2026 Gourlay Ethics in Business Lecture
Visiting Gourlay Professor Gerry George on Venture Meets Mission: Aligning People, Purpose, and Profit to Transform Society.
Trinity's first visiting Gourlay Professor for 2026 is Professor Gerry George.
Professor George will deliver the first 2026 Gourlay Lecture on: Venture Meets Mission: Aligning People, Purpose, and Profit to Transform Society.
About the lecture
Universities have long been engines of ideas that shape society—but how do those ideas translate into action at scale? This lecture presents a framework for addressing today’s most pressing global challenges by rethinking the relationship between entrepreneurship, government, and the public good. Venture Meets Mission explores how mission‑driven innovation can bridge the false divide between markets and the state. Drawing on interdisciplinary research and real‑world case studies, the lecture examines how entrepreneurs and governments can collaborate to tackle complex issues such as climate change, health, education, and inequality—while maintaining economic viability and public trust.
The lecture will address:
- why large societal challenges require new models of public–private collaboration
- how entrepreneurs can design ventures that create public value and scale impact
- the evolving role of government as an enabler of innovation, talent, and capital
- what this changing landscape means for students and graduates seeking meaningful, impact‑driven careers.
Designed for students, faculty, researchers, and practitioners across disciplines, this lecture invites the university community to rethink innovation not as a choice between profit and purpose, but as a shared mission. By aligning people, purpose, and profit, Venture Meets Mission offers a hopeful, practical vision for how the next generation of leaders can help shape a more inclusive and resilient future.
Date: Wednesday 22 April 2026
Time: 6.15pm, followed by light refreshments
Venue: The Craig Auditorium, Gateway Building, Trinity College, 100 Royal Parade, Parkville VIC 3052
RSVP: By 5pm, Friday 19 April 2026
Tickets: Free, but bookings essential.
Enquiries: Linda Purves | events@trinity.unimelb.edu.au
PROFESSOR GERRY GEORGE BIO
Gerry George is Group Managing Director at International Medical University in Malaysia. He is also an Academic Advisor to the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative while on leave from the McDonough School of Business as the Tamsen and Michael Brown Family Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Previously, he was Dean and Lee Kong Chian Chair Professor at Singapore Management University, and has held senior academic roles at Imperial College Business School, London Business School, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Syracuse University.
An award-winning researcher and teacher, Professor George has published extensively in innovation, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and addressing grand societal challenges. From 2013 to 2016, he served as Editor of the Academy of Management Journal. He has also held significant leadership and teaching roles, including Academic Director of the London Stock Exchange’s Elite Program at Imperial College and teaching Growing Entrepreneurial Businesses across EMBA, MBA, and undergraduate programs.
Professor George has received numerous honours, including a Professorial Fellowship from the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council for research on socially inclusive innovation, and an honorary doctorate in economics from the University of St. Gallen. His latest book, Venture Meets Mission, adds to a substantial body of influential publications on sustainability and innovation. He is a Senior Global Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Lauder Institute, a Visiting Professor at Singapore Management University, and has received distinguished alumni and fellowship recognitions from leading international institutions.