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The most decorated Italian skier of all time and the first athlete in history to win a gold medal at three separate editions of the Olympic Winter Games, Deborah Compagnoni shares with Sylvain Bolt her special connection with the event, for which she serves as an ambassador for the 2026 edition.

International Olympic Committee news

Could you describe your strong connection with the Olympic Games, having become an Olympic champion three times in three different editions?

It’s a bond I feel much more deeply now than I did back then. When you’re an athlete, you live the sporting experience, the challenge and the competition with other athletes with a different mindset. My connection with the Olympics has grown over time. Now, with the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, I’ll be able to relive, indirectly, all the memories and emotions of my racing years. It’s as if, by watching the Games from the outside, you suddenly realise the magnitude of the event and how much athletes’ achievements remain etched in people’s memories.

As you grew up, did you feel the tangible or intangible legacy of the Cortina d’Ampezzo 1956 Olympic Winter Games? In what way?

I’m from Valtellina, from Bormio, but I’ve always had a very strong bond with Cortina, ever since I was little. I won my first important race there (the Italian Youth Championships).. So, from a young age, I skied on the slopes of Cortina. I went back there for regular races early in my career, then for the Italian Championships, and later for the World Cup. Cortina has hosted so many women’s World Cup races that I began returning every year: I won there, I competed there, I lived that territory and its iconic slopes, endowed with a special charm that is also the result of the 1956 Games. And we mustn’t forget the ski jump, an iconic symbol of those Games and now of the city of Cortina itself.

Did the 1956 edition in Cortina, or other editions of the Olympic Winter Games, influence your career as a young skier? Did they inspire you?

I competed in three Olympic Games. From the very first edition I took part in, something shifted inside me in terms of awareness. I realised how participating in the Games – winning them – would change not only my athletic career but also my life in general. My dearest memory is tied to the Albertville Games in 1992. Those were my first Games, and I won. That Olympics left a mark on me; it changed my life. I made a transition: from being a national team athlete, I became an internationally recognised athlete. Skiing became my profession.

Is there something symbolic about the return of the Olympic Winter Games to the Alps twenty years after Turin, and here in Italy?

Finally, the tradition of winter sports will return to the Alps in all its splendour. The Games will be a symbol of unity, and they will support the mountains. We will also see on screen the evolution that has shaped these sports over the past 20 years. The excitement is truly powerful.

What are your memories of Turin 2006?

At Turin 2006, I carried the torch, which was handed to me by Piero Gros, and I then passed it to Stefania Belmondo, who lit the cauldron. It was an intense experience, even just considering the magnitude of that stadium filled with people. Being a protagonist – and no longer just a spectator – of such a moment was incredible. You could feel an endless energy coming from the crowd in that stadium.

Tell us about your role as Ambassador for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

What I want to convey as an Ambassador for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games is the emotion the Games can generate – alongside the ethical side tied to Olympic values and the legacy that will be left to the territories.

You have always been deeply engaged in social causes as a UNICEF Ambassador and through Sciare per la Vita ODV, a volunteer organisation. Could you briefly describe the projects closest to your heart?

People need to help one another because we live in a world full of selfishness and inconsistency. There is great wealth but also great poverty, much joy but also much suffering. Illness can strike anyone unexpectedly – even children. With Sciare per la Vita, our mission has been to support paediatric care in the Lombardy region. At Sciare per la Vita we work to raise funds for organisations involved in researching and treating leukaemic diseases, through the organisation of sporting, recreational and cultural events, participation in various initiatives and many other activities.

What are your expectations for the Olympic Winter Games in your region?

More than expectations, I hope that the people living in our valleys recognise how unique and incomparable our territory is. Its environmental and scenic value is extraordinary. People in Valtellina, though deeply rooted in their land, are not fully aware of its beauty and worth. These Olympics can serve as a social catalyst – a driver of awareness – that can offer so much, not only at an infrastructural level.

This year, the Delaware Business Times once again included Denise Dignam, President and CEO of Chemours, on its Delaware 222 list of impactful leaders—a recognition that is just one reflection of her broader influence on the company and the industry. In this Q&A, Denise shares her perspectives on leadership, culture, and Chemours’ commitment to delivering against its Pathway to Thrive strategy.

