A professional forester and conservationist has stressed a business is truly successful when they contribute towards the society.

Francois Martel, the Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Development Forum, highlighted this yesterday during the 2016 Top Executives (TOPEX) Conference.

The conference is underway at the Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa on Denarau Island attended by over 135 top executives.

Mr Martel stated in the Pacific, 85 per cent of the businesses are small-medium sized and many of these are family-owned.

But, he raised the concern that these businesses contribute least towards social and environment responsibility.

“This is because they see this as a cost to their business while in fact we need to be able to prove to them it is beneficial to their business,” he said.

“Businesses do not exist in isolation – you deal with market and clients. It is truly successful when you contribute towards the society.”

Mr Martel said ultimately, how we do business today will determine where your business is in the future.

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