IT´S IN YOU! Career & Leadership Coaching for Women

Ready to Lead with Impact? Sustainability and Leadership with Karin Ekberg

• Katharina Engelhardt • Season 1 • Episode 2

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BRIEF SUMMARY OF EPISODE

In this episode of IT`S IN YOU!, host Katharina Engelhardt welcomes Karin Ekberg, CEO and Founder of Leadership & Sustainability. With over 35 years of experience, Karin has significantly impacted sustainability, supply chain management, and leadership. She discusses the importance of sustainability leaders today and the challenges she faced in integrating sustainability into business practices long before it became a trend. They dive into Karin’s career journey, from her background in chemical engineering to founding her company, which helps businesses become sustainability leaders. Karin also shares insights on the power of role models, career advice for women, and the need for leadership skills in driving sustainability initiatives. The conversation wraps up with Karin’s vision for her company's future and how she's expanding its global footprint.


BULLET POINTS OF KEY TOPICS & CHAPTER MARKERS

  • 00:00 Introduction to Karin’s Career Path
    Katharina introduces Karin Ekberg and her impressive background in chemical engineering and sustainability. Karin shares her early career journey and how her mother served as a role model, influencing her decision to pursue a career in engineering.
  • 02:58 The Importance of Sustainability Leaders
    Karin explains why sustainability needs to be embedded in leadership roles and how companies can become sustainability leaders with a structured, systemic approach.
  • 08:52 Role Models & Career Inspiration
    Karin discusses the significance of role models in her life, including her grandfather and her parents, and how they shaped her mindset about environmental responsibility and career success.
  • 13:55 The Significance of Leadership Skills in Sustainability
  • 22:59 Advice for Women Pursuing Careers in Sustainability
    Karin advises women in the sustainability field, emphasizing the importance of leadership, influence, and developing business skills alongside technical expertise.
  • 28:08 Karin’s Vision for Leadership & Sustainability
    Karin discusses her company's future, including expanding its global reach and building services in new markets such as China and Latin America.


RESOURCES & LINKS


CALL TO ACTION, EPISODE LINK & CONTACT INFO

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Contact: katharina@katharinaengelhardt.com


Introduction
Katharina Engelhardt (00:00)

Hi Karin, welcome to the You Got This Podcast.
Karin (00:03)Hello Katarina, thanks so much for inviting me.

Katharina Engelhardt (00:07)

Maybe before we start talking, let me just introduce yourself a little bit to the audience. And I give you room as well to talk about yourself because your career and your career path is so impressive. I think that's a good inspiration for a lot of our female listeners. So what's driving you? And I was now reading your webpage from your company because you're the founder and CEO of a company which is called Leadership and Sustainability. And what drives you is that we need sustainability leaders and leaders knowledgeable in the best practices within sustainability, which I find a very important statement specifically at the times we are having. You're helping companies to become sustainability leaders in their respective industry. And you start from the first impact to the, you know, getting really fine -tuned in the approach for sustainability when you're talking to companies. What makes you special is you have 35 years of extensive work experience to improve performance in the corporate strategic level and at the facility level. You stand out from the crowd with your systemic approach coupled with engineering and manufacturing knowledge and a drive to create change with measurable results. That's a big, big statement. What you're bringing with yourself is expertise in sustainability, materiality, value chain and business integration, manufacturing sustainability, and Supply Chain Management. And you have been awarded a Leadership Award from the HICS index verification in 2019. That's a massive achievement. Congratulations!

Karin (01:43)
Thank you so much.

Katharina Engelhardt (01:45)
And I've seen from your website that your team is really diverse. From gender, nationality, age, you've got it all.

Karin (01:55)
Yes, yes, we have.

Katharina Engelhardt (01:57)
Tell us a little bit about your career, Karin.

The importance of sustainability leaders and a systemic approach

Karin (01:59)
Yes, happy to do so. So, well, career starts, of course, with education. And I choose my education, chemical engineering, because I was very good at science and mathematics. And I like the topics and I also love learning. And I can also confess that my mother was a role model here because she also studied chemical engineering. And...

I have created and taken career opportunities as they have presented themselves. My first job was at a company that built water and wastewater treatment plants. And so the environmental focus was given from the very beginning. And a few years later, I had the opportunity also to expand to social and governance topics. And from there, it has evolved based on what I felt was important at the particular time I was in my career. So I...