Q: What was your most pivotal moment as a leader?
When I became President and CEO of Chemours, a long-term investor told me that they believed that through our founding, Chemours was set up to survive, not thrive. I took that as a challenge and an opportunity. That moment crystallized our Pathway to Thrive strategy. By getting the basics right, living our values, and building a culture of accountability and respect, we’re showing the world that Chemours is here to thrive. Our talented people are at the heart of making it possible. What excites me most is seeing our team rise to the challenge, every day.

Q: What is your toughest challenge?
Every day I’m energized by the challenge of inspiring and aligning our 6,000 global employees. My focus is on fostering a culture where everyone understands our purpose, feels empowered to contribute, and lives our shared values. When our people are engaged and connected to our mission, there’s nothing we can’t achieve together.  

Q: What’s on your bucket list?
Two things come to mind. First, caring for my mother reminds me how important it is to prioritize well-being and make time to stay strong and healthy. Second, I hope to return to tutoring, a passion of mine and something I used to dedicate a lot of my time to. I see tutoring as an extension of parenting, and I want to help parents and children have access to the resources they need to thrive. Giving back in this way is deeply meaningful to me.

Q: Is there anything you’d do over?
I don’t believe in do-overs, but I do believe in learning and growing from every experience. If I could do more of anything, it would be pushing myself out of my comfort zone—especially early in my career. For me, that meant public speaking. Doing the things that challenge us most often offer the richest opportunities for growth.

Q: What is a must-read book for leaders?
“The Hard Thing About Hard Things” by Ben Horowitz is a must-read. It’s about embracing the challenges and knowing you’re not alone. The book highlights the power of clear, honest feedback and the importance of transparency. When people can own issues and solve them together, that’s a superpower for any organization striving for continuous improvement.

Denise Dignam, the first woman to serve as President and CEO at Chemours, is recognized for her hands-on leadership and commitment to building a culture where every employee can thrive. Under her guidance, Chemours is advancing its Pathway to Thrive strategy, focusing on sustainable operations and science-driven innovation. Denise has championed investments in areas such as AI and data center cooling, while ensuring the company’s values remain at the center of its work. Her leadership is defined by a belief in transparency, accountability, and the power of collaboration to drive both business results and posi

Complimentary Webinar:

New Regulations Shaping the Food Industry in 2026

Thursday, February 19, 2026, 9:00 AM PST (12:00 PM EST)

Register Here

Join SCS Global Services for our ever-popular live webinar, designed to help food industry professionals stay informed on the latest regulatory changes impacting 2026.

During this session, our experts will cover:

• FDA, USDA, and key state regulatory updates
• Analysis and guidance on assessing risk and ensuring compliance
• Tips and tools for improving communication and implementing change within your organization

This webinar is ideal for food industry professionals including those in quality assurance, food safety, regulatory affairs, operations, leadership, and anyone responsible for ensuring compliance and managing regulatory risk within their organization. 

A live Q&A session will follow the discussion.

REGISTER HERE

By registering, you will get access to the webinar recording.

For inquiries, contact:

Shyama Devarajan 
Senior Marketing Analyst, SCS Global Services 
sdevarajan@scsglobalservices.com

In response to the confectionery industry’s efforts to reduce their reliance on cocoa by transitioning to low-cocoa and no-cocoa alternatives, Fairtrade America issued the following statement from Amanda Archila, Executive Director: 

“Companies that invest in cocoa alternatives instead of the people who grow cocoa are running away from the problems they created. Big chocolate has forced farming communities to live in extreme poverty by systematically underpaying for goods and labor for decades. Poverty across West Africa’s rural communities, where most of the world’s cocoa is grown, is so pernicious that farming parents are often tragically left with no other option than to take their children out of school to work on their farms to make ends meet.

“Pouring money into alternatives instead of into the hands of the six million people worldwide who depend on cocoa farming for their livelihood lays bare big chocolate’s greed for all to see. Farmers have been working tirelessly to adapt to climate change and build resilience in their operations, but instead of trusting them with the investments needed to improve their farms, big chocolate is abandoning them, leaving them in economic, societal, and environmental peril.

“It’s up to chocolate lovers to demand accountability. Do we want to eat real cocoa grown in real soil by real people? Or do we want to eat synthetic, imitation, or lab-grown cocoa that lets the industry off the hook and leaves farmers in the dust?”

