AND is the Future - Making Businesses Sustainable AND Profitable
AND is the Future, hosted by Ilham Kadri, the CEO of Syensqo, brings together great minds to explore how businesses can be both sustainable AND profitable through innovation and science.
The best leaders practice the power of AND. To us, this means embracing ideas and behaviors that others might perceive as opposite or in conflict.
Leaders who are daring AND caring.
Leaders who are guided by science AND deeply human.
Leaders who are strong AND show vulnerability.
Leaders who focus on profitability AND sustainability with equal importance.
The power of AND is about believing in and embracing both. In And is the Future, Ilham sits down with great thought leaders and inspirational minds across the globe to discuss some of the most important issues facing businesses today.
Find out how we can do well AND do good in business with former CEO of DSM Feike Sijbesma; Hear about what business leaders can learn from space travel with Helen Sharman, the first British person in space; Discover the connection between disruption AND sustainable leadership with former Dow CEO Andrew Liveris; Learn how the Sustainable Development Goals can lead to incredible business opportunities with Marga Hoek; Explore how science can be at the service of humanity with Nobel Prize winners Steven Chu and Ben Feringa; Listen to an episode on chemistry AND music with renowned scientist and pianist Nuno Maulide - and that’s just the beginning!
Have you ever thought about how chemistry can enable a sustainable future? Did you know there's a connection between art and science, or between sustainable growth and health? What can athletes teach us about sustainable business? AND is the future will open your minds to discover business from a wider perspective and to embrace the AND in your leadership journey.
Ilham Kadri is the perfect host to lead these conversations. Dr. Kadri, the CEO of Syensqo, is a Moroccan-French business leader, a world citizen, a scientist, and a humanist who is fully committed to making businesses sustainable AND profitable. Her career spans more than three decades over four continents and she has delivered purpose-led transformations leading to superior financial, sustainability and DEI performances. Beyond her leadership at Syensqo, she is Chair of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), President of the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic), Vice-Chair of the European Round Table for Industry (ERT) and a permanent member of the World Economic Forum’s International Business Council (WEF). Follow Ilham Kadri on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilham-kadri
The podcast is inspired by Syensqo’s founder Ernest Solvay, who organized the Solvay physics and chemistry conferences, which brought together the world’s greatest minds such as Albert Einstein and Marie Curie to push the limits of science and innovation and solve the world’s biggest challenges.
AND is the Future is presented by Syensqo, a science company developing groundbreaking solutions that advance humanity. Launched in 2023, as a spinoff of Solvay, Syensqo is driving breakthroughs in batteries, green hydrogen, advanced lightweighting materials, biobased solutions, and more. It is also a leader in the chemical industry in addressing environmental challenges and promoting circularity. Find out more: https://www.syensqo.com/en/
AND is the Future - Making Businesses Sustainable AND Profitable
Purpose AND Alleviating Poverty with Jacqueline Novogratz CEO of Acumen
How can we use the tools of the marketplace and business to solve the problems that lead to poverty? That’s where patient capital comes in. Jacqueline Novogratz, the CEO of Acumen, explains how her venture capital fund’s long term investments, which prioritize social progress along with financial returns, have positively impacted 650 million people across the globe. She and Ilham discuss the most inspiring companies Acumen has invested in; the importance of kindness and patience in business; achieving audacity AND humility when working towards one’s goals; how storytelling is key to success, and so much more.
Timestamps
- 1:42 - Inspiration for solving the problems of poverty
- 3:39 - Becoming a banker
- 6:18 - Founding Acumen and the emergence of patient capital
- 8:59 - How to build sustainable and profitable companies
- 12:47- Most inspiring companies Acumen invests in
- 16:23 - The beauty of Acumen’s manifesto
- 20:05 - The importance of storytelling
- 25:37 - Pushing back against the naysayers
- 29:46 - Embracing the beauty
Jacqueline Novogratz is an entrepreneur, an author and quite frankly a beacon of light in the world. She is the founder and CEO of Acumen, a nonprofit global venture capital fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to address global poverty by investing in companies with the purpose. She is the author of Manifesto for a Moral Revolution: Practices to Build a Better World and The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World.
For additional details about the podcast, show notes, and access to resources mentioned during the show, please visit https://www.syensqo.com/en/podcast
