ALISON TAYLOR
Clinical Associate Professor at NYU Stern School of Business and Executive Director of Ethical Systems
Author of Higher Ground: How Business Can Do the Right Thing in a Turbulent World
Alison has spent the past two decades consulting with multinational companies on risk, anti-corruption, sustainability, human rights, culture and behavior, stakeholder engagement, ESG, and ethics and compliance–including as a senior advisor at sustainability nonprofit BSR, a member of the Board at Venture ESG, and a sustainability adviser at KKR and Pictet Group.
Alison Taylor is a clinical associate professor at NYU Stern School of Business, and the executive director at Ethical Systems. Her previous work experience includes being a Managing Director at non-profit business network BSR and a Senior Managing Director at Control Risks. She holds advisory roles at KKR, VentureESG, sustainability non-profit BSR, and Pictet Group, and is a member of the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Good Governance. She has expertise in strategy, sustainability, political and social risk, culture and behavior, human rights, ethics and compliance, stakeholder engagement, anti corruption and professional responsibility. Her book Higher Ground: How Business Can do the Right Thing in a Turbulent World was published by Harvard Business Review Press in February 2024. Alison received her Bachelor of Arts in Modern History from Balliol College, Oxford University, her MA in International Relations from the University of Chicago, and MA in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University.
Speech topics
Higher Ground and the Changing Landscape for Business Ethics
In this talk, you will learn:
Why running an ethical business has become so difficult (tensions between legal and ethical frames, rise of ESG, polarization and societal discord)
How we got here (the rise of transparency, increased political exposure, shifting values in the workforce)
Why this necessitates a rethink of ethics and compliance
How ethics and compliance leaders can become strategic integrity leaders
Briefly, the role of human rights in finding a way forward
Managing Polarization in the Office
There has been a dramatic rise in affective polarization in the US in the last few decades, and corporations are not immune. Brands are increasingly associated with a particular political leaning, and C Suites have become more politically partisan, even as they become more diverse in other ways. These societal divisions have enormous implications for culture, psychological safety, corporate ethics and activism. Alison will explore how to build more ethical and effective cultures that help employees and leaders bridge these divides
How to rethink leadership for the 2020s
CEO job descriptions are changing, reflecting the expectation that leaders of today display social skills and knowledge of key topics such as sustainability and diversity. More broadly, expectations from young people over what they want and expect from leaders are in flux. Barking orders from the top is out, providing mentorship, support and psychological safety is in. How can the leaders of today meet these expectations without fueling internal conflict and undermining performance? How can leaders provide clarity, consistency and direction, without overpromising?
How to build an ethical culture
In the era of radical transparency, young employees take to social media to hold companies accountable. Culture is on full display to the public, and has never been more of an advantage—or disadvantage. In this talk you will learn:
How can leaders build and sustain ethical cultures in an era of overpromising, greenwashing and bad advice?
The limits of legal compliance and wider challenges with compliance programs
Tensions and alignment with anti-corruption approaches and frameworks
Books
Higher Ground: How Business Can Do the Right Thing in a Turbulent World
An indispensable guide to help companies navigate the new era of ethical challenges and risks in a volatile global landscape.