In response to the confectionery industry’s efforts to reduce their reliance on cocoa by transitioning to low-cocoa and no-cocoa alternatives, Fairtrade America issued the following statement from Amanda Archila, Executive Director: 

“Companies that invest in cocoa alternatives instead of the people who grow cocoa are running away from the problems they created. Big chocolate has forced farming communities to live in extreme poverty by systematically underpaying for goods and labor for decades. Poverty across West Africa’s rural communities, where most of the world’s cocoa is grown, is so pernicious that farming parents are often tragically left with no other option than to take their children out of school to work on their farms to make ends meet.

“Pouring money into alternatives instead of into the hands of the six million people worldwide who depend on cocoa farming for their livelihood lays bare big chocolate’s greed for all to see. Farmers have been working tirelessly to adapt to climate change and build resilience in their operations, but instead of trusting them with the investments needed to improve their farms, big chocolate is abandoning them, leaving them in economic, societal, and environmental peril.

“It’s up to chocolate lovers to demand accountability. Do we want to eat real cocoa grown in real soil by real people? Or do we want to eat synthetic, imitation, or lab-grown cocoa that lets the industry off the hook and leaves farmers in the dust?”

The NBA honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy each January, urging fans to live his message that “the time is always right to do what is right” through meaningful civic and community action. With four nationally televised games on NBC and Peacock this year, Comcast NBCUniversal developed meaningful ways for its employees and platforms to uplift communities and inspire the next generation of creators.

Uniting in Service at Covenant House New York

On January 13, more than 120 volunteers from Comcast NBCUniversal, the NBA, the New York Knicks, Realize the Dream, Stand Together, America250, and the NBPA gathered at Covenant House New York for a day centered on youth engagement. The event was the nonprofit’s largest volunteer day ever. Across three activity tracks, volunteers:

• Led a basketball clinic on the Jr. NBA court, emphasizing teamwork and encouragement.
• Assembled kits of essential items filled with everyday items for young people overcoming homelessness.
• Joined a workforce development workshop and community discussion designed to help young people explore future pathways.

Martin Luther King III, Arndrea Waters King, and NBA legend John Starks participated in the day’s events and imparted words of encouragement, inspiring attendees to drive positive change today. Their comments emphasized Dr. King’s belief in service as a force for community transformation. Covenant House also honored the King family for its impact on the community by naming a room in their honor.

Inspiring the Next Generation of Storytellers

Leveraging the model of NBCUniversal’s Creative Impact Lab, Atlanta-based nonprofit creative agency RE:IMAGINE received a grant from NBA Foundation to have their apprentices self-produce PSAs that aired across the platforms of Comcast and NBCUniversal. The collaboration capitalized on the timeliness of NBA’s return to NBC and more specifically the Milwaukee Bucks vs. Atlanta Hawks MLK Day matchup.

The PSA features Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker and highlights the collaborative spirit that fuels excellence both on the court and behind the camera. The PSA received a shout out during the Bucks vs. Hawks MLK Day pre‑game broadcast, providing RE:IMAGINE with substantial visibility. Apprentices were also on site throughout game day, capturing content to further document the experience.

A Creative Impact Lab PSA for nonprofit partner Laureus Sport for Good is also returning to Comcast and NBCUniversal platforms. Produced by apprentices from New York-based nonprofit creative agency Reel Works, this PSA communicates Laureus’ mission through the perspective of a young basketball player and feels particularly resonant during NBA coverage.

The More You Know

NBCUniversal’s acclaimed PSA campaign, The More You Know, debuted the first social video in its new mental health series with the NBA. Timed to the Boston Celtics vs. Detroit Pistons game on MLK Day, this PSA features players Jaylen Brown, Cade Cunningham, and Duncan Robinson sharing the importance of prioritizing their mental health as athletes. Stay tuned for more content this year.

Carrying the Legacy Forward

Whether through volunteerism, youth empowerment, or storytelling, this year’s events underscored the power of coming together to serve, learn, and uplift one another, moving closer to Dr. King’s vision of unity and community strength. Comcast NBCUniversal is proud to stand alongside the NBA in honoring Dr. King’s legacy and will continue to lean into aligned organization-wide commitments that strive to make an impact this season and beyond.

International Olympic Committee news
By Marco Bonarrigo

It’s something we’ve known since childhood: that which history and geography separate, the Olympics unite. The Games bring opponents together on the podium; athletes of different languages, religions and ethnicities rub shoulders in competition; nations divided by ancient rivalries mingle in the opening and closing ceremonies. And this miracle takes place every two years, in summer and winter.

