22 – Stop Passing the Hot Potato: Leadership in Sustainability

Your host Alex Shevelenko welcomes Magali Anderson, a global sustainability and innovation leader and former Chief Sustainability & Innovation Officer at Holcim. Magali brings deep, real-world experience leading change at scale—across operations, markets, and incentives. Today, she serves on the boards of Anglo American and the Capitals Coalition, mentors founders through the Creative Destruction Lab, and invests in ESG-driven ventures.

In this conversation, Magali gets practical about why sustainability efforts stall—and what actually works. She shares how staying close to operations keeps leaders grounded, why guilt and fear often block progress, and how responsibility is too often passed between companies, customers, investors, and governments. Magali explains why aligning financial goals with sustainability goals is the only way teams move, and why sometimes leaders must act first—before the data feels safe or consensus is formed.

From business model shifts like leasing over selling, to a real example where acting despite skepticism led to rapid global adoption and strong market share, this episode shows how sustainability can drive financial, reputational, and operational results.

To continue the conversation with Magali, connect with her on LinkedIn.

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