INTRODUCTION This year marks the 15th anniversary competitors, and governments to of our partnership and the 12th joint accelerate progress on a wider publication of the United Nations scale. However, these efforts are Global Compact-Accenture CEO far from enough. CEOs are calling Study on sustainability. Drawing for more concrete commitments on insights from over 2,600 CEOs to sustainability, working across across 18 industries and 128 stakeholder lines to avert countries, including over 130 in-depth global catastrophe. Sanda Ojiambo interviews, this milestone represents Assistant Secretary-General, the largest research effort in the The CEO Study pursued two Executive Director and CEO UN Global Compact history of the partnership. principal strands of research. First, we conducted a quantitative It also comes at a critical time. As assessment of 2,668 CEOs through we approach the halfway mark an online survey, translated into nine to achieve the UN Sustainable languages. Second, we conducted Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, 133 in-depth one-to-one interviews the message from CEOs is painfully with CEOs, chairpersons and clear: we must accelerate our work presidents of UN Global Compact in sustainability to build a more member companies. resilient future if we are to rescue Peter Lacy the SDGs. We are once again indebted to Global Sustainability the UN Global Compact teams, Services Lead. Our 2021 CEO Study found that and in particular to Sean Cruse Chief Responsibility Officer, Global Management business leaders were severely and Bo Yang. We also recognize Committee member off track to deliver on their the leadership of the Accenture Accenture sustainability and climate goals. team, in particular: UN programs Today, the situation is even more Lead, Michael Hughes; Study Lead, tenuous. Facing continued fallout Emilia Hull; and authors Grant from the pandemic, coupled with the Lurie, Malgorzata Pietrzyk, Emily effects of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Weaver, and Lorenzo Lewis. We broader geopolitical uncertainty, would also like to acknowledge the inequality, and climate change, considerable contributions of the CEOs report heightened frustration many other UN Global Compact and and uncertainty in preparing for Accenture colleagues who are too what will happen next. numerous to mention. As a result, CEOs are now making Finally, on behalf of the UN Global sustainability a top priority in Compact and Accenture, we would their agendas, re-evaluating their like to express our profound thanks investment criteria and developing to the CEOs and chairpersons, innovative business models enabled business leaders and other by technology to drive change. stakeholders who participated in the They are also increasingly study, making this work possible in partnering with communities, the interests of a better future. 4 5