In 2026, a planet torn apart by conflict will be in real need of some miracles. But a minor miracle has already taken place here in Italy: the Games are uniting Italy’s mountainous regions like never before. These are regions that differ hugely in history and tradition in ways that are hard to believe given their proximity to each other.

The 1956 Olympic Winter Games were extremely brief (just 11 days of competition), taking place in a small area around the historic centre of beautiful Cortina d’Ampezzo. The 2006 Winter Olympics lasted 16 days and spanned an entire province – that of Turin – but went no further. The 2026 Olympic Winter Games will be the first in history to embrace the entirety of the Italian Alps, transcending ancient divisions that have become embedded in the country’s complex modern history.

The mountains around Cortina, one of the Games’ focal points – as well as Val di Fiemme, renowned for Nordic skiing and skating, and Anterselva/Antholz, the capital of biathlon – have only been part of Italian territory for just over 100 years (annexed in 1920 after the Paris Peace Conference).

The history of these areas is steeped in European traditions, and they bear the marks of the Great War when they served as border territories and endured bloody battles.

In brief, those who know our Alps understand that the notion of the “Italian mountains” is purely geographical, referring to regions enclosed within the national border. However, the reality is more complex.

Just look at the languages specific to where the Games will be held: in the mountains, Italian is always the second or third language. Ladin, Mòcheno, Cimbrian, Romansh, Camuno (almost extinct), Badiotto, Fodom, Sappadino, Sautano, Timavese and other languages are spoken in schools, public buildings and at home. These languages are still used in local newspapers and news broadcasts, and are rightly considered a source of pride by their speakers.

The languages of the Italian mountains (not dialects – that’s another story) are the wonderful legacy of around 1,000 years of history and embody ingrained traditions, secrets, rules and cultures. Local communities zealously preserve and pass on their languages. There have always been administrative rivalries between the different venues of the 2026 Games (special bylaws, differential privileges, imbalanced state investments), something that has also affected summer and winter sports tourism offerings, often creating disparities.

The Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games are the result of a long, intricate mediation process, culminating in a significant achievement: each of the six Italian Olympic sites has been recognised for its natural sporting vocation. From Val di Fiemme, which first adopted the tradition of Nordic skiing and ski jumping from Scandinavia in the 1950s; to Cortina, the cradle of bobsleigh and home to some of Europe’s most renowned Alpine ski slopes; to Anterselva/Antholz, an enduring centre of biathlon excellence; and to Bormio and Livigno, Alpine skiing paradises. And finally, to the arenas of Milan, making it the perfect venue for ice skating and ice hockey. The city also offers its temple of football, the San Siro, for the Opening Ceremony.

Italy is a nation where implementing large-scale sports projects, such as the Olympic Games, is extremely arduous due to the pervasive (and sometimes justified, given past experiences) fear of being unable to meet the challenges. Milano Cortina 2026 aims to be the first truly sustainable Winter Olympics in the Games’ long history, the first to leave a permanent, environmentally responsible legacy on fragile territories. That alone is already a huge achievement.

For decades, climate adaptation lived on the fringes of corporate strategy. It was typically addressed through insurance coverage, emergency protocols, and risk registers. These tools were helpful at the time as they helped organizations respond to disruption, but they often positioned climate considerations as something to manage episodically, rather than as part of how a business operates day-to-day and plans for growth.

In 2026, that distinction is becoming increasingly blurry. Extreme heat, water scarcity, flooding, wildfires, and energy volatility are affecting cost structures, disrupting supply chains, and constraining labor productivity and capital planning. These factors increasingly show up in routine operational and financial decisions and interact with broader economic dynamics. Climate impacts intersect with geopolitical competition, supply-side volatility, and regional fragmentation. At the same time, the transition to a low-carbon economy continues to progress unevenly across markets, with carbon increasingly subject to pricing, regulation, and disclosure expectations.

Together, physical climate impacts and transition pressures are influencing how companies plan, invest, and operate. Many organizations are approaching adaptation and mitigation as an integrated business capability, on par with financial management, supply chain planning, or cybersecurity.

Why adaptation and mitigation demand sustained leadership attention

S&P Global Energy Horizons projects that physical climate risks could more than triple corporate financial exposure by 2050, driven by asset damage, supply disruptions, and productivity losses. Despite this growing exposure, however, fewer than one in five companies have implemented adaptation measures at scale.

