INSEAD receives €40m individual donation for a new global institute for business, society

INSEAD, the business school for the World, has received a €40 million commitment from André Hoffmann and his wife Rosalie. This landmark gift, the largest by an individual in the school’s history, establishes the Hoffmann Global Institute for Business and Society.

In acknowledgement of the Hoffmann family’s support, INSEAD decided to refer to them in the name of the Institute.

On the occasion of the formal signing, Hoffmann says, “Transformational change towards true sustainability will not take place without a new generation of leaders who are willing and able to change the status quo. This Institute is poised to help future leaders understand the importance of societal and environmental returns alongside the traditional financial approach, creating shareholder value while lifting up people and protecting our planet.”

With initiatives on INSEAD campuses in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, the

Institute promises to bring fresh perspectives and innovative solutions to the most intractable global issues that threaten sustainable future.

Katell Le Goulven, executive director of the Hoffmann Global Institute for Business and Society, who recently joined INSEAD from UNICEF, says, “The Institute is envisioned as a transformative force at INSEAD and beyond. It aims to forge leaders, managers, and entrepreneurs who align the interests of their organisations with pressing social and environmental challenges. By leveraging research, learning and partner engagement – and through walking the talk at INSEAD – the Institute can contribute to delivering business value with positive societal impact.”

The Institute will explore issues such as ethics, gender balance, humanitarian operations, social impact, sustainability, tech for good, wealth inequality and other topics related to the role of business in society. The Institute is widely engaging the entire INSEAD community around strategy, governance and execution. It is already reaching out to partners, including ChangeNOW, the largest positive impact summit in the world.

Ilian Mihov, dean of INSEAD, expressed his appreciation for this historic gift:

“Establishing the Hoffmann Global Institute for Business and Society underpins

INSEAD’s vision of business as a force for good. Many of our twenty-first century

challenges cannot be addressed by governments or NGOs alone. Business leaders must rise to the challenge – integrating sustainability, responsibility and social impact directly into the decisions they make. This is where the Hoffmann Institute holds great potential to accelerate progress towards a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable future.”

“We are deeply grateful to André and Rosalie Hoffmann for their extraordinary

support, and for their contribution to the positive, real-world impact of INSEAD on

business and society,” he added.

At INSEAD Hoffmann has served on the board of directors, alumni fund board, national alumni associations, and as chair of the audit committee. The couple has championed thought leadership at the school in many ways, including the establishment of the André and Rosalie Hoffmann Chair in Family Enterprise.

In 2015, André and Rosalie Hoffmann made a commitment to sustainability at INSEAD through a gift towards the Leadership Development Centre on the Asia Campus, which was awarded a Platinum Green Mark by the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore for its incorporation of best practice environmental design and construction.

Hoffmann is the Vice Chairman of Roche Holdings, Switzerland, a highly innovative pharmaceutical company established by his great grandfather in 1896. He also serves on the board of Genentech Inc. in California, USA. He has contributed to the development and success of Inovalon Inc., a data driven, cloud based, analytics company providing meaningful insights into the US health system.

He also focuses his efforts on nature conservation and sustainability. He served on the boards of Wetlands International, the Global Footprint Network and WWF

International as vice-president for seven years. He is the President of Fondation

MAVA, a leading European conservation foundation committed to conserve biodiversity, and President of Fondation Tour du Valat, a world-renowned research institute primarily active in the conservation of Mediterranean wetlands.

Mr. Hoffmann firmly believes in business as a force for good. As a member of the

board of SystemIQ, he helps transform economic systems in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum and of the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in San Francisco.

Mr. Hoffmann studied economics at St. Gallen University and holds an MBA from INSEAD.