Acknowledgment for Simon Pickard

With understandable regret, we would like to notify our members that Simon Pickard – ABIS’ Director International Programmes – will move on from the organisation to pursue a new phase in his career in the global sustainability domain this May.

As many of you will be aware, Simon has spent the past 11 years with ABIS, joining the Brussels team under EABIS Executive Director Peter Lacy in March 2006 after completing his MBA at HEC Paris School of Management. Over the past decade, he has played a central role in the development of the network, both in terms of organisation and of various flagship initiatives that have strengthened ABIS’ reputation as a thought leader in corporate responsibility and sustainability.

One of the most notable successes of his time with us has been the establishment of ABIS as a relevant actor in the European research landscape. After assuming coordination responsibilities for the breakthrough CSR PLATFORM project in 2007, Simon worked closely with Gilbert Lenssen - the ABIS President at the time - to ensure that its findings were integrated into the European Commission’s evolving research agenda, with political emphasis shifting from CSR to broader societal challenges (in line with ABIS’ founding mission).  

In subsequent years, Simon played a vital role in securing other major EU grants for ABIS, including the “IMPACT”, “EU-InnovatE”, “I4S” and “Business Case for Diversity” projects. His ability to align emerging EU issues with members’ capabilities underpinned these successful proposals notably increasing in the number of members involved in collaborative proposal development.

By extension, Simon has worked extensively with various corporate partners and members to advance the corporate knowledge agenda in his time with us.  Most recently he championed the “Global Talent Forum for Sustainable Business”, “Future of Boards as Stewards of Sustainable Success” and “The Alliance for Advancing Heath Assets” giving new energy and momentum to ABIS’ work with leading global companies.

After so many years of deep immersion in the world of ABIS, we understand Simon’s desire to move on and find new challenges for the next decade of his career, and wish him every success in his future endeavours. We will undoubtedly keep a strong working relationship with him going forward, and are grateful for everything he has contributed to the ABIS mission over the years. 

Thank you, Simon for being a great colleague and source of inspiration to all of us!