Mary Jacques: Staying Committed to Net Zero
‘Perspectives’ is a joint project of The Beautiful Truth and Leaders on Purpose. During the 6th annual Leaders on Purpose CEO Summit in September 2023, The Beautiful Truth conducted interviews with influential corporate leaders and thought leaders. The goal was to gain insight into their perspectives on purposeful business and answer the question: what actions should our businesses take in the current historical context?
Mary Jacques is the Executive Director for Global ESG and Regulatory Compliance at Lenovo, a technology company that focuses on shaping computing intelligence to create a better world. The company has longstanding sustainability goals, including committing to net-zero targets by 2050.
“Having a long-term purpose helps us keep our eyes open to possibilities and make different decisions down the road.”
How are the expectations of corporations changing?
There are new expectations for how businesses engage with ESG [environmental, social and governance]. This comes from customers setting ambitious goals, governments passing regulations, and our employees wanting to be involved. People recognise the scope of the challenges we face as a global society and look at corporations as leaders in driving solutions.
Many companies have a purpose, but not all of them lean on their purpose. In what ways is Lenovo’s purpose a guide?
Purpose is hugely important to us as leaders because it helps us motivate our teams and enhances productivity. It is a great way to build trust, give a sense of responsibility and allow for collaboration.
It can sometimes seem like investors are typically most focused on short-term returns. But having a long-term purpose and vision that you can articulate helps tell the story to investors.
We’ve tried to be thoughtful about our commitments. We’re proud to be one of the first companies to have a net-zero commitment that was validated by science-based targets.
“I like to think of my leadership as being a practical idealist.”
You have a net-zero target that is 25 years away. How do you stay committed to that amid everyday obstacles?
It’s no surprise to anyone that we’ve all been facing some different challenges over the past few years – including climate change, water resiliency and global economic issues. Purpose helps us as an organisation ensure that our employees support the long-term vision. Even if we have to be pragmatic and practical about our decisions right now, having a long-term purpose helps us keep our eyes open to possibilities and make different decisions down the road.
What are the traits that will make businesses and leaders successful?
Authenticity is hugely important because it can drive you as an individual and help you motivate your teams as a leader. It’s also important to think about purpose in terms of yourself: what is my purpose in life? What do I want to accomplish? Then, I think about my purpose in terms of my career: not just the current role I’m in but what I want to accomplish over the course of my career. What’s my purpose throughout my career? And then, what is the purpose of the organisation I work for? Hopefully, all of those align to allow you to meet your goals and live up to your purpose across all those different pillars. The last thing is courage. Leaders need courage to make the right decisions and to be able to stand up and remind others of the overarching purpose of their project or organisation.
How would you describe yourself as a leader?
I like to think of my leadership as being a practical idealist. So, we must make the best decisions that we can right now to achieve long-term, sustainable profitability.
