The New York Times

Rich Lesser: The CEO Other CEOs Turn to for Advice

BCG’s CEO Rich Lesser sat down with The New York Times to reflect on his tenure at the helm of the company. In his three terms as CEO, Lesser has guided the firm through periods of enormous political and social change, and he has led BCG’s push for innovative responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, which he believes has fundamentally changed the way consumers and workers live their lives. Lesser leaves a legacy of championing climate change leadership, and he emphasizes the importance of creating immediate environmental action plans for reducing carbon emissions.

Fortune

How to Become a Sustainability Leader—and Create Sustainable Value

BCG’s Rich Lesser and Rich Hutchinson write in Fortune about how to become a leader in the race to sustainability. Companies must embed sustainability as a core part of their business agenda, they write, because it will help achieve environmental goals while creating competitive advantage. Lesser and Hutchinson offer six essential action items that drive value while still having a positive societal impact.

Forbes

Close Encounters of the Best Kind: Workplace “Collisions”

In her column for Forbes, BCG’s Deborah Lovich writes about the benefits of unplanned, in-person interactions at the office. Lovich believes that workplace “collisions”—where colleagues spontaneously chat, discuss projects, and network—inevitably result in something positive. She suggests ways to facilitate these interactions virtually, but argues that “nothing does more for team-building, making connections, and spurring progress than in-person collisions.”

The Edge Malaysia

Malaysia’s Rooftop Estate Offers Valuable Solar Potential

In The Edge Malaysia, BCG’s Marko Lackovic and Jaime Ruiz-Cabrero discuss the increasing switch to renewable energy in Southeast Asia, specifically solar photovoltaics (PV). Annual installation of solar PV is expected to reach more than 160 gigawatts globally in 2022; because of Malaysia’s significant urban rooftop real estate, it is positioned to offer more than 4 gigawatts of solar potential across public, commercial, and industrial rooftop spaces. While there are still physical limitations, such as installation challenges, the authors write that nuanced and localized strategies can help overcome these hurdles, creating “remarkable opportunities for power industry operators and consumers alike.”

CNBC-TV18

Creating a Culture of LGBTQ+ Inclusion

BCG’s Kushal Khandhar joins India’s CNBC-TV18 to discuss how the country’s growing acceptance of the LGBTQ community is furthering inclusion in the workforce. Khandhar shares findings from BCG’s “Out@Work Barometer” and asserts that every interaction can make or break an employee’s sense of belonging. He argues that, beyond HR policy changes, there must be a significant effort to create a company culture where every interaction celebrates diversity and reinforces inclusion.

Financial Times

How BCG’s CEO Fosters a Culture of Challenge

In an interview with the Financial Times, BCG’s CEO Rich Lesser discusses the importance of fostering a culture where employees are empowered to share their honest views and not just reaffirm the ideas of senior leadership. He reflects on how nearly three years ago, partners started urging him to use the company’s resources to tackle climate change; as a result, BCG has since committed to achieving net-zero climate impact by 2030 and has established guidelines to ensure the firm works with companies that have the same environmental priorities.

Financial Times

BCG Reduces Business Travel to Lower Its Carbon Emissions

BCG’s Mai-Britt Poulsen tells the Financial Times that, as part of its efforts to reach net zero by 2030, the firm will reduce air travel for internal staff and recruitment events. The move is enabled, in part, by the increased focus on online training during the COVID-19 pandemic; with business travel accounting for more than 75% of many firms’ carbon footprints, BCG is making an active effort to drastically decrease its carbon emissions by 2025.

CNBC

BCG’s CEO Pushes for Continued Flexible Work Models

BCG’s CEO Rich Lesser joins CNBC to talk about post pandemic work models. He highlights the importance of reconnecting in the office but urges leaders to recognize that employees are coming back with different expectations about flexibility, and that pre-COVID models might not be as effective as before. Lesser believes in maintaining hybrid work and says “we can operate in different and more positively impactful models for employees and still retain high productivity for our organizations.”

CNN Business

3 Ways Companies Can Help Advance Racial Equity

In a coauthored guest commentary for CNN Business, BCG’s CEO Rich Lesser explains why corporations and foundations have been slow to turn the $11 billion they have pledged in support of racial equity causes into real-world investments. The authors address three things corporations can do to develop new models for partnering with organizations that promote racial equity—and with other likeminded companies—to maximize their commitments on that front. These include taking a holistic and long-term approach, breaking down silos, and establishing clear metrics to measure impact.

CNN

BCG’s CEO Says Climate Must Be a Top Business Priority

In response to the UN’s recent climate report, BCG’s CEO Rich Lesser joined CNN to urge businesses and governments to work together to avoid the gravest consequences of climate change. His advice for companies is to increase their ambitions, setting the fight against climate change as one of their top three business priorities. Executives should follow through by creating measurable goals, evaluating their entire supply chains, building the fundamentals—including how to allocate capital and retrain departments—and playing an active role in public advocacy. Lesser says industries must work together to bear the financial costs of such a transformation so the effect on the consumer remains low.

Harvard Business Review

Has the Delta Variant Disrupted Your Office Reopening Plans?

In a coauthored article for Harvard Business Review, BCG’s Deborah Lovich shares six principles to guide office reopening decisions amid a new surge in infections from the Delta variant. Lovich and her coauthor write that, instead of mandating a return to office, leaders should let teams decide what works best for them to help build an environment of trust and mutual accountability. The authors also suggest that leaders become more adaptive and improve communication with employees in order to strengthen corporate culture and shape the future.

Forbes India

Responsible AI: Putting Humans at the Center of Artificial Intelligence

BCG’s Sumit Sarawgi and Sumit Arya write in Forbes India that, as organizations increasingly leverage artificial intelligence (AI) systems, it is critical to develop fair and unbiased responsible AI (RAI). According to a BCG report, 55% of organizations overestimate the maturity of their RAI systems. Sarawgi and Arya break down the distinct stages of RAI maturity (lagging, developing, advanced, and leading) and share four action items organizations can use to strengthen their systems.