This widening gap between risk and readiness has profound implications for CEOs and boards, who recognize this threat. A new report from WEF found that business leaders identified extreme weather events as the greatest long-term business risk, with cascading effects across economic stability, supply chains, and social cohesion. Climate risk is now:

• Financial, affecting margins, asset values, insurance availability, and cost of capital
• Operational, disrupting production, logistics, and workforce availability
• Strategic, influencing where companies invest, source, and grow
• Reputational, shaping trust with investors, customers, regulators, and employees

For many leadership teams, climate adaptation and mitigation have become part of the broader challenge of enterprise readiness. In some cases, they are also influencing access to capital, insurance terms, talent attraction, and long-term market positioning.

Going beyond the contingency mindset

A common constraint on progress is how climate adaptation is still framed inside organizations.

When it is treated primarily as contingency planning, it tends to be reactive and episodic. Plans are developed, documented, and revisited only after disruption occurs, while ownership is often spread across risk, sustainability, operations, and finance teams with limited integration into core decision-making.

A capability-based approach works differently. Business capabilities are embedded and inform everyday decisions, supported by data, systems, governance, and incentives.

Climate capability emerges when organizations integrate climate risk, resilience, and carbon considerations into the core of how the enterprise runs.

The four pillars of climate capability

1. Supply chains designed for disruption

Global supply chains are increasingly exposed to climate volatility and regulatory pressure. Highly optimized, linear supply chains designed primarily for cost efficiency have shown limitations under these conditions. Many organizations are adjusting value chains to improve resilience and address emissions. Supplier diversification, regionalization, circular material flows, and better data sharing can reduce exposure to physical disruption and, in many cases, lower Scope 3 emissions. In practice, efforts to improve decarbonization and resilience often reinforce one another.

What this requires is more reliable, timely data across supply chains, so that COOs are empowered to turn insights into meaningful outcomes.

2. Assets and infrastructure built for a changing climate

Facilities, equipment, and logistics networks are increasingly exposed to chronic stresses, such as heat and water scarcity as well as acute events like flooding. At the same time, carbon-intensive assets face growing transition risk as energy systems and regulations evolve.

A capability-based approach evaluates assets through a dual lens: physical climate exposure and carbon intensity. This informs where companies locate facilities, how they maintain them, and when they invest in retrofits, electrification, or renewable energy.

Investments in energy efficiency and clean energy can reduce emissions while also moderating exposure to energy price volatility and supply disruptions.

3. Workforce resilience as a business priority

Climate impacts are also affecting people. Rising temperatures and extreme weather are already reducing labor productivity and increasing health and safety risks in many roles and regions.

The International Labour Organization estimates that heat stress alone could result in the equivalent of 80 million full-time jobs lost globally by 2030 under a 1.5°C warming scenario. Organizations that treat workforce resilience as a core business issue are adjusting schedules, working conditions, training, and safety protocols, protecting people while maintaining productivity.

4. Financial decision-making informed by climate reality

Despite growing awareness, climate data is often still disconnected from financial planning and analysis. CDP reports that while 67% of companies identify climate-related risks with potential financial impact, only a fraction can quantify those risks with enough precision to guide investment decisions.

A capability-based approach incorporates carbon and climate risk into financial models. This allows leaders to assess physical risk, transition risk, and return on investment together, turning climate action into a disciplined, value-driven decision process. SAP’s carbon accounting solutions, like SAP Green Ledger and SAP Green Token, can empower organizations to drive actionable climate strategies and unlock measurable impact by helping them integrate sustainability into core business processes through the combination of trusted financial data and granular carbon insights.

A C-suite framework for climate capability in 2026

Across industries, five leadership actions will define those organizations building true climate capability:

1. Embed climate and carbon assumptions into core business planning and governance.
2. Redesign value chains for resilience and emissions reduction.
3. Protect assets and people with predictive, forward-looking insight.
4. Align mitigation and adaptation with financial strategy.
5. Measure resilience and emissions together, not in isolation.

Together, these actions help shift climate efforts from parallel initiatives into a managed enterprise capability, one that determines operational continuity, financial resilience, and long-term competitiveness.

Learn more about how you can build a more compliant, sustainable, and resilient business with SAP Sustainability solutions.

Sophia Mendelsohn is chief sustainability and commercial officer at SAP.

For decades, climate adaptation lived on the fringes of corporate strategy. It was typically addressed through insurance coverage, emergency protocols, and risk registers. These tools were helpful at the time as they helped organizations respond to disruption, but they often positioned climate considerations as something to manage episodically, rather than as part of how a business operates day-to-day and plans for growth.

