Nordic CEOs for a Sustainable Future
Nordic CEOs for a Sustainable Future
Businesses must help speed up the realisation of our Global Goals
Change starts at the top. Nordic CEOs are committed to take lead.
The Nordic CEOs for a Sustainable Future is a network consisting of 9 of the largest companies in the Nordic region. Our ambition is to inspire joint leadership and deliver purpose-driven business models towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Since 2018, our CEOs and their sustainability officers have met regularly to exchange advanced practices and develop shared initiatives to achieve more sustainable outcomes. We are also running knowledge-sharing sessions across the companies to inspire our employees.
The initiative also creates a platform for the Nordic Prime Ministers to engage directly with CEOs on how to move from sustainability as a compliance exercise to purpose-driven companies. A key objective is to explore ways to deliver more impact through collaboration.
Nordic companies are built on shared values of inclusion, equality and long-termism. The Nordic CEOs believe these characteristics can help advance and accelerate the collective efforts outlined by the UN SDGs and the Paris Climate Accord.
Who we are
The CEOs and companies that share the commitment.
Sigve Brekke
“Technology creates new opportunities to solve massive challenges connected to health, education and inequality. Businesses and the public sector play a key role in facilitating positive impact on society – that’s why we need close and constructive collaboration across sectors and industries. Several of the major Nordic companies have acknowledged this and, as Telenor, aligned their business strategies to one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We want to be ambassadors of change and encourage more CEOs and business leaders to join in. This isn’t about charity, it’s about facilitating long-term sustainable growth.”
LinkedIn:
Birna Einarsdòttir
“Companies have a profound effect on their community, which is why it is vital that they operate responsibly and make a positive impact. We see numerous opportunities in joining forces with other firms in the Nordic region and working with governmental authorities towards the achievement of the UN Global Goals. Not only is this important to our environment and society, but it will come to determine companies’ competitiveness in the future.”
LinkedIn:
Mats Granryd
“The ability to meet the ambitious targets of the UN Sustainable Development Goals requires visionary leadership, and I am honoured to be part of this commitment by Nordic business leaders in putting the SDGs at the very top of their agenda. As we enter a fourth industrial revolution, sustainability becomes an even more critical element of our business – as well as a business opportunity - and we must continually deliver value to society and respond to the many challenges facing our world.”
LinkedIn:
Odd Arild Grefstad
“Sustainable and socially responsible investments lie at the core of our savings strategy through strict sustainability requirements in our investments. As Norway's largest private asset manager, our most important influence on the UN Sustainable Development Goals is how we invest the more than 720 billion NOK we manage. We also see the importance of collaboration to reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals. A Nordic cross-sectoral collaboration allows us to learn best practices from each other, discuss challenging issues and also push the sustainability agenda together.’’
LinkedIn:
Anko van der Werff
“We at SAS are very happy to be a part of the Nordic CEOs. These are the business forums that share knowledge and expertise and together we are pushing a common goal. At SAS we aim to be a driving force in Sustainable Aviation
and strive continuously to improve and strengthen our practices and our commitment to adhere to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Previously unthinkable innovation is now being realized and I want SAS to be at the forefront of this journey towards zero emission aviation. We continue to build new partnerships and collaborations within, and outside, the aviation industry . And all of us in the Nordic CEOs have that common goal, to explore better and more sustainable ways of doing our business.”
Jens Henriksson
CEO, Swedbank (SE)
“We started as a societal engagement almost 200 years ago with the ambition of building a sound and sustainable economy. Our aim is to promote sustainable development in society and help people and businesses to make sustainable choices. We do this by guiding, inspiring and sharing useful knowledge about the economy. Swedbank signed the UN’s Principles for Responsible Banking in 2019, a commitment to put an even greater focus on the Paris Agreement and the SDGs. Partnerships across sectors, industries and countries are vital to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable society and therefore it is a privilege to collaborate through this network.”
LinkedIn:
Svein Tore Holsether
“I applaud this joint Nordic initiative. Collaboration is indeed the magic formula for reaching the UN sustainability goals. We learn again and again, that through collaboration we achieve results that exceed our imagination. For instance, thanks to a joint effort between Yara, Kongsberg, SINTEF and Kalmar, supported by the Norwegian government, we can soon launch the world´s first autonomous and emission free container ship. This we would never have achieved alone.”
LinkedIn:
Árni Oddur Þórðarsson
“We, as leaders in global businesses, need to walk the talk and align our vision and execution towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Every day, team Marel is guided by a clear vision where we envisage a world where food is affordable for everyone and produced in a sustainable way. In partnership with our customers and suppliers we are transforming the way food is processed.”
LinkedIn:
Tone Wille
“The transport and logistics sector has a decisive role to play in contributing to a sustainable future – our sector is part of the challenge but this also means we are part of the solution. Sustainability at Posten Norge is about creating long-term viability through efficient resource management. We have taken significant steps to reduce our impact on climate change over the last 10 years and we will continue to work towards our ambitious goal to only use renewable energy sources in 2025. Aligning our efforts with the UN’s SDGs is important as it creates a common global framework that will accelerate sustainability efforts – we have no time to lose.’’
LinkedIn:Signatories
The group represents companies across several industries and all Nordic countries.
