The inaugural edition of the Responsible Business Summit Mauritius (RBS25) brought together over 300 leaders from Mauritius and the region for two days of powerful dialogue and collective action. Co-organised by Currimjee, Eclosia, IBL, MCB, and Rogers, alongside sponsor CIEL, and in partnership with Business Mauritius, Produrable, and the UN Global Compact – Indian Ocean, the event took place on 24–25 March at the Caudan Arts Centre in Port-Louis.

The summit offered a unique opportunity to align global sustainability ambitions with local realities, while building bridges between the private sector, government, and civil society. With one common goal in mind: to help shape a more resilient, inclusive, and responsible economy for the region.
 

A National Priority for Change

The presence of several high-level government and institutional representatives highlighted the importance placed on this initiative. Among them were Hon. Rajesh Anand Bhagwan, Minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change; Hon. Dr. Jyoti Jeetun, Minister of Financial Services and Economic Planning; Mr. Dhaneshwar Damry, Junior Minister of Finance; Ms. Joanna Bérenger, Junior Minister of Environment; and Dr. Rama Krishna Sithanen, Governor of the Bank of Mauritius.

In his address, Dr. Sithanen emphasised the need for strategic repositioning of financial instruments to support ongoing transitions while preserving macroeconomic stability and investor confidence. His intervention reinforced the critical role of the financial sector in enabling long-term sustainable transformation.

Their participation reaffirmed the need for coordinated efforts between public and private sectors to accelerate the country’s sustainable transformation. Throughout the event, discussions explored how businesses must evolve beyond compliance and rethink their models: addressing everything from inclusive governance and extra-financial reporting to sustainable finance and corporate culture.

Powerful Voices, Meaningful Perspectives

We were honoured to host some of the world’s most respected thought leaders, whose perspectives helped ground our local realities in a global context:

Bertrand Badré, former Managing Director of the World Bank, made a case for reimagining financial systems based on ethics, impact, and long-term accountability.

François Gemenne, IPCC member, warned of the dangers of distant goals and encouraged local, concrete actions that create a desirable transition.

Elisabeth Moreno, former French Minister, called on companies to move beyond symbolic diversity and commit to truly inclusive workplace cultures.

Karen Basiye, Chief Sustainability Officer at Safaricom, candidly addressed internal challenges in embedding sustainability and highlighted the need for aligned, integrated action.

Their presence brought perspective. And perspective, when shared across sectors, becomes the foundation for strategic alignment.

Our Commitment: From Dialogue to Action

As co-organiser, Rogers is proud to have helped shape a space for bold thinking, cross-sector collaboration, and shared accountability. The summit marked not an end, but the beginning of a long-term journey toward responsible transformation.

In his closing remarks, Philippe Espitalier-Noël, CEO of Rogers, captured the spirit of the summit:

“If we operate within a model of exemplarity, and truly show that we are well-intentioned, we can generate a powerful response to what Mauritius can stand for. Our island, with its strong commitments and innovative capacity, has a real opportunity to position itself as a leader in sustainable development in the Indian Ocean and in Africa.”

One of the summit’s clearest takeaways  was this: fragmented efforts and parallel ambitions are no longer enough.  

To address the challenges we face — from climate risk and resource scarcity to workforce transformation and value chain responsibility — we need a coherent, collective strategy. One grounded in data, informed by lived experience, and shaped through meaningful cross-sector collaboration.

As a business, Rogers is committed to being part of this process and to taking action.

We view strategy not as a static document, but as the sum of bold decisions, difficult trade-offs, and long-term thinking — aligned with the broader resilience and prosperity of our island and region.

What's next?

This collective momentum will continue well beyond the two-day event. In collaboration with Business Mauritius, the co-organisers will launch working groups to translate key insights into concrete, pragmatic actions, aligned with the Mauritian context and international standards.

At Rogers, we remain committed to promoting sustainability not as a checkbox, but as a core driver of long-term value creation. We believe that together—with courage, humility, and collaboration—we can bring meaningful change.