Building Competitive Advantage in a Sustainable World

As one of the world’s great technology companies, Siemens needs no introduction, but is notable for not only a holistic approach to sustainability but, in particular, for the way sustainability has been integrated into the heart of the business model. But how do they drive the sustainability agenda with more than 300,000 people? How do they innovate at such a scale? How do they bring technology and sustainability together in practice? And how are their efforts received by their customers, employees, and investors?We are delighted to be joined by Dr. Eva Riesenhuber, the Global Head of Sustainability at Siemens, to help share insights into these questions and more. Eva started her career as a lawyer, with a doctorate in international public law and more than a decade of experience as a finance lawyer in New York. From there, Eva has worked as an SVP in the Siemens M&A department, as CFO of Next47, the Siemens-owned venture capital firm, and as the Head of Investor Relations at Siemens. She became Global Head of Sustainability in October 2022 and is a member of the supervisory board of Siemens Mobility GmbH.Building on her strong foundations in law and value creation, Eva speaks with Vincent Chin, Managing Director & Senior Partner at BCG and Asia Pacific Regional Leader of the BCG Henderson Institute, about the role of innovation, the people agenda, and the shareholder perspective in Siemens’ sustainability efforts. They cover decarbonizing in conjunction with customers, building new approaches to product design, ensuring that efforts are globally inclusive, and the role of AI. Eva’s unique viewpoints make this essential listening for those looking to activate large organizations to deliver a competitive advantage through sustainability.

Dr. Chris Killian is Senior Vice President, Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer for Eastman’s global technology, innovation, and sustainability organizations. Chris leads Eastman’s innovation-driven growth strategy to deliver sustainable material solutions to customer and societal needs. Prior to his current position, Chris served as senior vice president and chief technology officer.Chris holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) and a doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He joined Eastman in 1996 as a research chemist. During his career at Eastman, he has held various technology and business leadership positions, including director of polymers technology, director of the Tritan™ growth platform, and vice president of Advanced Materials technology.In this conversation with Dave Young, the Global Leader of the BCG Henderson Institute’s Center for Climate & Sustainability, Chris shares Eastman’s journey in pioneering technologies like molecular recycling and bio-based polymers, offering insights into how the company has built a “better circle” by integrating circular economy principles into its core operations. The discussion highlights Eastman’s principles-based approach to innovation, where high environmental and societal standards are seamlessly aligned with business performance. From creating sustainable supply chains to addressing global challenges in material science, Chris provides an inspiring blueprint for how businesses can leverage innovation to drive growth, deliver value, and create a more sustainable future.

Tomohiro (Tomo) Ishikawa is a financial executive with more than 25 years of experience in investment banking, regulatory affairs, and sustainable finance. Currently serving as the chief regulatory engagement Officer at MUFG and head of the corporate planning division, Tomo also holds key positions in global sustainability initiatives, including membership in the MAS (Monetary Authority of Singapore) Sustainable Finance Advisory Panel and the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative.As one of Japan’s largest financial institutions, MUFG has committed to achieving net-zero emissions in its finance portfolio by 2050 and has pledged to provide ¥100 trillion (approximately US$660 billion) in sustainable finance by 2030.In this conversation with Dave Young, the global leader of BCG Henderson Institute’s Center for Climate & Sustainability, Tomo highlights MUFG’s role as its clients’ partner in achieving net-zero targets and underscores the necessity of balancing energy security, affordability, and CO2 reduction in the transition process.

Today’s guests are Janine Guillot, Judy Samuelson, Gary Knell, and Ron Soonieus. Janine is the former CEO of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB). Judy is the founder and executive director of the Aspen Business and Society Program. Gary is the former CEO at National Geographic, and Ron is a director in residence at INSEAD. Janine, Gary, and Ron are senior advisors to BCG.In this conversation with Dave Young, the global leader of the BCG Henderson Institute’s Center for Climate & Sustainability, the expert panel covers the intricate role of business in addressing global challenges such as climate change, economic inequality, and social justice. Key topics include the evolution of fiduciary duty, the importance of sustainability disclosure, and the critical role of employees and partnerships in fostering a more just and sustainable society.

Sameer Bharadwaj received a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota and an MBA from Harvard University. He started his career as a research engineer at Dow Chemical Company before progressing into multiple executive roles at Cabot Corporation. Today, as the CEO of Orbia, he leads a purpose-driven company that is addressing critical global challenges spanning water & food security, decarbonization & the energy transition, and information access & connectivity. Orbia’s strategic innovations —whether advancements in more environmentally-friendly PVC and fluor technologies, lighter-footprint solutions for urban climate resilience, precision agriculture, telecommunications, or the EV transition—are emblematic of the company's transformation journey in bringing purpose to life and sustainable solutions to market.In this conversation with Dave Young, the Global Leader of the BCG Henderson Institute's Center for Climate & Sustainability, Sameer highlights Orbia's approach to integrating sustainability into its business model and leveraging its diverse portfolio to drive global development and pursue a net-positive future.

