Pia Heidenmark Cook is prided for her work as the former Global Head of Sustainability of IKEA, in addition to the several other roles she performed for the Scandinavian Home Furnishing industry leader, in the course of 14 years. Currently a Non-Executive Director at Bupa and Senior Advisor at Teneo, Pia is passionate about proving that strong sustainability and ESG performance is proportionate to strong business performance. She is now available to speak at a wide range of events sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and communication.
Pia possesses an MBA in Economics from Uppsala University and a Master’s in Environmental Management and Policy from Lund University. Her first role was as an Environmental Consultant at Tellus Miljömanagement, soon after which she assumed the role of Global Vice President at The Rezidor Hotel Group. Here, she established and implemented CSR Programmes for 300 hotels in nearly 50 countries. She has since been the Chairman of International Tourism Partnership at the International Business Leaders Forum and Co-Chair of the Retailers’ Environmental Action Programme before joining as the Head of Communications at The IKEA Foundation.
Pia’s career at IKEA went from strength to strength as she took on more leadership roles. In 2011 she took on the esteemed position as Global Head of Sustainability for the company before becoming Group Chief Sustainability Officer in 2017. In this role she led the company to a 14% reduction in the company’s footprint and ensured that 98% of the wood used in produces are either FSC or recycled. Since leaving the company, Pia solidified her status as an expert in connecting business strategies with CSR and was named one of the Top 20 Voices in Sustainability by CEO magazine. She has taken on Advisory and Board Member positions at global companies like Decathlon, Origin Materials, Swedish company MAX Burgers, and Achilles Information Limited. Named one of the Top 5 Influencers on Climate Change Agenda, Pia co-authored “Embedding Sustainability – How to Drive Organisational Transformation”, to share a practical solution-focused guide for sustainability managers. Pia’s determination to ensure that sustainability is kept at the core of business efforts is commendable.
Named one of the Top 10 Female Leaders in Sustainability and Top 100 Climate Influencers on Twitter list in 2020, in 2024, she was made part of the Global Female Leaders’ Summit in 2021. A fervent propagator of maintaining efficient sustainability practices in business, Pia Heidenmark Cook is bound to leave your audience thinking about the importance of sustainability when hired to speak at your next event. Enquire now!
