Environmental sustainability has become a business imperative recognized by a growing number of companies. One pioneer in this regard is Wal-Mart. In this University podcast, two executives discuss how the largest company in the world is pushing the envelope in fading its carbon footprint, reducing waste, and lessening energy consumption. They talk about the genesis of this strategy, corporate goals, and the benefits of environmental sustainability, including cost savings.
Andy Ruben is vice president of strategy and sustainability for Wal-Mart’s worldwide operations, a position established in summer 2005 as part of Wal-Mart’s drive to incorporate social and environmental sustainability into its business strategies. He began his career with Wal-Mart in 2002 as director of corporate strategy and was named VP of U.S. Strategy in 2003. Before joining Wal-Mart, he was a consultant with Cap Gemini Ernst & Young’s Strategy Practice.
Jib Ellison assists senior leadership in creating new, innovative, and wealth-creating strategies. His work includes designing and overseeing organization-wide transformation processes for Fortune 50 companies, building high-performance leadership teams, improving cross-functional teamwork, strengthening corporate culture to deliver results, and providing one-on-one coaching for CEOs. Recent clients include Wal-Mart, Kleiner Perkins, Environmental Defense, Conservation International, Vodafone, McKesson, Gap Inc., The Home Depot, Nokia, YMCA, and Barclays Global Investors.
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