Pia Heidenmark Cook is one of the world’s most respected voices in corporate sustainability and responsible leadership, known for turning climate ambition into measurable business results. As Chief Sustainability Officer at IKEA/Ingka Group, she co led the company’s ambitious People and Planet Positive strategy, proving that growth and emissions reduction can go hand in hand. Under her guidance, IKEA became recognised as a global sustainability leader, decoupling carbon emissions from commercial growth while winning the trust of customers, co workers and stakeholders. This blend of strategic insight, operational detail and human leadership is at the heart of every keynote Pia delivers.
In her talks, Pia draws on more than three decades of international experience across sectors including retail, hospitality, healthcare, private equity and manufacturing. Before joining IKEA, she shaped the global CSR agenda as Global Vice President Responsible Business at The Rezidor Hotel Group and Chairman of the International Tourism Partnership, helping major hotel brands embed environmental and social responsibility into day to day operations. At IKEA, she progressed from Head of Communications at the IKEA Foundation to Global Head of Sustainability and ultimately Group Chief Sustainability Officer, giving her a rare, end to end view of how sustainability touches every part of a complex global business.
Today, Pia combines a portfolio of high level roles with a busy speaking schedule. She serves as Non Executive Director on the boards of Bupa, Origin Materials, MAX Burgers and Achilles Information Limited, and as Chair of the Advisory Board at The DO Group. She also acts as Senior Advisor to Eurazeo’s Planetary Boundaries Impact Fund and Senior Advisor at Teneo, working closely with CEOs and boards on climate strategy, circularity and ESG. As co author of the book 'Embedding Sustainability', Pia offers audiences practical frameworks, real case studies and honest reflections on what it really takes to shift culture and unlock value through sustainability.
Event organisers choose Pia because she speaks the language of both the boardroom and the front line. Her TED Talk, 'How IKEA is Growing Business Whilst Shrinking Emissions', and her lectures for leading institutions such as Lund University, INSEAD and the Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Leadership show her skill in making complex topics clear, engaging and actionable. Whether you are running a leadership offsite, an investor day or an all company event, Pia gives audiences the confidence, examples and tools they need to make sustainability everyone’s job and a genuine driver of long term performance.
