Celebrating Visionary Women in Sustainability Leadership

Sustainability goals have become vital for broader business strategy and yet remain a black box to many of us. To deepen our understanding and unravel path to career transitions, INSEAD’s Women in Business Club and Environment & Business Club, in partnership with INSEAD Hoffmann Institute were delighted to host the panel “Women in Sustainability: Leading the Change”. The purpose of this conversation was to hear more from trailblazing women who are shaping the future of industries such as climate tech, sustainable investing, and corporate sustainability. The conversation was held on our Singapore campus in March, during International Women’s Day Month! 

Dr Vinika Rao, Director of the INSEAD Hoffmann Institute & Africa Initiative led a conversation with distinguished panelists:

• Janet Shum (MBA’13D) Sustainable Investing Specialist, Asia Pacific from Citi Wealth

• Amrita Khadilkar (MBA’03D) Head of Environment Sustainability & Accelerated Digitization Asia Pacific of  DHL Supply Chain, 

• Bess Ng Associate Principle of Scheider Electric Sustainability Business

The panelists reminded participants that sustainability is no longer merely a reporting exercise; it has evolved into a source of competitive advantage, innovation, and cost optimization. Dr Vinika Rao commented “The global sustainability landscape is evolving rapidly with shifting ESG policies, changing stakeholder expectations and evolving regulatory measures. 2025 is a pivotal year for Financing for Development (FFD) reform. The SDG financing gap currently exceeds USD 4 trillion. Bold, and innovative solutions are more critical than ever, and Asia has the opportunity to lead the way. We have to go beyond just meeting the minimal regulatory requirements and instead approach Sustainability as Responsible Leaders who seek a better collective future for themselves and others.”

The panelists also emphasized how Finance and Sustainability teams are now co-leading sustainability mandates within companies. From tackling Scope 3 emissions and greenwashing to leveraging technology and driving inclusive, equitable transitions, their stories underscored both the complexity and opportunity in shaping a more sustainable future. Most notable was their advice to women entering the space. The advised to stay curious, showcase interest and learn through internships, internal pilots, and volunteering, and to remember that one can drive real impact even without official sustainability job titles.

Co-leads of the INSEAD Women in Business Club (IWiB)—Chithra Srinivasan, Asli Oncel, and Shubhangi Sood—alongside Konstantin Schmidt, President of the Environment and Business Club (EB) led the actively engaged audience of students and alumni, both in-person and online for questions. The audience raised pertinent points and shared their concerns regarding the future of ESG initiatives.

Here are our top 10 takeaways from the event:

1. Sustainability Is a Strategic Lens, not a Reporting Exercise:
   The conversation is shifting from compliance to competitive advantage. Sustainability is now being viewed as a lever for resilience, cost management, and long-term value creation. In this regard, Finance and Sustainability teams must co-own sustainability outcomes – not just the Chief Sustainability Office 

2. Implementation Is Hard — and That’s Where Leadership Matters:
   Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors are deeply linked. Achieving meaningful implementation demands leadership commitment and cross-functional collaboration, especially with finance teams.
3. The Power of Stakeholder Engagement:
   Overcoming internal challenges during organizational transformation, particularly in legacy industries, requires engagement across operations, finance, R&D, and logistics.
4. Tackling Scope 3 Emissions:
   Scope 3 emissions remain a significant challenge, as they involve tracking and mitigating emissions throughout extended value chains, including subcontractors, suppliers, and, in finance, financed emissions.
5. Addressing Greenwashing & Regulation Gaps:
   Creating consistent sustainability definitions and taxonomies across institutions and geographies is essential to combat greenwashing and regulatory inconsistencies.
6. Innovation & Technology as Enablers:
   Leveraging innovation and technology can align sustainability with business performance. In industries, redesigning molecules for circular use highlights the potential of tackling emissions at the design stage.
7. Asia’s Promising Trajectory:
   Asia is on a promising sustainability path, with adaptation efforts responding to high climate risks and mitigation actions gaining momentum, especially in major emitters like China and India.
8. Leapfrogging Outdated Models:
   Growth in renewables, EVs, and green finance shows Asia’s potential to leapfrogging outdated industrial models. Markets are defining transition finance according to their unique regional needs in terms of localized taxonomies to reflect their own economical and developmental realities.
9. Equity & Climate Justice:
   A recurring theme: sustainability isn’t just technical – it's deeply ethical. Addressing historically uneven emissions and climate vulnerability requires developing inclusive, regenerative systems rather than replicating extractive growth models. Pursuing passionate sustainability means pushing for fairness and transformation at the same time. Transition timelines and standards must reflect this reality, while supporting emerging economies to build inclusive, regenerative systems
10. Advice to Women Pursuing Sustainability:
    • Go Beyond Labels: Not all impactful roles have “sustainability” in their titles. Influence can be made within various functions.
    • Leverage Hands-On Experience: Internships, internal pilots, cross-functional projects, and volunteering are effective entry points.
    • Stay Curious & Future-Focused: The most meaningful work often happens where solutions are still evolving.

The remarkable panelists working within different facets of sustainability inspired and motivate us to chart our own career journeys in sustainability in different ways.  Their stories remind us that while the path may be challenging, the impact we can achieve is well worth the effort. The INSEAD students and alumni reminding us that while the road to sustainability is long, we are moving forward together, one bold step at a time.

This blog was written by Chithra Srinivasan (MBA 25J), Asli Oncel (MBA 25D), and Shubhangi Sood (MBA 25J)