S5 I Ep 2 I Driving Sustainability at ABB I SOapbox: Career Conversations

The SOapbox Series

In this episode of SOapbox: Career Conversations, Spencer Ogden’s Global ESG Manager, Regan Callender, speaks with Marie-Hélène Westholm-Knebel, Head of Sustainability at ABB’s Energy Industries division.

As part of our Career Conversations series, we spotlight industry leaders who are shaping the future of energy; diving into their career journeys, the obstacles they’ve overcome, and how they’re accelerating meaningful progress on a global scale.

Marie-Hélène shares her path from political science to environmental management, her role in launching ABB’s global sustainability agenda, and the lessons learned from over two decades in the field. From building strategy around emissions, water, chemicals, and human rights, to embedding purpose into business performance - this is a candid look at what it really takes to lead sustainability within one of the world’s largest energy technology companies.

Discussed:

01:39- Marie-Hélène’s path into sustainability and the energy sector

02:35- ABB's Sustainability strategy and 3 pillars: low carbon society, resource preservation, and social progress

06:38- Early influences that shaped Marie-Hélène’s passion for sustainability

13:52- Her proudest achievements and how she’s reinvented herself along the way

17:44- How the sustainability space has matured over the past two decades

20:17- Addressing bottlenecks and unlocking opportunities at ABB

23:40- Balancing commercial goals with long-term environmental objectives

27:47- Tackling emissions, water use, chemical impacts and human rights across ABB’s value chain

30:33- ABB’s 78% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 emissions since 2019 - and their road to net zero by 2050

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