BT’s leadership and experience in sustainability was highlighted again at the 2008 Gartner Symposium in Cannes, France. This prestigious event included an e-forum on sustainability – sponsored by BT in association with CNBC– which featured a panel of experts and industry thought-leaders, and attracted a C-level audience.

The eForum “How IT can enable an organisation to grow sustainably while reducing carbon emissions and cost to the bottom line” focused on the importance of sustainability in the midst of an economic downturn, and the role of information and communication technology (ICT) as an enabler of sustainability in the immediate and long term.

Panellists – including Luis Alvarez, President EMEA & Latin America, BT Global Services, – highlighted real-world examples of how ICT can reduce an organisation’s carbon footprint while enabling sustainable growth and providing new business opportunities. BT emphasised that focusing on sustainability was more fundamental than ever to our business model in the current economic climate, and that ICT is one of the most effective and important contributors to greater efficiencies and reduced environmental impact.

Panellists in Cannes were:

• Luis Alvarez, President EMEA & Latin America, BT Global Services
• Peter Sondergaard, SVP Research, Gartner
• Trewin Restorick, Director, Global Action Plan
• Paulo De-Sa, Vice President Global Enterprise Computing, Unilever
• Gary Hird, Technical Strategy Manager, John Lewis Partnership

In addition, five other high-ranking panellists joined the eForum online:

• Molly Webb, The Carbon Group
• Dinah McLeod, Head of BT Global Services Sustainability Practice
• Chris Tuppen, Chief Sustainability Officer, BT Group
• Mike Yorweth, Tesco Stores
• Ed Butt, Reckitt Benckiser