Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert has been announced as the latest member of The B Team, a collective of global business and civil society leaders aiming to create new norms for corporate leadership.
Gellert has been at the helm of the apparel company since 2020, and recently helped oversee the transfer of its ownership which legally enshrines Patagonia’s values and purpose and allows for every dollar not reinvested back into the business to be distributed as an annual dividend to help protect nature.
In September 2022, the ownership of the business was switched to two entities, The Patagonia Purpose Trust and the Holdfast Collective, to support this new set-up.
At The B Team, Gellert will join co-founders Richard Branson and Jochen Zeitz, as well as a long list of business leaders who are united in their belief that business has both the capacity and the responsibility to become a driving force for social, environmental and economic benefit.
The need for bold leadership, particularly from business leaders, is irrefutable in today’s world, according to The B Team.
“I’m joining The B Team because they’re redefining business culture and developing better leaders worldwide,” explained the Patagonia CEO.
“I look forward to working on this collective effort with leaders I respect and pushing the business community to scale solutions to the environmental crisis and the other pressing challenges of our time.”
The B Team CEO Halla Tómasdóttir commented: “Ryan exemplifies courageous leadership.
“His unwavering yet humble commitment to the wellbeing of people and nature sets the gold standard for sustainable business practices. We look forward to collaborating with Ryan to catalyse a world where we can all love where we live and work.”
Other members of The B Team, include:
- Jesper Brodin (Ingka Group)
- Ester Baiget (Novonesis)
- Oliver Bäte (Allianz)
- Marc Benioff (Salesforce)
- Emmanuel Faber (ISSB)
- André Hoffmann (Roche)
- Ilham Kadri (Syensqo)
- Andrew Liveris (Former CEO of Dow Chemical)
- Juan Carlos Mora (Bancolombia)
- Jacqueline Novogratz (Acumen)
- Paul Polman (Former CEO of Unilever)
- Mary Robinson (Former president of Republic of Ireland)
- Hamdi Ulukaya (Chobani).
[Image credit: Green Retail World]
