This week the Shared Value Project and IAG officially opened the Centre for Shared Value in Melbourne; a hub for shared value activity in Australia.

If I think back to a few years ago when we were planning the development of shared value in Australia, I don’t think any one would have imagined that we would be cutting the ribbon of the Centre for Shared Value, certainly not this early in our journey.

I am so pleased to see companies embracing shared value and making it a part of their strategic plans, business operations, board proposals, and annual reports. We have senior executives and intrapreneurs championing the cause, and as Ramana James from IAG passionately said, “we think this movement has the potential to change Australia and change the world”.

The opening of the Centre for Shared Value in partnership with IAG is an important milestone for the Shared Value Project, and provides a solid foundation for the continued growth of shared value in Australia and the region as we head into 2016 and beyond.

In the midst of Australia’s ideas boom, shared value thinking is pivotal to innovation. Shared value and innovation are both critical to a strong economy and provide a framework to tackle the many social issues we face as a developed nation. We see this new hub as a place where the shared value community can come together, co-create, and advance this innovative activity.

Ramana James, IAG’s Head of Group Shared Value, and Peter Yates AM, the Shared Value Project’s Chair celebrate the opening of the Centre for Shared Value.