September 29, 2021, New York: The B Team announced that Jesper Brodin, Chief Executive Officer of Ingka Group (IKEA), and member of The B Team, has been appointed chair of the group today.

The B Team is a collective of global business and civil society leaders working to catalyze better business practices for the wellbeing of people and the planet. The announcement of Brodin as chair coincides with the launch of The New Leadership Playbook, a collection of stories, insights and resources on 21st-century business leadership. This includes 10x Bolder, a conversation-based podcast series exploring how leaders align values with influence. Whether creating opportunities for refugees, implementing “open hiring” practices or corralling heads of state toward greater climate ambition and action, these stories offer honesty, inspiration and insights for current and emerging business leaders alike.

Outgoing Chair and former CEO of Unilever Paul Polman said: “I can think of no one better to take the reins than Jesper. He is a courageous, impatient and an inclusive leader, which is exactly what we need in this critical decade of action. It has been a huge privilege for me to help lead The B Team, galvanizing global business leaders around a shared vision of shared prosperity on a healthy planet. We, like everyone, must now step up our efforts to build thriving and inclusive societies which leave no one behind.”

Brodin’s career with IKEA began in 1995, in purchasing. He stepped into the role of CEO for the Ingka Group in 2017. Under Brodin’s leadership, the company has committed to invest 4 billion euros in renewable energy, running refugee-inclusion programs across 30 markets, reaching near-gender balance in its management and more. The IKEA ambition is to become climate positive by 2030, reducing more greenhouse gas emissions than the total value chain emits and what the company and its team are doing in this regard is featured as one of the leadership stories in The New Leadership Playbook.

Now, more than ever, Brodin sees this as a time to put these insights into action. “It’s a true honor to work together with this team of leaders and be a voice for what is important for people and the planet. Together we have a huge responsibility and an opportunity to influence and lead the transition to a net-zero future where everyone will be a winner,” Brodin says.

Since its launch in 2013, The B Team has called on leaders to step up and embrace the urgency to act boldly, for people and planet. As a collective, it has been at the forefront of advancing a Net Zero future, 100% Human Workplaces and better corporate and global governance.

Brodin takes the reins of The B Team at a decisive moment in history, as the world grapples with the interdependent crises of COVID-19, climate change, inequality and decreasing trust in institutions. And as calls for an economic reset grow louder, his appointment cements the need for radical collaboration among business, government and civil society to make this vision a reality.

“Jesper demonstrates the values-based and brave leadership this ‘decade of action’ requires. He knows how to build the cross-sector coalitions needed to deliver a positive future for people and planet alike,” said B Team CEO Halla Tómasdóttir. “We’re thrilled he will be chairing The B Team Board and look forward to working together to catalyze the economic and social reset we now need.”

Learn more on Bteam.org.

Contact

For more information, please email media@bteam.org.

About The B Team

The B Team is a global collective of business and civil society leaders working to create new norms of corporate leadership today, for a better tomorrow. Together, these leaders are holding themselves and their peers accountable for a new way of doing business — one that measures success not only by financial performance, but also by the health of people and our planet — for the benefit of generations to come.