Sustainable Edge1 Sep 2025

Sustainable Edge: Competing in the age of disruption – with Lindsay Hooper, CEO, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership

In this episode of Sustainable Edge, host Joachim Nahem, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder at Position Green, sits down with Lindsay Hooper, CEO of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL). To explore what it means to lead – and compete – in a world where climate change is reshaping the rules of business.

With more than 20 years of experience advising senior leaders across multinationals, financial institutions, and governments, Lindsay challenges the assumptions of the "ESG hype bubble" and explains why the survival of entire sectors depends on transforming markets, not just making incremental improvements.

In this episode

Lindsay Hooper unpacks how climate disruption is redefining competitive advantage and what business leaders must do to avoid being left behind. She takes us inside the latest thinking from Cambridge, including her co-authored reports Survival of the Fittest: From ESG to Competitive Sustainability and Competing in the Age of Disruption.

Learn about:

The shifting competitive landscape – Why sustainability is no longer a values issue, but a question of survival and market dominance.
The ESG bubble burst – How confidence in consumer demand, capital flows, and political consensus has faltered, creating new risks for business leaders.
From purpose to resilience – Why companies must now focus less on "hero projects" and more on systemic risk, resilience, and market-shaping strategies.
Agency and advocacy – How companies – especially SMEs – can use their voice and influence to shape regulation, counter lobbying, and build markets of the future.
Winners and losers in the transition – Which corporations and coalitions are innovating effectively, and why there's no single "right" model for success.

About Lindsay Hooper

Lindsay Hooper is CEO of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL). She has helped build CISL's global education portfolio, with more than 40,000 alumni worldwide, and works closely with boards, policymakers, and industry leaders to accelerate the transition to a sustainable economy. A leading voice on the intersection of competitiveness and climate, Lindsay advises on systemic risk, market-shaping interventions, and the commercial implications of sustainability for global business.

Resources from this episode

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