HFS Horizons Summit-NYC—The Sustainability Emergency: What Can Any Decision Maker Do Right Now?

Moderator: David Cushman, Executive Research Leader, HFS Panelists: Katy Bolan, Sustainability Lead, Google Adrienne Bowles, Head of Operations, Sourcemap Kelly Fisher, Head of Corporate Sustainability, HSBC Bank USA Susan Kenniston, VP and Global Head of Sustainability, Wipro Mike Sakalas, VP, Enterprise Sales, Pure Storage Nandini Tare, Associate Practice Leader, HFS Session Description: The climate and global sustainability emergency is already horrifying, and it’s about to get far worse. It’s hard to know what to say anymore. But to cling to optimism, any individual, team, or organization can take concrete actions right now. Businesses and their leaders can address sustainability at the speed and systems level we need. Politics and the public cannot. Context and clarity are the immediate ports of call from which these problems are solved. The global sustainability context can be broken down and aligned across ecosystems and throughout organizations. The focus must be channeled toward the greatest spheres of influence. Standing in the way of these actions are deep-rooted organizational problems, which we will aim to address: More than 70% of the C-suite admit to not acting on sustainability—they’re either well-meaning but lost, waiting for others, or actively greenwashing. Less than a third of CEOs and board members support their organization’s sustainability. How on earth will it become embedded? Less than half of senior decision-makers collaborate internally, and barely any collaborate beyond their organization’s walls.