Students from the Sustainable Innovation MBA (SI-MBA) program at ̽̽ Grossman School of Business had the pleasure of hearing from Alex Hausman, Director of Sustainability Reporting at Google, as part of the Innovator in Residence speaker series. Alex spent the afternoon on Friday sharing his background and journey to Google, and speaking about trends and expectations for the future of corporate sustainability.
Alex has a stand-out resume with experiences at several major brands including Timberland, Disney, Nike, and Google. Alex started his sustainability career at Timberland after completing his MBA, and spent three years with the company before joining Disney, where he was tasked with creating a corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy. Following eight years at Disney, Alex joined Nike which he describes as a great blueprint for what is necessary to have corporate sustainability work be successful. About a year and half ago Alex became a Googler where his primary focus has been helping the company transition from voluntary to regulatory reporting, as the mandatory reporting landscape ramps up globally.
Outside of mandatory reporting trends, Alex also spoke about AI as it relates to sustainability and “climate transition plans,” a new requested disclosure to better understand a company’s path to achieve net zero.
To provide a closer look at climate transition plans in action, the SI-MBA cohort split into six groups, each focused on a public company with a transition plan in place. Students took a look at companies including Unilever, Mercedes, Salesforce, Nestle, and Ball and worked in their groups to evaluate each plan and its effectiveness. After about 45 minutes, the cohort came back together for a rich discussion around reactions to these climate transition plans.
Alex’s insights into the world of corporate sustainability were many, and students enjoyed hearing about a range of things from a day in the life at Google, to strategies for avoiding burnout in a rapidly evolving space, to some of Alex’s favorite projects throughout his career. A big thank you to Alex Hausman for hosting such a great session, rich in conversation and hands-on learning.
The SI-MBA Innovator in Residence speaker series provides an open and intimate forum for SI-MBA students to hear from and interact with thought leaders in the socially responsible business arena. Innovators in Residence share their personal experiences drawn from work in B Corporations, sustainable development, social enterprises, impact investing, socially responsible businesses and leading nonprofits. Learn more about the SI-MBA curriculum and Innovator in Residence program and past speakers.