Reflections on Power for Purpose

It has been just over a week since the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2020 (WEF), and I have been reflecting on the experience. I learned from a lot of people from different industries, organizations, and with very different world views. Today, I would like to share my reflections on two areas that are close to my heart and that align with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (UN).

Climate change was a central theme, and I was fascinated and impressed by how seriously it was discussed. It is amazing how a movement starting with a few young activists has translated into strong commitments from big business. Here at Novartis, we have set some ambitious targets - to become carbon neutral in our own operations by 2025, reduce the carbon footprint of our supply chain by at least half by 2030, and achieve plastic neutrality and water sustainability by 2030. It was impressive to see how many other global companies are making public commitments to carbon neutrality or even aiming to be carbon negative. I was delighted to be able to return home and say to my daughter, “Listen, there is some real movement going on, and I think there is a serious commitment to protecting this planet.”

Empowering women and girls is a key goal of the UN and something that I have always championed. It was encouraging to see that this year’s WEF had the greatest number of women attendees to date. But, it was disappointing that still, less than one-quarter of attendees were women.

I am fortunate that I am part of an organization that is truly passionate about developing a culture of equality, diversity, and inclusion. I was reminded one evening that this is not the case across all organizations. I attended a meeting of women leaders and heard stories from many women who spoke of experiences in reaching a glass ceiling and the impact of unconscious bias. Over the years, a lot has changed but a huge amount needs to be done to create a level playing field for everyone regardless of race, gender, or sexuality.

This was my first WEF, and I was impressed by how many commitments to action were made. I was inspired and enthused by some of the people I met who really are making a difference. Equally, I was also reminded that we, the world’s people, have a long way to go until we create a healthy equal planet that we can all share together.

Personally, one theme that resonated with me was the notion of using ‘power for purpose’ - a reminder of how important it is to use my leadership to help those impacted by cancer, be a catalyst for diversity, and to do my part in making this a better world.