Today we interview Monica Perez Clausen, Chief Learning Officer at Agbar, academic director of the Water School and academic co-director of the Postgraduate Program in Sustainable Business.

Q: What do you see as a sustainable organization?

An organization in which sustainability is part of the company's DNA and is integrated throughout the business structure, from management to all personnel involved. It is part of the company's values and culture.

Q: More and more companies are advocating sustainability, which in the short term is becoming a mandatory transformation, what would you say to those that have not yet taken the step?

The transformation towards sustainability is inevitable, and all companies will have to face it sooner or later, due to market demands, the demands of new regulations, pressure from society and, therefore, pressure from customers. Sustainable products and services are increasingly valued by customers.

Sustainability is the future of business, therefore it is necessary to properly lead the green transformation together with the digital transformation.

Q: How is sustainability ensured and standardized in organizations?

A: European companies have higher sustainability scores in ESG ratings than their rivals, they are ahead in energy efficiency and in the application of sustainability criteria. In fact, both executives and investors show a lot of interest and address their sustainability strategies in their decision making.

Q: Many companies have detected the relevance of sustainable transformation, but the level of awareness, the detail of their roadmap and even the effectiveness of their derived strategists are highly variable. How do you approach this transformation?

A: That's the key from my point of view. It has to be part of the company's strategy.

My recommendation is not to wait for the regulator to require this transformation by law, but to be proactive in order to take advantage of the opportunity vs. peers. In this sense, sustainability should be a core of the strategy of companies, occupy a preferential place in the agenda of senior management and involve the entire organization with a 360º vision.

It must be a global project of profound cultural change for the company. This requires designing a clear, ambitious and implementable roadmap throughout this decade, with commitments, objectives and concrete actions that are profoundly transformational and apply to the entire value chain.

It is not necessary to do everything at once, but it is necessary to define progressive objectives and set a path, in order to advance and report on these advances. Foster ecosystems driven by sustainability, technology and innovation.

Q: Who should do it? Do we have company employees prepared to do it?

Leadership is needed out of conviction, not obligation. A firm commitment from the company's management is necessary if we really want to move towards a new circular, decarbonized and fair economy. Strategic plans, roadmaps and 2030 agendas are not effective without true leadership from the management team.

Companies committed to sustainable business need to incorporate the necessary talent to understand the complexity of the environmental challenge and make concepts such as SDGs, circular economy, energy transition and social contribution a reality in their organizations.

Skilled talent is required to sustainably lead organizations. The challenges are complex and interconnected. The response must be bold, comprehensive and competitive. Close coordination of all areas is necessary. And all this demonstrating that it is closely related to economic profitability.

Q: How relevant will the pursuit of sustainability be for companies?

Sustainability is an opportunity to bet on new renewable technologies, achieve energy savings, better manage the risks of climate change, new generations of consumers and also retain and attract talent.

Companies that anticipate this transformation will have an advantage. Companies that arrive late will find it difficult to survive.

In short, a commitment to sustainability is profitable and brings competitiveness, growth and profit to companies.

Q: What do you see as a sustainable organization?

An organization in which sustainability is part of the company's DNA and is integrated throughout the business structure, from management to all personnel involved. It is part of the company's values and culture.

Thank you for sharing your reflections.

 

If you want to continue reading interviews to the directors of the Postgraduate Program in Management Development in Sustainable Businesses: