Systemic Thinking

Elaine O’Brien's Story

“Everyone who works in sustainability is a change manager. It's your job to move this forward, and that involves change management."
"Knowledge is key because once you can see, then you can actually react and adapt."

Integrating ESG into Everyday Decisions

Elaine O’Brien is Head of Sustainability Risk Management at Swiss Re, working on the development and application of the ESG Risk Framework. With a background in law and political science, Elaine followed her passion for the environment and human rights to work in the field of Sustainability.

Swiss Re is a leading provider of reinsurance, insurance, and other risk transfer solutions, focused on making the world more resilient. It combines expertise with innovation to help clients manage risks. Committed to sustainability, Swiss Re aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030 and integrate sustainable practices across its operations to address global challenges.

 

Sector: Insurance services

 

Employees: 14,870 globally

 

Geography: HQ in Switzerland with operations globally 

 

Website: www.swissre.com

Challenges
faced

Elaine has tackled her fair share of challenges in driving sustainability within a global company.

 

One of the biggest hurdles she faced is the complexity of change itself. Whether it’s pushing for new practices or getting buy-in from colleagues, change is never easy.

“It’s a challenge if you want to bring change in anything, and sustainability is definitely one of them.”
"You could get so focused and spend all your time on that very micro detail and never zoom out and see that the world is actually moving in another direction. It's really a dance with the system.”

Another ongoing challenge for Elaine is navigating the unpredictable nature of sustainability work. External factors, like shifting market trends or changes in company priorities, can mean that projects need to be put on hold, even when significant progress has been made.

 

Elaine also knows how easy it is to get caught up in the details and lose sight of the bigger picture. Balancing micro and the macro priorities can be a challenge.

 

Finally, ensuring her own resilience – and that of her team – is always top of mind. Sustainability work can be intense, with constant pressure to deliver.

Actions
taken

Elaine has played a key role in embedding sustainability into Swiss Re’s operations.

 

One of her team’s major achievements has been supporting the development of the company’s ESG Risk Framework, which ensures that sustainability is a core part of decision-making within Swiss Re. A critical part of this for Elaine was having a clear organizational approach to sustainability risk. To understand the broader impact of the company’s operations, Swiss Re conducts materiality and impact assessments.

"I think it's about understanding how you fit into the bigger whole."
"Although it's not always headline news, it's very important to have a good process in place.”
If you keep working all the time at full power, it doesn't last very long. So, I always encourage people to take the time to take a step back when possible."

Elaine and her team also work to make sustainability an everyday consideration for Swiss Re’s employees, especially underwriters. They have integrated ESG Risk Assessments into existing workflows and use data to guide decision-making. For instance, data on industry and country combinations prone to human rights issues helped employees better identify ESG Risks. Swiss Re’s workflow tool for business teams highlight the ESG risk sensitivity of their transaction and provide due diligence advice.

 

Elaine also ensures that her team remains resilient by adopting a flexible approach to managing workloads. She organizes work in intervals, allowing for recovery periods after intense efforts. This helps the team stay focused and energized, giving them time to reflect on emerging trends or simply decompress when necessary.

Resonance
of impact

Elaine’s work has impacted how Swiss Re integrates sustainability into its risk management and business. The ESG Risk Framework serves as a critical tool for guiding decision-making across the company, ensuring that sustainability considerations are embedded into everyday workflows. This integration has strengthened Swiss Re’s ability to respond to both financial and reputational risks, while also reinforcing its commitment to responsible business practices.

 

For others looking to drive sustainability change in their companies, Elaine emphasizes the importance of finding motivated individuals and taking a change management approach, because the topic is developing so fast and the issues are going through a maturation process that is interwoven with society and policy, as well as economics.

"The transformation of our society and businesses to a more sustainable operating model is the key challenge of our time. My personal motivation is to contribute to this and be part of the solution. We all have a role to play"

She believes that success often depends on influencing internal stakeholders and balancing internal goals with external regulations – as well as leveraging networks like WBCSD to understand what other industries are doing to build global sustainability efforts. She also suggests reading widely and getting into the details of regulations, economic and societal realities and the company’s goals in sustainability. Most importantly, however, she stresses that courage is essential – embedding sustainability requires pushing for changes that might not be immediately popular. With persistence and a clear understanding of the organization, meaningful progress can be made.

 

Looking ahead, Elaine’s next goal is to systematically integrate even more data into ESG risk analysis. With the growing availability and quality of data, she believes Swiss Re can continue to make more informed decisions and drive sustainability even further.

What Elaine found useful during her Sustainability journey

Relevant resources to Elaine’s work

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