Lord Hastings (KPMG International) At RMIT Vietnam Forum

People who succeed in business must be willing to share the benefits of their wealth with those who are less fortunate, a visiting world expert on “corporate citizenship” has told a forum at RMIT International University Vietnam.

Lord Michael Hastings, KPMG International’s Global Head of Corporate Citizenship and Diversity, told guests at the forum that a true measure of success in life was not just how much a person can benefit themselves but how much they can create opportunities for others to have a better life as well.

Lord Hastings said a wealthy philanthropist who had had helped to establish RMIT University in Vietnam some years ago was a good example of how one person’s success could be used to help create more opportunities and success for others.

“This helped show the way to people like Warren Buffet (one of America’s richest investors) and Bill and Melinda Gates (of Microsoft) to make their own major philanthropic commitments to help others less fortunate than themselves.”

Lord Hastings said the energy and dynamism of Vietnam was exciting for any visitor to observe, and he hoped that as Vietnam continued to grow and develop economically that growing numbers of successful businesspeople would commit themselves to making broader contributions to community development.

He said senior managers in KPMG in locations around the world had made personal commitments to helping worthwhile charities and community development causes, and this was to be applauded and encouraged.

RMIT Vietnam President Mr Michael Mann said he endorsed Lord Hastings’ call for a strong acceptance of corporate social responsibility by the business community, and this extended to the academic world too.

“RMIT Vietnam takes its obligation to assist in creating new educational opportunities and workforce capacity very seriously. We know what a difference this can make not just to the futures of our own graduates, but to whole families and the communities they live in.

“There can be a powerful ‘multiplier effect’ when one person succeeds in their employment or business – and even more so when that person makes an active commitment to help others succeed as well.”

The forum, on Wednesday 9 July, was attended by invited industry guests, RMIT graduates, staff and students of the university.

About KPMG:

KPMG is a global network of professional firms offering Audit, Tax and Advisory services. KPMG operates in 145 countries and has more than 123,000 professionals working in member firms around the world.

In Vietnam, KPMG is one of the largest professional services firms, with over 700 staff working from offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.