Mike Walsh
Futurist for Leaders | CEO of Tomorrow | Bestselling Author | AI, Innovation & Organizational Reinvention
Pia Heidenmark Cook
Former Group Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA | Non-Executive Director & Senior Advisor | Author, Embedding Sustainability
Few executives have embedded sustainability as deeply into a global business as Pia Heidenmark Cook. As former Group Chief Sustainability Officer at IKEA, she led sustainability across 30+ retail countries, turning strategy into measurable action at scale. Her keynotes translate 30 years of frontline corporate experience into practical frameworks that senior leaders can act on immediately.
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Pia Heidenmark Cook biography
Pia Heidenmark Cook is one of the most experienced corporate sustainability executives in the world, with nearly three decades spent turning ambitious environmental and social strategies into measurable business results. A Swedish business leader who has worked across sectors and geographies, she is recognized for her rare ability to bridge the gap between high-level sustainability ambition and the operational realities of large organizations.
As a sustainability speaker, Pia Heidenmark Cook is best known for her tenure as Group Chief Sustainability Officer at IKEA’s Ingka Group, where she led sustainability strategy and implementation across more than 30 retail countries. She joined IKEA in 2008 and spent 13 years at the company, the last five (2017–2021) as Group CSO and member of the Executive Retail Management Team. In that role, she was instrumental in embedding sustainability into every dimension of one of the world’s most recognized consumer brands — from product design and supply chains to store operations, workplace culture, and circular business models. Under her leadership, IKEA ranked among the top three most sustainable global brands and decoupled carbon emissions from commercial growth across its value chain.
Three Decades Across Sectors and Geographies
Before IKEA, Heidenmark Cook served as Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility at The Rezidor Hotel Group (now Radisson Hotel Group) in Belgium, building sustainability programs across global hospitality. Today she enjoys a portfolio career as Non-Executive Director on the boards of Bupa, MAX Burgers, and Origin Materials, and as Senior Advisor to Eurazeo’s Planetary Boundaries Impact Fund and to Teneo. In 2024, she co-authored Embedding Sustainability: How to Drive Organizational Transformation (Kogan Page) with Lisen Wirén, a practical guide for executives navigating the sustainability transition. She has spoken at high-profile platforms including the UN, the World Economic Forum, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and joined Ingka Group CEO Jesper Brodin at the TED Countdown Global Launch to present IKEA’s climate strategy.
As a speaker, Pia Heidenmark Cook brings rare credibility to events where organizations are grappling with how to make sustainability real rather than rhetorical. She delivers keynotes, panels, fireside chats, and C-suite workshops tailored to each audience, covering circularity, net-zero strategy, AI and sustainability, and the circular economy. Senior audiences value her ability to translate complex systems thinking into concrete frameworks they can act on immediately. To book Pia for your event, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
Pia Heidenmark Cook Speaking Videos
What does it mean to live a better life within the limits of one planet?
Is tech doing enough to save the planet?
Pia Heidenmark Cook Keynote Topics
This session challenges the notion that sustainability belongs to a single team or department. Drawing on her experience scaling sustainability across IKEA's global retail network, Heidenmark Cook shows leaders how to embed environmental and social responsibility into daily operations, culture, and individual accountability — creating organizations where sustainability is owned by all and practiced by default.
Circular thinking is easy to discuss and hard to implement. Heidenmark Cook draws on real-world experience designing and launching circular offers — including rentals, take-back programs, and resale — to give audiences a clear-eyed view of what it takes to move from pilot to scale. Practical, evidence-based, and grounded in the economics of circularity.
AI presents a profound paradox for sustainability leaders: its data centers consume enormous energy and generate electronic waste, yet its analytical power offers some of the most promising tools for solving the climate crisis. This keynote helps executives understand where AI creates risk, where it creates opportunity, and how to build a strategy that navigates both.
Women are disproportionately affected by climate change, and disproportionately underrepresented in the rooms where climate decisions are made. Heidenmark Cook makes the evidence-based case for why a gender lens isn't a soft add-on to sustainability strategy but a source of insight, innovation, and more effective decision-making at the leadership level.
FAQs on Booking Pia Heidenmark Cook
Why Pia Heidenmark Cook?
Booking Pia Heidenmark Cook means bringing one of the world's most credible sustainability executives to your stage. Unlike academics or consultants, she spent years in the operational engine of a global company — embedding sustainability into IKEA's culture, supply chains, and business model across 30+ countries. She knows what works, what fails, and what it actually takes to lead organizational transformation at scale. She has been consistently ranked among the most sought-after sustainability speakers globally and has appeared at high-profile platforms including TED Countdown, the UN, the World Economic Forum, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Whether your event focuses on ESG strategy, circular economy, net-zero, or organizational culture change, Heidenmark Cook delivers substance and real-world authority that senior audiences trust. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to check her availability.
What is Pia Heidenmark Cook's book about?
Published in July 2024 by Kogan Page, Embedding Sustainability: How to Drive Organizational Transformation is co-authored with Lisen Wirén. It is a practical guide for business leaders and boards on how to move sustainability from a standalone initiative to a core driver of strategy, culture, and operations. Drawing on her career at IKEA and across multiple sectors, the book provides frameworks, case studies, and actionable guidance for executives who want to lead genuine transformation rather than greenwashing.
What did Pia Heidenmark Cook present at TED Countdown?
At the TED Countdown Global Launch in 2020, Heidenmark Cook joined Ingka Group CEO Jesper Brodin in a segment titled "How IKEA is Growing Its Business While Shrinking Emissions." Together they shared how one of the world's largest retailers built a strategy to decouple growth from environmental impact — covering the thinking behind IKEA's circular and climate ambitions, the organizational challenges of embedding that vision at scale, and the business case for treating sustainability as a growth driver rather than a cost center.
What topics does sustainability speaker Pia Heidenmark Cook cover?
Heidenmark Cook speaks on corporate sustainability strategy, circular business models, net-zero transitions, ESG governance, the intersection of AI and sustainability, gender and climate leadership, and how to create cultures of sustainability at scale. Her sessions are tailored to each client's audience and goals — from large international conferences to C-suite workshops and board advisory sessions. To discuss which topic best fits your event, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
How to book Pia Heidenmark Cook as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Pia Heidenmark Cook as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Pia Heidenmark Cook's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Pia Heidenmark Cook or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Pia Heidenmark Cook speaking fee?
Pia Heidenmark Cook speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Pia Heidenmark Cook to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Pia Heidenmark Cook.
How can I contact Pia Heidenmark Cook?
We only work with Pia Heidenmark Cook on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Pia Heidenmark Cook and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Pia Heidenmark Cook speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Pia Heidenmark Cook for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Pia Heidenmark Cook for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Pia Heidenmark Cook is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Pia Heidenmark Cook for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
