Talk by Melanie Rieback: Non-Extractive Business and Finance

Tuesday 19 Aug 2025, 11:45 → 12:45 Europe/Zurich

5/4-013 (CERN)

Abstract

Neverending economic growth is putting increasing pressure on our societies and planet.  A Systems Thinking approach reveals the urgent need to realign governance structures and financial incentives to prevent businesses from externalizing costs that cause environmental degradation and social inequality. Non-Extractive Business and Non-Extractive Finance offer a blueprint for building a business and finance ecosystem using practical tools such as Steward Ownership and strong asset locks. In this presentation, Dr. Melanie Rieback, will challenge the “common sense” and show how rethinking governance, entity forms, fee structures, procurement, compliance, culture, and operations can lay the foundation for a truly just and sustainable economy.

 

About the Speaker

Melanie Rieback is CEO/Co-founder of Radically Open Security (the world's first not-for-profit computer security company), and "Post Growth" startup incubator Nonprofit Ventures. She also teaches at the University of Amsterdam Business School. She was named "Most Innovative IT Leader of the Netherlands" by CIO Magazine (TIM Award) in 2017, and one of the "9 Most Innovative Women in the European Union" (EU Women Innovators Prize) in 2019. She is also one of the 400 most successful women in the Netherlands by Viva Magazine (Viva400) in 2010 and 2017, and one of the fifty most inspiring women in tech (Inspiring Fifty Netherlands) in 2016, 2017, and 2019. Her company, Radically Open Security was named the 50th Most Innovative SME by the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (MKB Innovatie Top 100) in 2016.

Talk Melanie Rieback.mp4