Sacha Romanovitch to give Robert Oakeshott lecture

The EOA is delighted to announce that Sacha Romanovitch, CEO of EOA Supporter Member Grant Thornton UK LLP, is to deliver this year’s Robert Oakeshott Lecture exploring the theme of the ‘potential to do well while doing good’ in business.

Sacha is leading Grant Thornton in its purpose of shaping a Vibrant Economy, which focuses on restoring trust and integrity in business, unlocking the potential for dynamic business to grow and creating environments where business and people thrive. Sacha follows in the footsteps of the four previous speakers; leading influencer Will Hutton, Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership Sir Charlie Mayfield, and MPs Nick Clegg and Francis Maude.

The EOA’s annual lecture commemorates and celebrates the life, legacy and work of its founder Robert Oakeshott. At this year’s lecture on Thursday 6 April, hosted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales at Chartered Accountants Hall in London, Sacha will be setting out her vision for purpose-led business and its role in shaping a vibrant economy looking beyond simple financial measures of performance.

Commenting on the announcement Sacha said: “I am delighted and honoured to have been asked to deliver this year’s Robert Oakeshott lecture. 2016 was a tumultuous year with political upheaval both in the UK and globally on top of the tragedy of the migrant crisis and ongoing conflicts across the world. In 2017 we need to step up to the challenge of change to create those environments where people and business can thrive.”

Sacha is the first female to be elected as CEO of a major accountancy firm and took up the role in July 2015. Her leadership is based on establishing a common purpose and liberating people to achieve that, with a focus on creating sustainable value for clients, people and broader society.

Her first ground making moves as CEO were to cap her own remuneration and introduce a democratic attitude to ideas and decision-making in the form of the Shared Enterprise model in order to engage all 4,500 of its people via a model based on sharing ideas and responsibility in order to deliver and share in the superior rewards this creates.

CEO of the EOA, Deb Oxley, said: “There has never been a better time for alternative business models that give employees more of a voice, or ownership, to demonstrate their economic relevance and illustrate why they can be a better way of doing business.

“We are therefore delighted that Sacha will be sharing her vision for shared enterprise at the annual Robert Oakeshott Lecture and how a stake in the outcome for employees has the potential to create opportunities that deliver benefits for all.”

For event information or to book tickets visit our events page or call Katie Parker on 01482 667122.