#33 How Sustainability Fuels New Business Models with Ivanka Visnjic

In this episode of the Business and Society podcast, host Senthil speaks with Dr Ivanka Visnjic, Professor of Innovation at ESADE Business School, about how companies can unlock opportunities at the intersection of sustainability and innovation. Drawing from her research and fieldwork across global industries, Ivanka explains why sustainability should be treated as a transformation challenge, not a compliance exercise—one that requires the same capabilities that fuel innovation: long-term vision, experimentation, and ecosystem collaboration.

Through examples from Enel, Holcim, Suzano, Gore-Tex, and others, she illustrates how pioneering firms are turning sustainability goals into new business models, services, and markets. Ivanka also discusses the organizational shifts required to align sustainability with performance, the role of cross-sector partnerships in tackling “hard-to-abate” sectors, and why ambidexterity—the ability to balance short- and long-term priorities—is a defining skill for leaders today.

In the final segment, Ivanka reflects on how she manages differences of opinion, the essential leadership skills for the new era of business transformation, and her favorite book on climate and innovation. She also offers a preview of her upcoming book on how companies can rewire themselves to meet sustainability ambitions through innovation and collaboration.

A conversation rich with insight and practical examples, this episode explores how strategy meets society—and why the path to sustainability might just be the next great frontier for corporate renewal.

Please visit our website, www.businessandsociety.net, for more inspiration.