Beat Grüninger
About Beat Grüninger
Beat Grüninger is a lecturer and sustainability consultant based in São Paulo, Brazil, with over two decades of experience in academia and consulting. He co-founded BSD Consulting in 1998 and has held various roles in organizations focused on social accountability and fair trade.
Work at FGV - Fundação Getulio Vargas
Beat Grüninger has been a lecturer at Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV) since 2004, contributing to the academic environment for 20 years. He specializes in Stakeholder Engagement and Sustainability Reporting, teaching at the Center of Sustainability Studies. His role involves educating future leaders on critical sustainability issues and practices.
Education and Expertise
Beat Grüninger studied at Universität Zürich from 1983 to 1989, earning a Bachelor's degree in French, General Linguistics, and Communication. He furthered his education at Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, completing a postgraduate program focused on Development Countries from 1992 to 1993. His training includes certification as an Auditor SA8000 from Social Accountability International and as an Associate Sustainability Assurance Practitioner by AccountAbility in London.
Background
Grüninger co-founded BSD Consulting in 1998 and has served as a partner for 26 years. He has held various roles in the field of sustainability and social accountability, including working as an authorized representative of Social Accountability International in Brazil since 2010. His previous experience includes serving as a Press Officer for UNICEF in Zurich from 1994 to 1997 and as a Project Coordinator for Fairtrade USA from 2007 to 2010 in the São Paulo area.
Achievements
Grüninger has played a significant role in promoting sustainable trade practices, particularly through his involvement with gebana AG, a fair trade company he co-founded. He acted as a representative in Brazil, focusing on the sustainable trade of soybeans. Additionally, he led the Transfair/USAID Responsible Sourcing Project in Brazil as Local Manager and has served on the board of the NGO gebana, contributing to fair trade initiatives.
Current Roles and Contributions
In addition to his work at FGV, Beat Grüninger is a lecturer at FIA Business School since 2011. He also serves as a sustainability consultant leader for Latin America at ELEVATE Global. His extensive experience in social accountability and sustainability positions him as a key figure in advancing these practices in the region.