Corporate philanthropy at work: U2 can move the world (A): Finding a cause

Sustainability leader Zoë Falquet shares her ESG career journey in the oil and gas sector, from CSR to boardrooms, driving change through strategy, culture, and impact.

Much has been said about corporate sustainability – and much of it is wrong. It’s time to retire common misconceptions and consider it a strategic lever for value creation, resilience, and competitiveness.

In late 2021, Puneet Chhatwal, CEO of Indian Hotels Company Limited IHCL, found himself grappling with a new challenge beyond the impressive growth numbers the company had achieved since his tenure began in 2017 sustainability. Having led IHCL, the hospitality arm of the Tata Group, through one of its most transformative periods, including a turnaround from losses to profitability and the addition of over 100 hotels, Puneet now faced rising stakeholder and regulatory demand for measurable ESG impacts. The case explores IHCL's journey to embed sustainability in all its hotels including those under development through Paathya, its comprehensive ESG framework. Paathya, derived from Sanskrit meaning 'path,' symbolizes IHCL's commitment to structured sustainability by setting ambitious goals, including eliminating single-use plastics, adopting renewable energy and certifying all hotels under global sustainability standards by 2030. The case explores the organizational challenges IHCL faced and examines how the company formalized sustainability in every aspect of its business from financial decisions and design to engineering and daily operations. A key focus is placed on the cultural shift that Paathya required, ensuring buy-in from employees at all levels, including general managers of individual hotels, who were pivotal in driving green initiatives. IHCL's rapid growth and vision of expanding to 300 hotels under an asset-light model, raises crucial questions: Can the company balance its aggressive expansion with its sustainability commitments? Will Paathya continue to resonate with the core of the company's operations amid changing global standards and leadership? The case concludes by examining Paathya's early successes and the challenges ahead. How can IHCL sustain its hospitality leadership while leading the charge on sustainability?

Swiss Re and Munich Re warn climate change is making areas uninsurable. Business leaders must act now on strategy, capital, and insurance risk.

A CEO with deep industry experience is navigating the challenges of the energy transition to turn around Alpiq, a legacy Swiss electricity company into a sustainability leader.

ESG and sustainability aren't the same. Learn the key differences to make smarter business decisions and drive long-term, positive impact

When a Saudi consortium led by utilities giant Acwa Power signed $8.3 billion in deals this July to build seven solar and wind projects across the kingdom, it marked more than just another line entry in the country’s growing clean energy portfolio...

The terms “ESG” (environmental, social, and governance) and “sustainability” are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same. Understanding the distinction is crucial for business leaders who want to make informed decisions about their c...

Learning and development (L&D) professionals are uniquely positioned to solve the critical skills gaps in AI and sustainability that are costing organisations millions in missed opportunities. L&D teams sit at the centre of an unprecedented opport...

Cass R Sunstein joins IMD’s Julia Binder to discuss rethinking responsibility in climate justice, innovation, global equity, and the moral duty of rich nations.