IESE launches Institute for Sustainability Leadership

IESE Business School has launched the Institute for Sustainability Leadership (ISL) to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experiences between academia and business. The Institute will be led by IESE Professor and expert in sustainability Fabrizio Ferraro. 

The Institute for Sustainability Leadership will focus on 3 areas of impact for a more generative economy: 

• Research on sustainability in the financial sector, corporations and communities and cities
• Events including conferences and executives’ circles (small gatherings to share challenges and opportunities) 
• Education integrating sustainability-related knowledge into learning  

Agbar, Allianz Seguros, Barceló Group, CaixaBank, Celsa Group, Gestamp, Mango and Schneider Electric have joined as initial founding members of this cutting-edge ecosystem of business, finance community leaders, media and policy makers. These leading companies provide valuable insights for the ISL’s mission and enable leaders to create economic, social, and environmental value for their organizations and for society. 

The ISL will generate knowledge about pressing topics such as the control and measurement of green goals, governance systems for sustainable cities and new financial instruments for impact investment. IESE faculty have published research in these areas as well as others in top journals including Administrative Science Quarterly, the Journal of Financial Economics and the Journal of Accounting and Economics. Professor Fabrizio Ferraro, Academic Director of the Institute for Sustainability Leadership, sees the Institution as an important driver of change in the business world. “The sustainability transition presents novel challenges for executives, and the Institute will develop the knowledge they need to understand the issues and act on them,” he says. 

Sustainability for IESE involves the full arc of business activity, from how companies treat the world around them, to how they treat each employee. Sustainable values are ingrained in IESE’s mission of educating and inspiring business leaders who want to have a positive and lasting impact on people, business and society. “Sustainability has to be at the core of what every company does,” says Dean Franz Heukamp. “Being sustainable does not mean stopping growth; it means finding innovative solutions to environmental, social and governmental challenges that work for people.” He adds, “The Institute for Sustainability Leadership will allow companies to engage with experts from an interdisciplinary perspective. This unique approach will help identify practical solutions and sound strategies for today and for future generations.”  

About IESE Business School 

IESE is the graduate business school of the University of Navarra. Founded in 1958, the school is one of the world’s most international business schools, with campuses in Barcelona, Madrid, Munich, New York and São Paulo. Consistently ranked within the top ten worldwide, IESE Business School has pioneered business education in Europe since its founding. 

Sustainability, and thus the long-term well-being of individuals, organizations and society at large are at the core of IESE’s mission. The school is a member of the United Nations Global Compact, a signatory of Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) and a founding member of Business Schools for Climate Leadership (BS4CL). It also has several centers and chairs devoted to sustainability-related issues and its MBA program is ranked second in the world for ESG and net zero teaching and sixth in carbon footprint reduction. 

About Agbar

Since its origins in 1867, Agbar - part of Veolia - has established itself as a benchmark in the preservation of resources. After more than 150 years of experience, we continue to adapt and innovate to meet the needs of our environment, with the purpose of improving people´s quality of life.

We manage water and resources efficiently and lead the development of solutions and technologies in balance with the environment, with the aim of transferring our accumulated experience and the value of sustainability to the public.

About Allianz Seguros 

In Allianz we work to find solutions for a sustainable future. With over 100 million customers, we’re one of the largest insurance and financial services providers in the world. So, our responsibility is to lead by example.  

We believe that sustainability and inclusivity are the best way to realize our potential for growth and value creation. And at the same time, contribute to a more sustainable future for the world and the societies in which we live and work. 

About Barceló Group 

Since its founding in Mallorca in 1931, Barceló Group has been a pioneer, showing a clear commitment to tourism that is ethical and responsible. It is focused on making a positive impact on the destinations where it operates and contributing to a fairer development of the local economy, whether through the generation of employment, efficient use of natural resources or collaboration with local suppliers.   

With more than 90 years of history, Barceló Group aims to continue promoting collaborative leadership while remaining faithful to values based on a respect for the destinations in which it operates, its environment and its community. This is the work of all of those in Barceló Group dedicated to the happiness of others who choose Barceló Group to celebrate their most special moments. 

About CaixaBank 

At CaixaBank, we have a long history inspired in quality, trust and social commitment. We pursue the financial well-being of our customers and the progress of the whole of society by offering the best financial tools and expert advice.  

Through our sustainable banking model, we are committed to achieving carbon footprint neutrality by 2050 and to offering solutions and advice to support our customers in the transition to sustainability. We also seek to continue to lead positive social change with our microfinance and financial inclusion activities. To achieve this, we promote a responsible culture focused on people and on good governance practices that allow us to be a benchmark in banking. 

About Celsa Group 

Celsa Group™ is Europe´s first low-emission circular steel producer. It recycles ferrous scrap to produce steel in electric arc furnaces, using the most sustainable technology.  

The company is made up of 6 business groups and has 120 work centers, 7 steel mills, 12 rolling mills and 48 recycling plants, in addition to transformation and distribution companies, which generate direct, indirect and induced employment for more than 37,227 professionals. It is present in Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Poland, Sweden and Ireland.  

The group works to provide solutions to the planet´s greatest systemic risks: the depletion of resources and the fight against climate change. To this end, it has set itself the objectives of reducing its CO2 emissions by 50% and achieving 98% circularity by 2030, as well as completing its circularity and becoming a Net Positive company by 2050. 

About Gestamp 

Sustainability has been one of Gestamp´s strategic pillars since its beginnings as a company. Through the design, development, and manufacture of vehicle parts, Gestamp maintains its commitment to contribute to the production of cars that are increasingly safer for people, by ensuring the protection of passengers and pedestrians, and cleaner for the environment, by reducing CO2 emissions. 

Gestamp mantiene su compromiso en contribuir a la producción de coches cada vez más seguros para las personas, al velar por la protección de los pasajeros y peatones, y más ligeros para el medioambiente, al reducir las emisiones de CO2.  

About Mango 

Mango understands sustainability as a path that fashion must follow in search of a fairer society and the reduction of its environmental impact. Mango´s Strategic Sustainability Plan establishes our company’s action principles and commitments and organizes our path towards sustainability into three main lines of action, aligned with our values as a company: Commitment to the Product, Commitment to the Planet and Commitment to People. 

With its products, Mango is moving towards a more sustainable collection, prioritizing materials with a lower environmental impact and incorporating circular design criteria. As part of its commitment to the planet, Mango maintains its goal to be climate neutral by 2050, as well as reducing water and plastic consumption, together with actions to protect biodiversity. As part of its commitment to people, Mango is improving the traceability and transparency of its value chain while promoting social action projects with leading global organizations such as Save The Children, the Spanish Red Cross and Médicins Sans Frontières (MSF). 

About Schneider Electric  

Schneider Electric´s goal is to be the digital partner of companies to help them achieve their goals of decarbonization, energy efficiency and to take control of their energy to face the energy transition and the climate emergency. Schneider Electric seeks to be among the most sustainable, diverse and inclusive companies and, therefore, these pillars are at the core of its business strategy. It has been in the Corporate Knights Global 100 Ranking for 12 consecutive years, recognized in 2021 as the most sustainable company in the world. In addition, in 2022 Schneider Electric was recognized as the Second-Best Company to Work For according to the Actualidad Económica ranking and, in 2023, the company received the World Economic Forum´s “Lighthouse” award for diversity, equity and inclusion.