There was no clear career path from the very beginning and I guess nobody has that really. I just always wanted to make a difference and create also measurable results. But there was a turning point that it didn't look like a turning point at that time. But when I look back, it does. This was about a change in mindset for me. And that was the ISO 14001 standard which is the ISO environmental management system standard. And it was launched in 1996 and its intent is to reduce pollution before it occurs by managing the practices and processes in, for example, a factory. So with input management. And at that time I was in my 20s still. And with ISO 14001,

I learned how important a systematic and structured approach to the entire sustainability area is, and probably to many other business areas as well. And this has impacted my mindset and thinking and shaped also my career ambitions since then, so for the past 30 years.

Katharina Engelhardt (03:52)
Okay.

I like it because what you're saying is so true. Do we always know where we are ending from our career? I don't think so, but you know, the passion is leading us somewhere, isn't it?

Karin (04:16)
Yes, yes, exactly. Yeah.

Katharina Engelhardt (04:18)

And that's what I really liked in your TED talk when you were talking about your granddad and your father and your mum as role models. Help me a little bit, how important are role models for you and maybe there's a little bit of advice.

Karin (04:32)

Yes, role models, I guess you can have them for a lot of different things. But I mean, these are people who can show what is possible and how. So when you are younger, you see people who are a bit older who have come further in their career path and you see, wow, it is possible to do this. And you try to understand how did they get there? And what are they doing in order to to keep that position or to be these type of persons that they are. So you like it, you see how they behave, you like the person and you wish to be like them and you start learning from them and applying your learnings on your own daily work and life. But role models, they can also show you things that you may not have been considering before. Role models challenge your assumptions and beliefs and that's perhaps also a really important role. That they may have. And this is what how it was with my grandfather. So in my TED talk, I told the story about how I when I was a really, really small child used to go for walks with him. And he always picked up the litter along the path we walked. And so he made me think and ask myself why he was doing that. And I understood the impact of pollution and the responsibility to do some to do something about it.

Katharina Engelhardt (06:00)

which is at this time when this happened and I'm not, you know, at the moment sustainability is in and everyone talks about sustainability, but you started very early in your career when it was not the fashion or the hot topic, you started incorporating sustainability already in your thinking and as well in your career somehow.

Karin (06:20)

Yes, you can say I did. As I said, it was the first job I had with water treatment and wastewater treatment. From there on, I have continued in the sustainability area. I just love the area. I think it is such an important area.

Katharina Engelhardt (06:38)

definitely isn't. And this is how we met, isn't it, when we were both working at Adidas and we were, I think, the head of environmental services, taking really care about the company -wide environmental strategies and the programs for the company's internal business operations, so inside and outside, which was, I think, very early from an industry perspective.

Karin (06:46)

Yes. Yes, I think for this sector, for the apparel, food and textile sector, had been focusing a lot on social topics. So mainly on the labor compliance topics in the supply chain. So, but at the beginning then, that was 2010, 2009, I joined Adidas. So at that time, some brands started to consider also environmental, the environmental area.

And of course today it's an important area, likewise like the social area for most brands.

 Katharina Engelhardt (07:38)

It is important. What I like as well, and this is why we kept in contact all the time, your subject leadership and sustainability. I mean, it's, you know, distinct areas, but you combine it. And I think you have motivated me as well to follow my passion. I followed your newsletter since you started your company or since you started the newsletter. I don't know if you knew this before. No, but it was...

Karin (08:02)

No, I didn't.

The role of role models in career development
 
Katharina Engelhardt (08:04)

Yeah, but it really intrigued me, you know, this combination of, you know, sustainability and leadership. Why did you choose this one? Why do you think it's so important?

Karin (08:14)

Yes, it may have to do with the history of sustainability. So, more than 35 years ago, when I first entered this area and had my first job, it was a challenge to explain why you need to implement sustainability practices or why you need to manage your processes in order to reduce pollution and to improve the environmental performance. And...

I think it has remained like that. Very often you need to explain why is this important. So that question has been with me for a long time and I have had a lot of pushbacks. You know, when I wanted to implement, for example, environmental strategies also in other companies, there was a lot of pushback. You always had to argue for your case. And so it has led to my thinking that leadership is important because you...

