“ We need to explain sustainability to business leaders, the general public, politicians, and to do that we have to bring it into every day. It is much like sustainability in business – it cannot be an extra on the side”
ustainability has become a defining issue for businesses, governments and communities worldwide. Yet, its evolution from a niche concern to a boardroom imperative has been anything but straightforward.
About Angela Hultberg Angela Hultberg is Group Sustainability Director at Kearney, a global management consulting firm renowned for advising Fortune 500 companies on embedding sustainability into their operations and strategies. Her journey to Kearney is rooted in hands-on experience that has spanned both corporate and consulting worlds. Today, based in Copenhagen, Angela helps some of the world’ s largest companies navigate the complexities of sustainable transformation.
Kearney itself brings more than nine decades of consulting expertise to the table. Founded in 1926, the firm operates in more than 40 countries and is known for its work with leading global businesses. Kearney’ s sustainability practice supports clients in rethinking business models, integrating ESG factors and building resilience for a rapidly changing world.
For Angela, the role is about more than compliance or reputation management.“ I advise clients on how to be more sustainable and how to change their business models and embed sustainability throughout their daily operations, core business and strategies,” she explains.
“ We need to explain sustainability to business leaders, the general public, politicians, and to do that we have to bring it into every day. It is much like sustainability in business – it cannot be an extra on the side”
ANGELA HULTBERG, GROUP SUSTAINABILITY DIRECTOR, KEARNEY
This holistic approach is increasingly demanded by stakeholders, from investors to consumers.
The role of the Chief Sustainability Officer The past decade has seen a dramatic shift in how sustainability is perceived within organisations. Once relegated to a peripheral function, it is now recognised as central to long-term success.
“ Sustainability leadership has been, to a very large extent, female,” Angela notes.
“ I spend a lot of time in the transport sector, and it ' s very common that I am the only woman in the room. But when I have sustainability meetings, there might be only women in the meeting.
44 July 2025