Standards and Governance

Multiple governing bodies and advisory bodies oversee the work of B Lab Europe, the global B Corp Movement, and the requirements for B Corp Certification.

Board of Directors

B Lab Europe is governed by a dynamic process of broad, transparent multi-stakeholder engagement. The Board of Directors establishes Advisory Councils to ensure continuous incorporation of best thinking and practices into B Lab's mission and activities. The Board also has ultimate decision-making authority on recommendations coming from the Advisory Councils and oversee strategy, budget and operations.

Felicitas Von Peter,

Managing Partner Active Philanthropy (Supervisory Board)

James Perry,

Co-Founder B Lab UK, Chairman COOK (Supervisory Board)

Katie Hill ,

Chair of Management Board

Leen Zevenbergen ,

Co-Founder B Lab Europe, CEO Solarus (Supervisory Board)

Lorna Davis ,

Senior Advisor to Emmanuel Faber, CEO of Danone and Global Ambassador for the B Corp Movement (Supervisory Board)

Marilou Van Golstein ,

Managing Director Triodos Investment Management BV (Supervisory Board)

Nathan Gilbert,

Executive Director B Lab Europe (Management Board)

Tom Cummings,

Founder Leading Ventures (Management Board)

Global Governance Council

The Global Governance Council oversees the global growth of B Lab and the B Corp Movement. The eight-member council has representatives from each global partner organization, including B Lab USA, and B Lab USA's Independent Board of Directors. The responsibilities of the GGC include global expansion, policy strategy, and approval of new global partners.

Ben Anderson,

B Lab US & Canada

Co-Chair: Bart Houlahan,

B Lab

Gonzalo Muñoz,

GGC Representative to B Lab Board

James Perry,

B Lab UK

Juan Pablo Larenas,

Sistema B

Leen Zevenbergen,

B Lab Europe

Lorene Arey,

B Lab Board of Directors

Co-Chair: Mele-Ann Havea,

B Lab Australia & New Zealand

Standards Advisory Council

Oversight of the B Impact Assessment is the responsibility of B Lab's Standards Advisory Council, an independent committee of 20-22 members, each with deep industry or stakeholder expertise. The Standards Advisory Council is divided into two subgroups — one to oversee the content and weightings for the version of the B Impact Ratings System that is appropriate for companies and funds in developed markets; the other for the version that is appropriate for companies and funds in emerging markets.

The Standards Advisory Council’s responsibilities include:

Approving changes made to the B Impact Assessment as part of its three-year update process
Determining eligibility for B Corp Certification in cases where companies make material disclosures on the Disclosure Questionnaire
Reviewing material complaints against Certified B Corporations
Approving addenda to the B Impact Assessment created by specialized Advisory and Working Groups

Members of the Standards Advisory Council serve a term of XX years before rolling off. Decisions made by the Standards Advisory Council may be appealed to the Board of Directors.

CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES AND B CORP CERTIFICATION B LAB'S COMPLAINTS PROCESS

Developed Markets SAC

Bart Houlahan,

Co-Founder, B Lab

Beth Sirull,

Former President, Pacific Community Ventures

Bob Willard,

Author and Speaker, Sustainability Advantage

Bonny Moellenbrock,

Executive Director, SJF Institute

Clara Barby,

Partner, Head of ImPACT+, Bridges Ventures

Debra Dunn,

Director, Skoll Foundation

Hewson Baltzell,

President and Chief Operating Officer of Helios Exchange

Jamie Robertson,

Managing Director, 361 Degrees

Richard Pike,

Technical Director, Cook Trading Ltd.

Stephanie Nieman,

Associate, SJF Ventures

Thomas van Craen,

Managing Director, Triodos Bank Belgium

Emerging Markets SAC

Carlos Eduardo Lessa Brandao,

Independent Board Member

Chid Liberty,

Project Manager, Dalberg Global Advisors

Darin Kingston,

Portfolio Manager, Global Development Incubator

Flory Wilson,

Former, Director, Impact Management Team, B Lab

Genevieve Edens,

Impact Assessment Manager, Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE)

Joseph Wozniak,

Program Manager - Trade for Sustainable Development, The International Trade Center (ITC) - WTO/UNCTAD

Kelly McCarthy,

Senior Manager, IRIS, Global Impact Investing Network

Rob Schneider,

Senior Alliance Manager, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)

Veronica Chau,

Boston Consulting Group

Watanan Petersik,

Director, Lien Centre for Social Innovation; Chair, Ashoka Singapore Advisory Council

Advisory and Working Groups

The B Impact Assessment is tailored to a company's size, sector, and market. When the need arises for more nuance in assessing the impact of particular topic areas, models, or industries, B Lab convenes expert working groups to develop standards for approval by the Standards Advisory Council.

Multinational and Public Markets Advisory Council

An increasing number of mission-aligned, multinational and public companies (MPCs) have recently expressed interest in B Corp certification and in helping to accelerate the movement. MPCs, however, are often challenged to apply the performance standards and meet the legal requirement for certification due to their more complex operating and governance structures. To address this challenge, B Lab has created the Multinationals and Public Markets Advisory Council (MPMAC), a multi-stakeholder advisory body tasked with recommending a meaningful, manageable path to certification for MPCs. The MPMAC is composed of two working groups—one focused on mission-aligned structures for MPCs, and one focused on creating meaningful performance standards. Learn more about the MPMAC's scope and timeline.

Following the first phase of the MPM AC process, the initial recommendations of the Performance Standards Working Group are now available. A group of corporate testers and stakeholder organizations have been invited to the MPM AC for testing the recommendations, and the public is also welcome to submit feedback as well.

Mission Alignment Working Group

Aurelien Cohen, Danone
Daniela Saltzman, Generation IM
Tara Smith, Campbell's Soup
Janine Guillot, SASB
Lucy Fergusson, Linklaters
Margaret Foran, Prudential
Robert Eccles, Harvard Business School
Colin Mayer, Said Business School
Ed Liu, Morgan Stanley
Bill Clark, Drinker Biddle and Reath
Jameela Pedecini, Perella Weinberg Partners

Performance Standards Working Group

Niki King, Campbell's Soup
Francisco Piza, Bancocolombia
Jeffrey Hogue, C&A
Jessica Sobel, Hain Celestial
Kristen Sullivan, Deloitte
Laura Palmeiro, Danone
Juliana Pasqualini, Natura
Sue Almond, Grant Thornton
Terence Jeyaretnam, Ernst and Young
Kirsten Dunlop, SunCorp
Sue Garrard, Unilever
Andrew Collins, SASB