As a sustainability expert, you can only get so far if you only have the technical expertise. In order to be successful, you also need to develop leadership skills. You need to learn to inspire, motivate, engage, teach other people for your topic, sustainability. So you need to learn also to speak with leaders of organizations.

perhaps sometimes convincing them to commit to sustainability, sometimes explain in the business case. And on the other hand, we need leaders who adopt sustainability challenges and programs and who commit themselves to sustainability, who learn how to apply their management, business and leadership skills in the area of sustainability and who also learn how to integrate sustainability into each and every business function in their value chain and into their daily operations. So that's why those two, you know, those two words, let's say are so important to me and the combination of them.

Katharina Engelhardt (10:20)

I think the combination, and that's so true because being an expert doesn't bring you so far, you know? But if you really want to have an impact, you need to want others to do the same, isn't it? So it comes about influencing skills, storytelling, you know, really understanding how the end -to -end operation works. What's in it for the company? I think that's very complex topics, isn't it?

Karin (10:30)

Mm -hmm.

Oh, for sure it is, for sure.

 Katharina Engelhardt (10:44)

So if I were to start a career in sustainability, what advice would you give me?

Karin (10:51)

Yes, and one advice I would have given myself as a younger employee, I would have suggested that I also take a business degree. So for example, studying MBA or to learn also the business perspective, because I have learned it only by doing and by trying to understand the companies that I have been working for.

But I think a systematic approach, a systematic learning in this area would have been helpful really for me. And also now with my own company that I started eight and a half years ago. Of course, we have been growing quite fast and we are now a global organization with even a bit of a complex setup for our size. And so I do need to know a lot also about business and organizational topics.

But the advice that I would give other than that is to really decide what is important to you, what you like and where you want to commit yourself. Because you spend so much time in your work and in your career and it's so important that you do something that is really important for you and that you like. and then invest into your education and into your profession. So because this is your capital and you will need to be able to build from it during your entire life. So even when you are retired, since it will influence which pension you have. And this is when we speak to female leaders and even young females. In my view, it's so important that we as women also take responsibility for our professional life for our financial situation. And then be clear that the rules in the business world, that they are as they are, you may wish them to be different, but as long as they are what they are, you need to play by the rules and seek to find ways and find your own ways of doing so. So it doesn't help to complain about this or that, but...

Katharina Engelhardt (13:00)

Hmm.

The significance of leadership skills in sustainability

Karin (13:13)

Of course we all do that, but look out for how you can contribute to the organization you work for and how you can influence the situation in a positive way. Be prepared also to take responsibility, but not to expect that you can just give it away just like that again. I mean, if you take responsibility, then you need to do it wholeheartedly and be prepared to follow through. Tell yourself and others, I will do this.

I will complete this. And then also dig where you stand. As I said, I didn't have a clear career path from the beginning. Do whatever you can out of where you are today and the opportunities that arise from where you are today. And also love your work or, as I said at the beginning, change to a job that you love. You know, so. And give your engagement and your energy.

Katharina Engelhardt (14:04)

Yeah.

Karin (14:10)

be prepared to give that energy that you have inside yourself. So then also one thing, I think it is important to work on how you present yourself and how you speak. Do you show that energy? Do you show that engagement, your commitment and your contribution? Are you responsive? Do you show integrity? And yes, and...

Katharina Engelhardt (14:26)

Oh, that's so important, yeah.

Karin (14:38)

From another perspective, be open for new challenges and opportunities as they arise and do the very best you can because it's like, it's your capital, it's you, it's your life and to do something just half -heartedly, it wouldn't make a difference really and probably you would not be very satisfied with it either. And then be true to yourself and your own beliefs and something more practical. Organize yourself well. Keep yourself healthy. I do a lot of sports. Nearly every day I do some sports. I like walking, biking, trekking, jogging, if I can. And I think that is important as well. So you need to have...

Katharina Engelhardt (15:14)

Yeah, that's super important. Self -management.

Karin (15:37)

a good physical constitution as well. Create good and supporting habits. So habits are difficult to break, but you can build habits. And I think this could be for any area that you find importance to really build good and supporting habits as well.

Katharina Engelhardt (15:41)

balance isn't it?

There are so many nuggets in there, Karin, so many nuggets. I think what really stands out is this is owning your career and being open to where it leads you. If you know what you want to have from a content perspective, your heart will tell you the next steps, yeah, because you have a purpose. What I've heard as well is like, be accountable, yeah, go to yourself. And you know, what I really find interesting is this.

