Welcome to Regeneration Insights
A regular newsletter that explores how businesses can drive systemic change through regeneration, spotlighting models, movements, and ideas that advance social and environmental transformation.
My name is Christopher Marquis, the Sinyi Professor at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School. Prior to Cambridge, I spent seventeen years teaching in the USA at Cornell, Harvard Business School, and the Harvard Kennedy School.
I write a regular column for Forbes and my work has appeared in the Financial Times, The Guardian, Washington Post, Fortune, Boston Globe, Fast Company, The American Prospect, TIME, Barron’s, Foreign Policy, The Hill and Harvard Business Review as well as many academic journals ranging from the American Journal of Sociology and American Sociological Review to Administrative Science Quarterly and Academy of Management Review.
My recent books include The Profiteers: How Business Privatizes Profit and Socializes Cost (2024), Better Business: How the B Corp is Remaking Capitalism (2020), which won Gold Medal of the Axiom Business Book Awards (2020), and Mao and Markets (2022), a Financial Times “Best Book of 2022.”
Some praise for The Profiteers includes:
“Timely and full of sharp insight” ―Kate Raworth, author of Doughnut Economics
“A profound call to action”―Paul Hawken, cofounder, Smith & Hawken, and author of Regeneration
“Powerful, passionate, and persuasive.” ―Rebecca Henderson, McArthur University Professor, Harvard University
Why this Newsletter
Regeneration Insights grew out of a growing sense that traditional sustainability models—rooted in “doing no harm”—are no longer enough. We need a shift in mindset, one that moves beyond doing less harm to actively restoring and renewing our social and ecological systems.
For over 20 years, I’ve studied social entrepreneurs, alternative ownership models, and businesses that defy extractive logic. What unites the most compelling examples is this: they don’t just aim to succeed within existing systems—they aim to change them. Whether through reimagined supply chains, new governance structures, or a radically different relationship with nature, these companies are leading the way toward regeneration.
In this newsletter, I aim to connect the dots between those stories—across sectors, geographies, and disciplines—to show what’s possible and provoke new thinking.
What to Expect
Each edition of Regenerative Insights, designed to be read in under five minutes, while still provoking deeper thought, brings together stories, research, and reflections at the intersection of business innovation and ecological renewal.
You can expect:
Featured essays exploring how regenerative principles are reshaping industries—from architecture to agriculture, fashion to finance.
Case spotlights on companies, designers, and entrepreneurs translating regeneration into bold, real-world practice.
Essential reads, a curated selection of the most inspiring, unusual, or timely stories from around the world.
Research corner, where I break down key academic work on sustainability strategy, systems change, and regenerative business models.
Quick takeaways, for readers who want a high-impact, skimmable summary.
Who this is for
Regeneration Insights is for anyone who believes that business can—and must—be part of building a better world.
Whether you’re a CEO or a student, a designer or a policymaker, an investor, educator, entrepreneur, or activist—if you’re asking deeper questions about how we live, build, grow, and govern, you belong here.
This newsletter is for those who are tired of business-as-usual and curious about what’s next. It’s for people who care about climate, justice, creativity, and long-term value—not as buzzwords, but as building blocks of a different future.
If you're hungry for real solutions and inspired by stories of people challenging the status quo, this newsletter is for you. Regeneration isn’t a niche—it’s a growing movement. And the more we learn from each other, the faster it grows.
Subscribe to join a global community of changemakers—and help shape the conversation about what business can be.
