Rich Lesser, chief adviser to the World Economic Forum’s Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders and global chair of Boston Consulting Group

“I wasn’t surprised that in a year with those elements [risks and opportunities of AI, geopolitics, political divides and macroeconomics] so top of mind—and having just had so much energy devoted to climate and the environment just four weeks earlier at COP28—that the Davos attention was a bit shifted to the other topics that obviously weren’t discussed at COP28.”

“This idea of being both responsible yourselves, but a catalyst for systemic change was the main theme of this year’s Alliance of CEO climate leaders lunch.” Lesser said there are obvious ways to be a catalyst: “You can encourage action in your supply chain, make it easier for your customers to decarbonize, work as a sector to make it easier for everyone to move faster, work across industries to advance key technologies and work productively with governments to be a bold partner to help them but also [be] a pragmatic partner.”

Jim Andrew, chief sustainability officer of PepsiCo: 

“Despite so many geopolitical crises on the table, it is telling that climate change remained high on the agenda with a growing understanding on the interconnectivity to other global challenges. The almost universal realization of the urgency for public and private partners to come together around a systemic response was clear. I was glad that the transformation of the food system is increasingly being seen as an essential part of that and gained traction across the week.”

“Davos can be a swirl of conversations, but through this week I was pleased that discussions moved forward from COP into a real focus on action and impact.”

Lorena Dellagiovanna, senior vice president and executive officer; chief sustainability officer; and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer of Hitachi:

“We will only reach net zero if we do it together. Which is why I have found it heartening to see in recent years a marked increase in sustainability leaders attending Davos, and environmental issues more prominent on the WEF agenda. Five years ago, climate change and nature represented one third of the discussions at Davos. Today, it’s two thirds.”

“The World Economic Forum was an important milestone to help move forward at pace and scale with our climate-change ambitions. This year I have taken part in some interesting discussions and talked to business and political leaders here who are genuinely committed to net zero, but I’m still left with the question: Are we moving quickly enough and are we thinking big enough?”

Amy Brachio, global vice chair for sustainability at EY, spoke in New York last November. PHOTO: BRENDAN MCDERMID/REUTERS

Amy Brachio, global vice chair, sustainability of EY: 

“With AI, geopolitics and the near-term economic outlook dominating conversations, the underlying theme of risk and how we balance long- and short-term action is one of my key takeaways.”

“Every business leader I met at Davos knows that there is never a time that the policy, economic and social issues align to make it the ‘right time.’ In 2024, business leaders need to challenge themselves and their organizations to address what they face today in the context of the transition and transformation we need to accelerate now to address climate change. The glimmer of hope comes from the rapid scaling of renewable energy worldwide, including in China, which supports progress in long-term global decarbonization including in manufacturing.”

https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-executives-were-saying-about-sustainability-at-davos-a1b7fea2