Sustainability in the corporate world

André Lacroix recently returned to his alma mater in Paris ESCP Business School to participate in a round-table discussion on the importance of sustainability for the corporate world.

As part the event, André shared insights around how good leadership can help companies to make sustainability part of their DNA, allowing them to deliver sustainable growth and value for all stakeholders.

He argued that a leadership team needs to be convinced that they can be a force for good and should have five key points in mind when building their sustainability strategy. These are:

• • The tone at the top needs to be purpose-led, authentic and passionate.
  • Sustainability has to be at the heart of the company’s purpose, values and strategy.
  • The right measurement on all sustainability indicators must be put in place.
  • Inverting the pyramid to empower your people to lead from the front is mission critical.
  • And, when reporting externally, be transparent and genuine.

During the Q&A, André also explained how he had made sustainability meaningful for employees at Intertek. He said that allowing each business unit to manage its own performance had empowered them to take ownership over sustainability targets, helping to successfully drive greater levels of transparency and accountability as a result.

André would like to thank the ESCP Business School for having organised such an inspirational event and to recognise all the presenters for their passion, pioneering spirit, and energy.