Sustainable Cities,” organized by the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt in collaboration with Impact Hub and hosted by three European cities (Amsterdam, Athens and Madrid).

Denkraum brings together leaders from the private, public, and civic sectors to explore how European cities can address environmental, economic, and social challenges. The virtual and in-person event explores a positive vision of the future: sustainable cities by 2030, in which a good life plays an essential part. Guided by experts from different sectors, participants will deep dive into innovations and challenges on several topics such as: Green Mobility, Waste Management, Spaces and the City Fabric, Finance, Sustainability in Culture and Infrastructure.

We understand the current situation as a crucial moment to strengthen ties within our Responsible Leaders Network in Canada and the United States, foster individual and group reflection on issues pertaining to the network, and facilitate collaboration.

In a co-created process based in small meetings, sessions and open spaces, we aim to support the regional network on the most pressing topics for the region. The gathering starts with preparatory Listening Sessions with Responsible Leaders to craft the upcoming gathering by reflecting on their leadership path and how they can engage with peers.

By nurturing personal and systemic development through our activities and the regional Responsible Leaders Networks, we aim to contribute to systemic change and to the 2030 Agenda.

As a foundation that supports and promotes responsible leadership in accordance with the United Nations 2030 Agenda, we are taking a clear stance for the principles and goals of a united, strong, and people-driven Europe. To achieve this vision, we foster cross-sectoral collaboration between a wide range of pro-European stakeholders.

We believe it is “Time to Act for a Democratic Europe”.

That is why this Responsible Leaders Table assembles bold and proactive leaders from business, politics, and academia who are willing to work together to build a self-confident, united “Europe for Citizens.” Together with the participants, we want to explore and develop ideas on how to advance a democratic Europe based on cross-sector collaboration.

The restrictions imposed by the Corona crisis are a major challenge to the economy in Germany, Europe and the whole world. How do we use the lessons learned from this to make our economic system more sustainable? These are the questions that companies, start-ups, investors and social actors are asking themselves.

The Impact Salon promotes the discourse between the sectors. The focus is on the role of companies and start-ups in economic and social change. With an opening speech by Prof. Dr. Maja Göpel, Secretary-General of the German Advisory Council on Global Change, different personalities will address the following question in a total of four salons: How can responsible leadership contribute to a peaceful, just and sustainable world in line with the UN’s 2030 Agenda?

We believe that startups have the energy, creativity, and innovation to find new solutions and achieve systemic change, thus contributing to a more sustainable and responsible economy. This is why, in January 2020, we launched RESPOND – a BMW Foundation Accelerator program powered by UnternehmerTUM.

The virtual RESPOND Demo Night is the closing meeting of our first cohort and will present how entrepreneurs from ten startups use technological innovations to contribute towards achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

At the BMW Foundation it is our mission to promote responsible leadership and inspire leaders worldwide to contribute to the United Nations 2030 Agenda. Together with a group of 40 carefully selected leaders from different regions and sectors we intend to build a contemplative and creative virtual space, where it is possible to make meaningful connections for our pursuit of a peaceful, just, and sustainable future. This Responsible Leaders Program is designed as a virtual journey and will run for a period of several months, concluding with an in-person gathering in Istanbul in early 2021.

Denkraum Madrid is the third event in the 2020 Denkraum series on “Good Life & Sustainable Cities,” organized by the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt in collaboration with Impact Hub and hosted by three European cities (Amsterdam, Athens and Madrid).

Denkraum brings together leaders from the private, public, and civic sectors to explore how European cities can address environmental, economic, and social challenges. The virtual and in-person event explores a positive vision of the future: sustainable cities by 2030, in which a good life plays an essential part. Guided by experts from different sectors, participants will deep dive into innovations and challenges on several topics related to local and regional issues.

With ten years left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda, the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt is dedicating its 50th anniversary as a global call to action: Let’s join forces and accelerate sustainable solutions to the world’s biggest challenges.

The world is changing at an exponential speed; individuals and organizations need to adapt quickly. Still, humanity must shift up a gear to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. We believe Responsible Leadership is the only way forward.

Together with responsible leaders, the BMW Foundation uses this event to mobilize more businesses, governments, and civil society organizations to tackle key challenges such as poverty, climate change, and inequality – all while balancing people, planet, and profit.

As the world experiences a global health, social, political, and economic crisis, entire systems have hit “pause” due to Covid-19. In the year of the 75th birthday of the United Nations, shortly after the US elections, and towards the end of the German EU presidency, the Munich European Forum 2020 will offer a space to explore how Europe can reposition itself, and re-prioritize the major decisions shaping our future.

Together with leaders from all sectors of society and from all European regions, we aim to explore how our economies and societies can develop the resilience to overcome this crisis in a more sustainable manner; moving towards a more successful balance of people, planet, and profit.

At the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt, we regard the individual commitment of leaders as a unique lever for change. That’s why our mission is to inspire Responsible Leadership. The Forum will also provide an opportunity to reflect upon how each of us, in our professional and personal lives, can contribute towards positive change in line with the UN 2030 Agenda’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).