Academic City University urged business leaders to put purpose at the centre of their growth strategies at its inaugural Xperience ACity Industry Breakfast, held last Friday at its Haatso campus in Accra.
Under the theme The Purpose Premium: A Leadership Conversation on Growth, Profitability and Impact, the event brought together business leaders and senior executives to discuss how companies can grow profitably while creating lasting value for customers, employees, shareholders and society.
The session also strengthened Academic City’s engagement with industry and its efforts to promote leadership, innovation and collaboration between academia and the business community.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr Prem Shamdasani, Associate Professor of Marketing at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School and Chair of Academic City University’s Governing Council, challenged business leaders to make purpose an integral part of their leadership and organisational strategy.
Speaking on “Purpose-Led Leadership,” he said purpose should go beyond corporate statements and become a principle that guides decision-making, organisational culture, and how businesses engage their stakeholders.
According to him, businesses that clearly understand why they exist and the value they seek to create are better positioned to build stronger relationships with their customers, employees and wider communities.
Dr Shamdasani, who is also the Academic Director of the NUS Executive MBA Programme and Co-Director of the Stanford-NUS International Management Programme, brought an international perspective to the conversation on purpose and business performance.
The keynote was followed by a panel discussion involving leading business executives, including Mr Bernard Gyebi, Managing Director of UBA Ghana; Mr Nii Amankra Tetteh, Chief Executive Officer of Letshego Ghana; and Sandrine Henton, Managing Director of EG Capital.
The panellists examined the practical challenges of balancing profitability with purpose, particularly in an environment where businesses face increasing demands from customers, employees, investors and society.
The discussion also focused on corporate leaders’ responsibility to build businesses that remain commercially competitive while contributing significantly to the communities and economies in which they operate.
The engagement gave executives an opportunity to share experiences and perspectives on leadership, business growth, and the role of purpose in shaping sustainable businesses.