For better or worse, technology will shape our future and how sustainable that future is. If we want a truly sustainable future, we cannot rely solely on momentum as it exists today.
Technology and nature are traditionally seen as competitors. Technology’s relationship with society is more complicated; tech was originally envisioned and designed as a way to connect people. Today, technology is often a tool for societal fragmentation, and how we implement it has the potential to be dehumanizing.
VivaTech’s Sustainability Executive Summit (SES) brings together VivaTech’s Viva+ community of executives, startups, NGOs, and climate tech innovators to explore how we can turn sustainability ideas into business action and help ensure the future of technology is sustainable for nature and humanity, and a tool we can trust.
The SES is a half-day, closed-door event featuring breakfast, three panels, and a networking and discussion session.
Predict the Unpredictable: Tech to Anticipate Natural Risks
An organization’s sustainability used to be measured by its environmental or social commitments. These are important but no longer enough; today the organization’s sustainability is measured by its ability to anticipate the climate risks that threaten its trajectory. This panel explores how technological tools predictive modeling, AI, scientific data analysis, and more can help organizations make risk anticipation a strategic pillar, transforming uncertainty into sustainable resilience.
Moderated by Ana C. Rold with panelists Francois Gemenne, Florence Fouquet Colombo, Cyril Garcia, and Dr. Yann Laurans.
Beyond Philanthropy: Who Funds Sustainability and How?
Philanthropy alone will not be enough to fund sustainability. Given the scale of environmental and social challenges, the issue of funding sustainability has become one of the most critical and most controversial strategic issues for organizations. This fireside chat explores who should pay, under what criteria, and what mechanisms can ensure true impact.
Moderated by Ana C. Rold with speaker Kate Williams.
Tech That Connects Us: Building a More Inclusive, Human-Centered Society
Technology was born as a connector, a tool to bridge distances, amplify voices, and bring people together across borders, cultures, and generations. Today that narrative has shifted: algorithms divide, platforms polarize, and digital tools often widen equity gaps. For companies, this growing social division and mistrust toward technology is not only a societal concern: it is a direct business risk. This panel seeks to challenge the shifting narrative and explore how to reclaim tech’s original DNA as a force for inclusion — and what it takes to embed that purpose into how we build and adopt technology today.
Moderated by Dr. Shane C. Szarkowski with panelists Dr. Nadi Albino, Fr. Eric Salobir, and Tim Christophersen.
About the Sustainability Executive Summit
The Sustainability Executive Summit is a gathering of C-suite executives and impact leaders who are committed to ensuring technology’s relationship with society and with nature are both sustainable. This half-day gathering, which is centered around the theme “At the Turning Point: How Can Tech Shape Our Sustainable Future?”, is dedicated to sustainable business transformation, informed by intelligent dialogue between corporate leaders and impact-driven startups.
Note: Registration for the Sustainability Executive Summit is now closed.
Disclosure: Diplomatic Courier is an official media partner of the Sustainability Executive Summit.