Karin (16:09)

Mm -hmm.

 Yeah.

 Katharina Engelhardt (16:28)

you need to somehow accept the rules of the game and don't complain but be part of the change. I don't think that's what you meant, accepting the rules but the rules are there, how can you make them work for you? And how do you adjust to them? Because some things you cannot change. An international career is an international career. The only thing you can decide is whether you're going on the train or not. But if you're choosing to be on the train, you know what?

 Karin (16:44)

Yes. Yes.

Katharina Engelhardt (16:58)

what is expected, isn't it? You have been moving around in the world, haven't you?

Karin (17:03)

Yes, I have.

International careers
Katharina Engelhardt (17:04)

Did you make any sacrifices or was it clear for you? Help me, because that's most a point, a topic where women are struggling for these international careers.

Karin (17:16)

Yes. Well, I think it is something you cannot plan for either. So those are opportunities. So I came to Switzerland when I was 21 years old to finish my chemical engineering studies there at the University at the ETH, at the Technical University in Zürich. And then I got my first job in Switzerland. So.

In the end, I lived there for 14 years. And then I spent one year in Brazil and later I came back then to Sweden, which is my home country. And there I lived 10 years before I moved to Germany. So I've been living here in Germany now for more than 15 years. And the reason I moved to Germany was actually Adidas and the role as a head of environmental services at Adidas. And yeah, I cannot say that it was planned from the beginning at all. But yes, you sacrifice, of course. And I feel, for example, more and more now with age that I have my family in Sweden, I miss my family in Sweden, I miss the culture in Sweden from time to time. And therefore also for since a few years, I'm spending more time in Sweden now than what I was due. than what I was doing previously. And so you can say that is a bit of a sacrifice that you don't always be, you are not always very near to your original family, of course. You have your own family, of course. So I'm married to a German man. So of course I have my nearest family here. So that is something. And...

Then of course you need to learn the languages, which is great. I like languages. And you need to learn about new cultures, which is also good for an international company. You do get some understanding. I mean, I have spent quite a lot of time in Asia as well. I have never lived in Asia, but I have spent quite a lot of time in Asia with the different companies that I have been working for.

 Katharina Engelhardt (19:28)

exactly.

 Karin (19:42)

And I think that's really valuable to have that opportunity. And it is really an opportunity to be able to see how other people live and how they operate and their culture.

 Katharina Engelhardt (19:48)

Thank you.

 I think that's really an enrichment to learn about the world in a more closer world. It's not like holiday, you jump in and you jump out, but you're really getting closer to the countries. And when you talked about labor, being part of the job, I think what really helps us to understand not only the economy, but as well how people live and about values. I find this super important.

 Karin (20:20)

Yes, yes. And you know, for example, my I have one son, he's now 25 years old. But when we moved to Germany, he started he joined an international school. And I can only tell you how much it has shaped him when I look at him and hear him, how much he understands from diversity and inclusion. And, you know, about all sorts of on diversity topics and it comes natural to him because he was nine years old when we moved here. So he has just gotten that, so to say, from the very beginning. And so it's just impressive to see how you can get so, become so global, let's say, in your mindset.

Katharina Engelhardt (21:10)

which I find interesting as well. And this is, you know, the sacrifices you are making, you're giving something to the next generation. I find this, you know, when you see from a holistic point of view, that's sustainable and leadership as well, isn't it? To invest. If you think about it, isn't it?

Karin (21:22)

Yes, yes, yes.

 

Being open to new challenges and staying true to oneself

 

Katharina Engelhardt (21:29)

One more question is we talked about own your career and find passion. How did you define success for you?

Karin (21:36)

Yes, to be content with what I do, to have the feeling that I have done my best, that I have created results and that I can see the results and that I feel that, yeah, this is my life. This is what I have shaped and what I have created. Yeah.

Katharina Engelhardt (22:00)

You know, when I listen to you and we do this by video when we talk for the podcast interview, your face and your whole body language is so relaxed, so you're completely in tune with what you're doing. And that's so good to see, you know, to see someone talking about career, you know, being in sync with yourself, isn't it?

Karin (22:22)

Mm -hmm. Yes.

 Katharina Engelhardt (22:24)

So this trusting in yourself is super important and understanding and you know making mindful decisions as well when you sacrifice something you do it for purpose.

Karin (22:33)

Yes.

