The following is an excerpt from a column by Oliver Balch featured in the Reuters portal. Read full column here.
Hugh Welsh is a self-described pragmatist. He is also a straight-talking New Yorker. Both qualities have stood him in good stead during his three decades in corporate leadership, but never have they proved more useful than today.
As North American president and general counsel of the Swiss nutrition, health and bioscience company, Dsm-firmenich, Welsh shares a common challenge facing all business leaders based in the U.S.; navigating the extreme partisan politics that has marked Donald Trump’s second term as president.
Welsh’s strategy has been to roll up his sleeves and throw himself in. He has had half-a-dozen meetings in the White House since last January, and continues to visit Washington twice a month.
“We still need a partner in the government, including the U.S. government,” he says. “We might have differences of opinion on what the best actions are, but I don’t think anybody feels that no actions are necessary.”
So, how does a company like Dsm-firmenich, with ambitious climate goals to reach net-zero emissions across all scopes by 2045, engage with an administration that is actively hostile to concepts like climate change and diversity and inclusion?
Read the rest of the column here.
