My name is Ilham Kadri — I joined The B Team in September 2021. It is a blessing to be part of a collective of leaders who value progress over perfection, who never stop innovating, who remain focused on action and sustainable solutions.

For me, sustainability started at home. I was raised by my grandmother in a loving home in Casablanca, Morocco. We didn’t have much. In fact, we simply did not have the luxury to waste. We turned a constraint into wisdom that I have carried through every chapter of my life, making it my mission to demonstrate that business can be both sustainable AND profitable.

Today I have the honor to lead 13,000+ explorers in the newly created Syensqo, a global science company. It’s a spin-off from 160-year-old Solvay, one of the most iconic companies in the history of innovation and scientific progress, which I had the honor to lead and transform since 2019.

You may have never heard of Syensqo (or Solvay, for that matter). We are just about everywhere in your life, albeit invisible! Our materials are advancing the way people live, work, travel and play. We were on board the rocket that sent Neil Armstrong to the moon. We are present in half the electric vehicles in the world, 85% of flying vehicles, 90% of advanced semiconductor chips and 25% of all your shampoo.

Chemistry is everywhere — and it’s an emissions-intensive industry, there’s no hiding the fact. Achieving net zero is complicated in hard-to-abate sectors like ours. We need clean, affordable energy at large scale, allowing us to stay competitive. Chemistry is the mother of all industries — it is actually all about life itself. What brought me to chemistry is my passion for sciences. My belief has always been that we are part of the problem AND key to the solution. There is no recycling, no circular economy, no clean energy transition, no sustainable life without chemistry.

At Syensqo, we are committed to sustainability AND profitability. If it’s not profitable, eventually it becomes unsustainable! With generative AI, innovation is accelerating and sustainable industrial solutions are primed for scaling: EV batteries, green hydrogen, bio-based materials and more. Customer demand is already there. This is a lifetime opportunity to transform our industry for the better AND unlock shareholder value. Part of the reason we spun off Syensqo from Solvay is to accelerate the industry’s decarbonization. We’re on track to become carbon neutral by 2040 — a decade earlier than our sister company. I know we can do it.

I see sustainability as a humanist. It’s about the people’s prosperity — the profits needed to continue catering to human progress and healing our home planet. Advancing a better life, circularity and climate action are the three pillars of our holistic One Planet sustainability roadmap at Syensqo. On the people’s side, I am proud of what we have achieved in just 5 years: offering 16 weeks of co-parental leave for all, ensuring minimum living wage by 2026; launching a first-of-its-kind employee shareholding program; taking action to close the gender pay gap; covering all employees with a care agreement; and setting up a philanthropic solidarity fund for all. These initiatives were launched alongside our circularity targets and climate ambitions.

With such ambitious goals, collaboration is mission critical — within our company AND across industries. We can’t do it alone, which is what initially drew me to The B Team. As chair of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), president of Cefic, the European Chemical Industry Council, and vice chair of the European Round Table for Industry (ERT), I experience firsthand the power of united leadership in driving change. At the WBCSD, with our more than 230 members worldwide, we are leading crucial workstreams on climate action, nature-positive roadmaps and fighting inequality. We are driving change together and worldwide.

The leaders I admire most are those who practice the power of AND. (I made it a podcast.) By this I mean embracing ideas and behaviors that others might perceive as opposite or in conflict. Leaders who are daring AND caring. Leaders who are guided by science AND deeply human. Leaders who are strong yet humble AND show vulnerability. Leaders who are frugal, drive prosperity AND give back. The power of AND is about believing in and embracing both. Surely, our political discourse could benefit from the AND mindset! It is so important to listen to people with different viewpoints, rather than dismiss or vilify them.

A scientist by trade, I see things in different ways. In part, this is what The B Team is all about: We align our vision, strengths and lived experiences to catalyze meaningful change that leaves no one behind. It is a joy and a privilege to be part of this group of CEOs and civil society leaders pushing for climate action in corporate boardrooms and at the government level. Together, we are working to redefine the role of business in society, with an emphasis on sustainability, equality and accountability.

CEOs are at the service of the business and its people — not the other way around. My role is not only to leave Syensqo in better shape, but to keep in mind that I am there to pass the baton to the next generation of leaders. As an African by birth, transmission has been a part of me all my life.

The future is bright if we accelerate scientific discoveries, if we listen to and lean on our youth. I have so much empathy and respect for them, and they are very generous with their wisdom. Young leaders are teaching me to unlearn and relearn. They mentor and inspire me to build a legacy that matches their needs and dreams.

There is little room in the world for companies that are not serious about sustainability, so let’s get back to it. We all have a role to play, more than ever. We are the very last generation who have the luxury to make a change.

"The Catalyst" is The B Team’s monthly newsletter which showcases ways in which leaders are advocating a better way of doing business. Subscribe to receive updates.