Katharina Engelhardt (22:34)

If we were to describe you in one word, what would this word be? I like this exercise.

Karin (22:41)

I think it might be committed, inspired perhaps. At least inspired is a really strong, important value for me. Because it drives me. The question, what inspires me?

 Katharina Engelhardt (22:45)

Hmm.

What inspires you?

Karin (22:58)

to do what I do?

Katharina Engelhardt (23:00)

This is the synchronicity of your purpose and who you are. I find this very encouraging. What advice would you give females in today's environment about their careers?

Karin (23:15)

well, also to do what inspires them. And what I wanted to say as well is that it really inspires me to see how I can impact people and to see how people in my company as well, we have been growing and we have such great teams. And it's so nice to see how things evolve, how projects evolve, how they take care of our clients, how well prepared they are, how well organized they are, how kind they are and competent with our clients. So, yes, I don't know what else I can tell about as an advice than what I have already said before. Be yourself.

Katharina Engelhardt (24:07)

I think you get to be yourself and own your career and what I find is very important. Think about not only now but as well about the retirement. I think that's an important advice as well. You know, you're responsible. My mum always told me, I'm sure your mum did as well, that I need to be always able to support myself. You know, I should never ever rely on someone doing it for me. But it's my career and my life is in my hands, which is threatening when you're 18, but I think very true when you're in your 50s, isn't it? Because then you realize that's right.

 

Karin (24:43)

Yes, that's true.

 

Katharina Engelhardt (24:46)

Karin, what are you up to next? Because I will be linking in the show notes your company page and your profile. And of course, you're inspiring a TED talk about sustainability and leadership and the importance of role models. What's next? What do you want the people to know?

 

Karin (25:01)

You mean about the company or?

 

Katharina Engelhardt (25:03)

Yeah, or what's your next up because you're expanding your company and you're making it a really global player.

 

Karin (25:11)

Mm -hmm.

 

Yes, we will be expanding to more countries. For example, right now we are in the process of setting up a legal entity in China. We already have a team working for us there, but we are now setting up a legal entity in China. There may be also some other regions, for example, Latin America, where we are not yet present, but we are doing some work in Latin America.

 

And then we will also be expanding regarding certifications. So for certifications for the supply chain, for example, but we will also be expanding our strategy services. So we have just had one more senior people joining our company and I'm really happy about that. And we will continue to grow our strategy team and to deliver different services. So, yeah.

Katharina Engelhardt (26:10)

lot of plans ahead. And you know what I remember what you said is, you know, if you would, you know, the thinking of having had an MBA and, you know, I think building a company and running it is so much different than to a career in a corporate environment. You know, it's a huge transition, isn't it?

The importance of organizational development in sustainability
 
Karin (26:25)

Yes, yes it is in a way. But you know, I have been working in consulting companies two and four as well. So I basically been going between consulting companies and the business brands, let's say, throughout my career. And I think also, at least in the area of sustainability,

If you work with a corporation like Adidas, you are also a sort of a consultant. Because you have so many different internal stakeholders, you have many different external stakeholders, and you need to find a way to advise the business on how to integrate sustainability into their business functions. So it is in that sense very similar, but then of course, from a business perspective, it's different.

Katharina Engelhardt (27:05)

don't call this it. Yeah.

Karin (27:25)

You have the marketing and sales in your own business, in your own consulting business in a way of course that you wouldn't have when you are employed with another company. Organisational questions, also with growth comes always organisational questions. So, responsibilities too. But, you know, every day I'm asking myself, are we organised the way we should be? And how do we need to continue to develop our organisation in order to be effective and even more effective?
Katharina Engelhardt (27:39)

and responsibility. which I think the same questions everyone could apply to their careers. Am I set up for success?

Karin (28:04)

Mm -hmm. Yeah. Yes.

 

Closure

 

Katharina Engelhardt (28:08)

Karin, I really enjoyed our talk and you have been a role model for me since we met at Adidas, you know, and I really followed your journey and you inspired me as well to follow my passion. So I really appreciate it and we need role models like you because I'm confident that everyone has, you got this, you have it in you, you know, you need to find your purpose, follow it through and take responsibility.

 Karin (28:32)

Thank you so much, Katarina. Thanks.

 Katharina Engelhardt (28:33)

Thank you so much. Take care. Bye.

Karin (28:36)

Bye bye.