Michael Oxman, managing director of the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business at Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business, was invited to speak at the Savannah Council on World Affairs on May 9. His talk, “Selected Trends in Global Corporate Sustainability,” focused on corporate and societal trends contributing to the field’s increasing relevance as well as challenges and opportunities associated with addressing sustainability.

“The common thread is understanding stakeholders,” said Oxman to Savannah Morning News.

After working in the energy sector in places such as the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines, Oxman witnessed firsthand how social and environmental risks affect companies and their bottom lines. This experience paved a clear path to his current work in corporate sustainability.

“Companies buy into it because there’s clearly value to be had,” he said.

Prior to joining Georgia Tech in 2016, Oxman spent over 25 years working at the intersection of international business, sustainability, and risk management, including serving in leadership roles at Acorn International LLC and Business for Social Responsibility. In these roles, he advised a broad range of international energy and mining companies on local content, social impact, risk management, community engagement, reporting, corporate social responsibility, and human rights initiatives.

The talk was an installment in the Savannah Council on World Affairs’ monthly forum on international affairs. The series has included speakers from both the U.S. and around the world, including current and former government officials, diplomats, educators, journalists, and members of non-governmental organizations. The Savannah Council on World Affairs was founded in 1984 to foster individuals’ and communities’ interest in international issues. It is one of 83 councils affiliated with the World Affairs Councils of America.