In the latest episode of the Building Competitive Advantage in a Sustainable World podcast, David Young — BCG Henderson Institute Fellow researching Sustainable Business Model Innovation — interviews David Stanton, CEO of UGSI Solutions, an infrastructure technology supplier to water, wastewater, and energy industries.Together, they discuss the challenges and values of helping companies enhance their sustainability by effectively dealing with their waste streams to achieve operational efficiencies and business model advantages. Stanton explains the shift in perspective that organizations face when deciding how to best allocate their waste so that it can be reinvested into the economy instead of simply disposing and destroying them.***About the BCG Henderson InstituteThe BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

In the newest episode of the Building Competitive Advantage in a Sustainable World podcast, David Young — BCG Henderson Institute Fellow researching Sustainable Business Model Innovation — is joined by BCG Senior Advisors Peter Tollman and Ron Soonieus. They discuss how CEOs and Boards partner to create strategic advantage through sustainability, the evolution of corporations’ roles in society, and the criticality of the G in ESG.Ron’s perspective is informed by his decades of experience on both sides of the corporate agency divide as an executive and board member. Peter leads BCG’s CEO Advisory program where his decades of experience within BCG advising clients enables him to work alongside CEOs to elevate the success of the companies and organizations they lead.***About the BCG Henderson InstituteThe BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

In the new episode of the Building Competitive Advantage in a Sustainable World podcast, David Young — BCG Henderson Institute Fellow researching Sustainable Business Model Innovation — interviews Antoine Giros — Vice President of Certification Global Service Line for Bureau Veritas Group, a leader in testing, inspection and certification services.They discuss how Bureau Veritas Group has shaped its strategy and innovation agenda to create a competitive advantage for itself and for its clients by creating transparency of high-quality, trustworthy sustainability data. Antoine shares how important it is to build the right digital systems to bring sustainability data to senior decision-makers to enable sustainability strategies and demonstrate credibility to external stakeholders on ESG commitments.***About the BCG Henderson InstituteThe BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

In this episode of the Building Competitive Advantage in a Sustainable World podcast, David Young — BCG Henderson Institute Fellow researching Sustainable Business Model Innovation — interviews Mark Preston, Executive Trustee and Chief Executive at Grosvenor.Grosvenor is a global privately held trustee-owned organization whose operations span urban property, food and AgTech, rural estate management, and support for philanthropic initiatives. The firm’s history dates back over 340 years and currently manages over £11 billion in assets under management across its portfolios. Beneficial ownership of the firm remains with the Grosvenor family, the Duke of Westminster being the primary beneficiary.Mark’s three-decade-long career at Grosvenor has spanned continents, taking him from the UK to Hong Kong and San Francisco, before returning to the UK in 2006 to head up Grosvenor’s property business as Chief Executive.David and Mark discuss how Grosvenor’s unique legacy and governance structure has facilitated managerial decision-making from a long-term perspective on not only financial returns but sustainability and stakeholders as well. In the latter half, they discuss how Grosvenor made the pivot to new lines of business beyond real estate, and where the frontier of sustainable business model innovation is today.***About the BCG Henderson InstituteThe BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

In the newest episode of our Building Competitive Advantage in a Sustainable World podcast, David Young—a BCG Henderson Institute Fellow researching Sustainable Business Model Innovation—continues his interview with Schneider Electric’s Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer, Olivier Blum.Together, they discuss the importance of innovation to reframe and unlock sustainability as a source of advantage.  In these efforts, it is critical to engage customers and empower employees to drive sustainable innovations. Olivier explains how Schneider created a culture around sustainability that belongs to all their associates, allowing them to deliver on their bold ambitions across both environmental and social objectives.Looking to the future of sustainability, Olivier discusses the limitations of seeing sustainability as only an issue of compliance.  For him and for Schneider, there is no finish line for innovating to make sustainability a source of business advantage.***About the BCG Henderson InstituteThe BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

In our next episode of the Building Competitive Advantage in a Sustainable World podcast, David Young, our BCG Henderson Institute Fellow researching Sustainable Business Model Innovation, interviews BrightHouse CEO Ashley Grice.Ashley discusses how Purpose helps companies articulate how they differentially and authentically solve a need in the world, bringing the ideas of environmental and societal sustainability and sustainable business together.Following the proliferation of the concept for corporate Purpose in the last few years, Ashley anticipates Purpose will become even more relevant as societies work to recover from the series of crises that occurred in 2020. Boards, employees, customers, and even regulators will all demand more Purposeful businesses.While digging deep into Purpose will be uncomfortable initially, companies that harness it will find a powerful lever to help transform their culture, align people, stimulate innovation, accelerate growth, and infuse true meaning into their business for the long-term.***About the BCG Henderson InstituteThe BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

In the new episode of the Building Competitive Advantage in a Sustainable World podcast, David Young — BCG Henderson Institute Fellow researching Sustainable Business Model Innovation and Heitor Carrera — BCG Senior Partner in Sao Paolo, Brazil — interview Pedro Zinner, CEO of Eneva, a major Brazilian energy company.Together, they discuss the evolving context in Brazil, underscoring the increasing investor demands for companies to embed sustainability into corporate strategy and operations. Pedro describes how Eneva initiated its sustainability journey and shares lessons learned. To get started, companies need to align on and measure ESG KPIs to establish their baseline, set challenging targets for these KPIs, and develop an inspiring narrative that articulates the business benefits to key stakeholders. While transformation for sustainability will be a journey, companies that commit to it will ensure they have a successful business for the long-term.***About the BCG Henderson InstituteThe BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

In the new episode of the Building Competitive Advantage in a Sustainable World podcast, David Young — BCG Henderson Institute Fellow researching Sustainable Business Model Innovation — interviews Mark Wiseman — Former Global Head of Active Equities and Chair Global Investment Committee, BlackRock; Former President & CEO, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB)Mark shares his perspectives on the evolution and the role of purpose and sustainability in the ability of companies to create value for the long-term, and how that translates in investors’ capital allocation decisions. To win in the years ahead, executives and companies — across sectors and industries — need to build on the skills they have applied for years to traditional business decisions and financial metrics, and expand these to sustainability decisions and ESG metrics. They need to define clear objectives and strategies for sustainability as a driver of business performance and advantage, measure progress and hold people accountable against these objectives, and communicate these strategies and outcomes in clear way to investors.***About the BCG Henderson InstituteThe BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.