— By Hugues Chatelain, President and Founder —

How profoundly is your business influencing society? During my 30-year working with major groups, it became increasingly clear to me that the future of all companies would depend on this very question. It is reality. We now are living in an era when companies need to broaden their horizons and focus not just on products and consumers, but on society at large. Brace yourself for an age of transformation like no other – societal, ecological, technological. It’s the age where forging business’s ties to its town, region, community and the planet is critical, rather than optional.

Rooted in optimism and clarity, I conceived SocietyVision in 2009. Our mission? Establish bespoke partnerships between businesses seeking an amelioration in their performance and societal impact, and non-profit organizations (NPOs) aspiring to broaden their influence. We aim to stimulate the implementation of projects with profound impact across varied domains – be it housing, arts, ecological transition, or social inclusion, facilitating an exchange of cultures and competencies.

Our raison d’être

In constituting its own business model, SocietyVision prioritized societal impact over financial gain. Opting to be an association rather than a consultancy firm, we embraced this status in October 2023, a testament to our commitment to public interest. We follow a simplistic business model: the fees we charge companies contribute to a support fund for NPOs, embodying our dedication to building bridges between the existing economic fabric and the one we envision for the future.

Emphasizing “we,” I acknowledge that we’ve grown to a team of three in the board. Apart from my expertise as a corporate executive, we have the talents of an architect, Urs Keller, and an entrepreneur deft in human resources and novel agricultural models, Daniel Rolla. This range of skills is now being harnessed by our association to the benefit of our partners – business and NPOs alike.

A Proven Method

SocietyVision follows a method I devised in a book (Penser Autrement : l’entreprise, la société et le capitalisme durable, 2014) and innovative field experiences. I spearheaded low-cost housing projects in Austria in collaboration with Raiffeisen Bank St. Johann-Wagrain-Kleinarl. Together with Euromaster Switzerland, of which I was Managing Director, and Accademia Teatro Dimitri, we utilized theatre performances to gear up for social commitment and change. SocietyVision demonstrated in 2022, at the ELIA Biennial in Helsinki that when connected to society, arts, and education, the economy can strive for virtue.

All these projects bear a commonality – they yield measurable benefits in terms of enhancing corporate reputation, team motivation, innovation, and also trim expenses and boost profitability. It’s clear that social commitment is not merely about philanthropy. Impact evaluation, reporting, CSR reports – these emerging key indicators determine how customers, investors, public entities and employees perceive a company. It’s imperative to disassociate performance from the sole pursuit of profit.

Unfolding New Projects

• 2024 poses to be a year full of challenges for SocietyVision. Alongside a Swiss canton and Avantrace Architekten, we are fabricating a contemporary, inventive housing solution for asylum seekers which is a environment-friendly, modular wooden lodgings. A rental model takes the burden off public coffers and avoids precarious stacking of containers.
• In 2024, we are endorsing PIMAS, a business specialising in outfitting vehicles for individuals with limited mobility. We aim to assist it in embracing our association’s transformation model and embarking on new, positive impact projects.
• In our endeavor to disseminate our ideas as closely as possible to the field we intend to host a series of conferences across a network of Swiss dealerships (consumer goods). The underline? Demonstrate the potency of unconventional tools, like arts, in transforming businesses.

How do you envision amplifying your social impact in 2024? SocietyVision is all ears for your ideas and projects!

By Hugues Chatelain, President and Founder

Contact us at: hc@society.vision