At the Annual Forum of the German business school ESMT Berlin, CD&R Partner Björn Killmer discussed the integral role of private capital in supporting the transformation of companies towards a more sustainable future. The Berlin conference was attended by several hundred people and featured executives from leading German and European companies, including the CEOs of DAX-listed companies Bayer, Mercedes-Benz, RWE, SAP and Siemens. The forum "Sustainable transformation – leading change for business and society” fostered an in-depth exchange between international leaders on how to make sustainable transformation possible. 

In a panel session presented by German TV-journalist Monika Jones, Björn Killmer discussed with Werner Baumann, CEO of Bayer AG, Dr. Markus Krebber, CEO of RWE AG, and Emma Marcegaglia, Chair and CEO of Italian steel-manufacturer Marcegaglia Holding, the question of how to establish the right framework for sustainable transition.

“Private investors, especially those with a focus on operational improvement, have the ability to help drive business transformation,” said Björn Killmer. “I believe we can apply the same core principles of concrete and nimble action to help integrate ESG into business processes, with the ultimate goal of creating value for the company and its stakeholders.”

The ESMT Annual Forum connects CEOs and other executives of leading global companies with academics and politicians to discuss current topics in management and leadership. In this year’s edition, the panelists and participants analyzed various aspects of sustainable transformation from different stakeholder perspectives.

About ESMT Berlin
ESMT Berlin is the highest-ranked business school in Germany and Top 10 in Europe. Founded by 25 leading global companies, ESMT offers master’s, MBA, and PhD programs, as well as executive education on its campus in Berlin, in locations around the world, online, and in online blended format. Focusing on leadership, innovation, and analytics, its diverse faculty publishes outstanding research in top academic journals. Additionally, the international business school provides an interdisciplinary platform for discourse between politics, business, and academia. ESMT is a non-profit private institution of higher education, accredited by AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS, and FIBAA, and is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion across all its activities and communities.

About Clayton, Dubilier & Rice
Clayton, Dubilier & Rice is a private investment firm with a strategy predicated on building stronger, more profitable businesses across a broad range of industries, including Industrials, Healthcare, Consumer, Technology and Financial Services. Since its inception in 1978, CD&R has managed the investment of more than $40 billion in over 100 companies with an aggregate transaction value of more than $175 billion. For more information, please visit www.cdr-inc.com.