We translate our claim to responsible corporate governance into concrete structures

Since when has sustainable corporate governance in terms of ESG played a central role for zeb?

Stefan Kaufmann: Almost ten years ago, we defined very specific requirements for our corporate governance in the areas of anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, data protection, employee behavior (including the behavior towards clients and suppliers), anti-discrimination and work-life balance that go beyond our market positioning. Together with our Code of Conduct, our membership in the UN Global Compact for responsible business and our sustainability rating by the rating agency EcoVadis, these actions and guidelines constitute a solid foundation on which we base our latest ESG measures. These measures are intended to increase our company’s focus on sustainable business even further. 

What is your company’s understanding of legally and ethically responsible corporate governance? 

Stefan Kaufmann: We look at our corporate governance in its entirety – it follows a vision and a strategy. The way we see it, we can only achieve a modern, responsible corporate governance by also taking environmental and social aspects into account. We are, for example, obliged as a company to reduce our CO2 emissions to “net zero” by 2045 at the latest. As the leading consultancy for the European financial services industry and therefore also the central force behind its transformation, we are subject to high sustainability standards when it comes to our own corporate governance. This is a lot of work and requires continuous development of our business model – but also of the mindsets of our individual employees.  

How does zeb want to become more sustainable in a responsible way?

Stefan Kaufmann: We have a vision of sustainable business and are constantly adapting our business and operating models to achieve our goals – just as we do in our client projects. Our approach is based on five pillars: vision and strategy, business model, operating and IT model, communication and culture. We have set ourselves overarching objectives in all these dimensions, from which we have derived concrete fields of action. This allows us to anchor our sustainability goals in the company and to make our own transformation tangible. 

And who decides on these specific steps – the Partners?

Stefan Kaufmann: There is a dedicated project group made up of various zeb experts for each of the five pillars. These colleagues identify measures that help us meet environmental, social and governance-related requirements across the board, coordinated by our CSO. They develop ideas and proposals to be approved by the ESG Steering Board. Once this committee has decided in favor of a measure, the respective project group can start implementing it. This approach allows us to leverage our network organization without being restricted by rigid hierarchies. Last but not least, we also keep our group of Partners in the loop and involve them in decisions that pertain to our overall business model. What we ultimately aim for is to pool the skills and people we need in each area to achieve our goals.