For this second edition of the UP seminar, the chosen theme is:
"What kind of company does society need: rethinking values and human commitments to build better business environments."
We constantly hear about the kind of professional companies will need in the future, when, in fact, we should also be reflecting on the kind of company society needs — in terms of values and commitments to fostering and preserving harmony within both the business ecosystem and life on Planet Earth.
All businesses have the human being as their central element — whether employees, customers, shareholders, or suppliers — yet we have a natural tendency to treat humans as mere components of a machine designed solely for economic growth. At the same time, we treat the Earth's natural resources as tools for this growth, instead of placing the human being at the center of the process, understood as part of Nature and within a perspective of total interdependence.
In his book "Capitalism and the Death Drive", Byung-Chul Han offers a clear and alarming reflection on our mental model of economic growth:
“What we call growth today is, in reality, a cancerous and aimless proliferation. We currently live in a delirium of production and growth that resembles a death drive. It’s possible that humanity’s self-alienation has reached such a degree that it will experience its own annihilation as an aesthetic pleasure.”
Regardless of the cataclysmic tone of the reflection, no one with any intelligence today questions that the current model of economic growth is not sustainable, neither from an environmental nor a human point of view. Why the procrastination? Is what we are doing helping to promote transformations or has it helped to maintain the problem? The objective of the Pragmatic Utopia 2025 seminar is to discuss the main elements that limit our ability to promote paradigm shifts in business, as well as to explore examples and possibilities of how it is possible to reposition the objectives of companies in the service of promoting a positive impact on society and the planet.
The seminar will have 2 panels, which will address issues directly related to the theme of the year, with ample space for questions, answers and collective discussion, since our objective is to build knowledge and expand awareness in a collective and shared way among panelists and participants.
The Pragmatic Utopia seminar series also result in a "living" article that captures the contributions and insights generated each year and serves as a conceptual and practical reference for companies and social investors interested in the topic. (Access the first edition of the article here.)
Morning panel
Complex is not Complicated
Promoting paradigm shifts in the way companies deal with expectations of growth and financial returns for shareholders, as well as the communities on which their activities have a direct impact, is always a complex challenge, because we are all trapped in a poverty trap that forces us to preserve our ways of operating, even when external signs show that they are not sustainable. As a result, we are always procrastinating the need to change the economic growth model to something that integrates a real commitment to human development and environmental sustainability into the business strategy.
Ultimately, every business should have positive human and environmental impact as its main objective. The problem lies in the way our dynamics and incentives preserve the system. However, any paradigm shift is a complex problem, but that does not mean it is complicated and often the solutions are simple and much closer to us than we imagine. It is a question of decision-making and the ability to break down the challenge into patterns that can be addressed, from an evolutionary perspective, until a new norm becomes natural.
In this panel, we will discuss how to deal with complex problems, the peculiar characteristics of operating in complexity, the models and opportunities for impactful businesses, and the difficulties that corporate executives have to deal with when they realize that they need to adopt changes in the company's strategy, especially within a long-term vision.
Speakers
Glenda Eoyang
Founder of the Human Systems Dynamics (HSD) Institute, a pioneer in the application of complexity science to human and organizational systems.
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Marco Dorna
President of Tetra Pak
Alexei Bonamin
Lawyer and professor in capital markets, private equity, financial operations, investment funds and sustainable investments. Partner at TozziniFreire and co-leader of the firm's corporate area.
Moderator: Giulia Santana, The Human Project
Afternoon panel
Collaboration or Death!
One of the main symptoms of the degradation of any ecosystem is the decline of collaboration and integration processes, which makes the environment more vulnerable to pests, desertification, and other disastrous consequences. Nature teaches us this, but we’ve grown used to seeing Nature as being at our service, as if we were somehow separate from it — even capable of dominating it.
Quite the opposite is true: we are an integral part of a vast and beautiful ecosystem on Planet Earth. As such, our way of life should contribute to and support its enrichment, which would benefit all living beings — including humanity itself. In practical terms, we need to change how companies, communities, and nature interact, based on the obvious fact that collaboration is our best — or perhaps only — chance of survival on this planet.
It’s collaboration or extinction.
This panel will explore aspects related to culture and values that promote and sustain collaboration, and how they apply to human development. What are the emerging business models, structures, and approaches that are fundamentally based on collaboration? How can companies cultivate internal environments that support healthy relationships — both among people and between the business and the community? What are the core values that drive the sustainability of all life on Earth, and how can we nurture them in a broad and global way?
Speakers
Artur Tacla
Psychologist from PUCSP, always seeking to work in the world where the Soul presents itself. He has worked with learning; performance development in sports; trauma and crisis management; organizational transformations and the design of macro transformations of systems. He is currently a partner at Tarpon, an investment management firm, and a partner at Camino School and Holoflow. He participated in the founding of the Conscious Capitalism movement in Brazil and Corall Consultoria.
Angélica Moretti
Psychologist from PUCSP, always seeking to work in the world where the Soul presents itself. He has worked with learning; performance development in sports; trauma and crisis management; organizational transformations and the design of macro transformations of systems. He is currently a partner at Tarpon, an investment management firm, and a partner at Camino School and Holoflow. He participated in the founding of the Conscious Capitalism movement in Brazil and Corall Consultoria.
Karen Kanaan
Partner at 42 São Paulo, considered one of the most innovative universities in the world, former Director of Institutional Relations at Endeavor, and holds a postgraduate degree in Emotional Intelligence from the Albert Einstein Institute.
Inês Medeiros
Psychologist specializing in Positive Psychology, Science of Self-Realization and Well-Being. Founder of Values Move, Chair of V20 Brazil 2024, G20 Ecosystem Engagement Group and Global Partner & Trainer BVC, with international experience in Cultural Transformation, Sustainability and Social Impact guided by Values.
Moderator: Adriane Rickli
Fundação Dom Cabral
Writer: Karina Coleta
Associate Professor at Fundação Dom Cabral in the area of Strategy.
When: June 24, 2025
Opening hours: 9am to 5pm (registration and coffee service start at 8am)
Where: MIS - Museu de Imagem e Som - Avenida Europa 158, São Paulo - SP