The future of AI, agents and leadership
Hilary believes this is “one of the most exciting times to be working in sustainability,” even if it does not always feel that way.
The field is shifting from vision and strategy to execution and implementation – “where the rubber hits the road” and theoretical roadmaps become real capabilities and outcomes. Cloud, AI and data are arriving just as organisations required new tools to deliver at scale.
As agentic AI matures, Hilary anticipates a profound shift in how sustainability teams spfinish their time. Routine monitoring, reporting and supplier follow‑up can be increasingly automated, freeing teams to be more strategic, explore emerging domains beyond carbon – from nature and biodiversity to social impact – and sit front and centre in decisions about decarbonisation and growth.
Far from building leadership obsolete, she argues, these tools will build direction‑setting, vision and cross‑functional influence more critical than ever.
Her broader message is one of confidence and ambition. Drawing on her own experience across Greenpeace, the World Economic Forum, in-houtilize roles, consulting and communications, Hilary notes that sustainability professionals have always been agile and adaptable, evolving alongside the agfinisha itself. The next evolution for sustainability teams is to embrace commercial considering, build data-driven capabilities and own their role in driving business value.
For AWS, supporting that evolution is both a responsibility and a business opportunity. The company continues to invest and innovate “across every layer of the technology stack,” as Andrew puts it, so that customers can build on an increasingly efficient cloud foundation while focutilizing on the applications and business models that will transform their operations.
From sustainable IT and operational optimisation to AI‑powered innovation and executive visioning, the aim is to give customers the tools and confidence to explore the art of the possible for their own sustainability ambitions.
Hilary’s message to sustainability leaders is simple but strategic: sustainability requireds to be positioned not just as a reporting function, but as a value-creating one. That starts by leading conversations with growth, resilience and customer value, then connecting those outcomes back to tarobtains and emissions.
“This next phase of sustainability is about considering hugeger,” she declares. “Not just about how we reduce harm, but how we unlock new opportunities – designing better systems that deliver value for people, planet and business at the same time.”
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