Boards around the world have woken up to the importance of sustainability. The majority are still scrambling to integrate this value into their corporate governance and reporting. 

However, there are some torchbearers out there for this ESG movement, as our CEO, Helle Bank Jorgensen, recently identified in an interview with Ritu Kant Ojha, Editor-in-Chief of Wiyld. Maersk is one such company. Not only is it designing and building ships that can reduce its carbon footprint, but it is also working with suppliers on a new green fuel to get those ships moving. 

Board directors need to lead the way for their companies. And that, says Helle, starts with good governance:

“Let me give you three words — Care, Accountability and Trust — and all three words are connected to Stewardship. Care – you need to prove that you care about your key stakeholders. Take employees as an example. If your governance structure doesn’t consider their views, you will not create a successful and thriving culture fit for the 21st century. 

“Accountability – if you talk without walking the talk, you lose credibility and, therefore, the trust of your key stakeholders. Let me give you another example – all the commitments made during COP26. 

“Now is the time to show accountability by publishing short-term goals and therefore create Trust, the critical currency in the 21st century. You need to act as a steward of all the resources you use and impact while also creating value for your shareholders and other stakeholders. Not an easy task.”

Read Care, accountability and trust are critical values in the age of sustainability in full on Wiyld.

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