October 12, 2020
Qlik is a software company, founded in Sweden now based in the US, that believes in the power of data to transform businesses and improve society. And they’re not just talking the talk. Qlik uses the Triple Bottom Line (TBL or 3BL) accounting framework to evaluate their corporate performance against three dimensions; profit, people, and the planet which ensures they are driving tangible economic, social, and environmental value across their global community.
Julie Kae is the Executive Director of Qlik.org and Qlik’s Global Head of Corporate Responsibility. As part of Virtual SPC Advance’s opening sessions, she gave a 15-minute TED-Style talk on the power of data and technology. Kae spoke not only about the role, but the responsibility that technology has in transforming business and advancing the sustainability agenda. She went on to use the Y2K Bug as an example. The Y2K Bug references a historical event and set of circumstances that caused issues between the years 1999 and 2000 (Y being short for year and K for 1000). The concern was that many computer programs could not distinguish between the years 1900 and 2000, because four-digit year dates were often represented with only their last two digits. In the case of Y2K, collaboration across governments, businesses, and the tech sector enabled us to tackle an important, global issue. And now, 20 years after the infamous Y2K incident, Kae pushes us to think of countless technology and data advancements that we can use to tackle the sustainability needs of today. For Kae, this is not just a role of tech but also a responsibility.
This sentiment carries over to her role at Qlik. Much of her job involves meeting with nonprofits from around the world and empowering them, through Qlik software grants and training, to make their work more efficient and impactful.
Here are a few examples of non-profits Qlik.org has partnered with:
Direct Relief: A humanitarian, medical aid organization that provides assistance to the world’s most vulnerable and at-risk populations. They use Qlik Software to understand healthcare facility needs, predict what products will be needed in an emergency, and deliver transparency on how medical donations are used in their work.
C40 Cities: C40 Cities is a Climate Leadership Group composed of 96 cities from around the world, and which account for one-quarter of the global economy and represent one-twelfth of the world’s population. Together, and with the help of their funders and partners, this group created a resources hub that helps C40 cities track climate change, take strategic action, and improve outcomes for people and the planet.
Check out their Knowledge Library in the ‘Data Explorers’ category to see Qlik Software in action.
Forests in Focus: Forests in Focus, a project of the SPC and the American Forest Foundation, helps companies turn data insights into action. More specifically, Forests in Focus identifies important environmental issues in US landscapes and provides mechanisms for industry to come together to drive positive ecosystem outcomes. To do this we rely on trusted public data, ArcGIS mapping technology, and Qlik Business Intelligence software.
We’d like to extend a very special thank you to Qlik for their contribution to Forests in Focus and for the other important work that they support through their software grants.