In 2026, that distinction is becoming increasingly blurry. Extreme heat, water scarcity, flooding, wildfires, and energy volatility are affecting cost structures, disrupting supply chains, and constraining labor productivity and capital planning. These factors increasingly show up in routine operational and financial decisions and interact with broader economic dynamics. Climate impacts intersect with geopolitical competition, supply-side volatility, and regional fragmentation. At the same time, the transition to a low-carbon economy continues to progress unevenly across markets, with carbon increasingly subject to pricing, regulation, and disclosure expectations.

Together, physical climate impacts and transition pressures are influencing how companies plan, invest, and operate. Many organizations are approaching adaptation and mitigation as an integrated business capability, on par with financial management, supply chain planning, or cybersecurity.

Why adaptation and mitigation demand sustained leadership attention

S&P Global Energy Horizons projects that physical climate risks could more than triple corporate financial exposure by 2050, driven by asset damage, supply disruptions, and productivity losses. Despite this growing exposure, however, fewer than one in five companies have implemented adaptation measures at scale.

This widening gap between risk and readiness has profound implications for CEOs and boards, who recognize this threat. A new report from WEF found that business leaders identified extreme weather events as the greatest long-term business risk, with cascading effects across economic stability, supply chains, and social cohesion. Climate risk is now:

• Financial, affecting margins, asset values, insurance availability, and cost of capital
• Operational, disrupting production, logistics, and workforce availability
• Strategic, influencing where companies invest, source, and grow
• Reputational, shaping trust with investors, customers, regulators, and employees

For many leadership teams, climate adaptation and mitigation have become part of the broader challenge of enterprise readiness. In some cases, they are also influencing access to capital, insurance terms, talent attraction, and long-term market positioning.

Going beyond the contingency mindset

A common constraint on progress is how climate adaptation is still framed inside organizations.

When it is treated primarily as contingency planning, it tends to be reactive and episodic. Plans are developed, documented, and revisited only after disruption occurs, while ownership is often spread across risk, sustainability, operations, and finance teams with limited integration into core decision-making.

A capability-based approach works differently. Business capabilities are embedded and inform everyday decisions, supported by data, systems, governance, and incentives.

Climate capability emerges when organizations integrate climate risk, resilience, and carbon considerations into the core of how the enterprise runs.

The four pillars of climate capability

1. Supply chains designed for disruption

Global supply chains are increasingly exposed to climate volatility and regulatory pressure. Highly optimized, linear supply chains designed primarily for cost efficiency have shown limitations under these conditions. Many organizations are adjusting value chains to improve resilience and address emissions. Supplier diversification, regionalization, circular material flows, and better data sharing can reduce exposure to physical disruption and, in many cases, lower Scope 3 emissions. In practice, efforts to improve decarbonization and resilience often reinforce one another.

What this requires is more reliable, timely data across supply chains, so that COOs are empowered to turn insights into meaningful outcomes.

2. Assets and infrastructure built for a changing climate

Facilities, equipment, and logistics networks are increasingly exposed to chronic stresses, such as heat and water scarcity as well as acute events like flooding. At the same time, carbon-intensive assets face growing transition risk as energy systems and regulations evolve.

A capability-based approach evaluates assets through a dual lens: physical climate exposure and carbon intensity. This informs where companies locate facilities, how they maintain them, and when they invest in retrofits, electrification, or renewable energy.

Investments in energy efficiency and clean energy can reduce emissions while also moderating exposure to energy price volatility and supply disruptions.

3. Workforce resilience as a business priority

Climate impacts are also affecting people. Rising temperatures and extreme weather are already reducing labor productivity and increasing health and safety risks in many roles and regions.

The International Labour Organization estimates that heat stress alone could result in the equivalent of 80 million full-time jobs lost globally by 2030 under a 1.5°C warming scenario. Organizations that treat workforce resilience as a core business issue are adjusting schedules, working conditions, training, and safety protocols, protecting people while maintaining productivity.

4. Financial decision-making informed by climate reality

Despite growing awareness, climate data is often still disconnected from financial planning and analysis. CDP reports that while 67% of companies identify climate-related risks with potential financial impact, only a fraction can quantify those risks with enough precision to guide investment decisions.

A capability-based approach incorporates carbon and climate risk into financial models. This allows leaders to assess physical risk, transition risk, and return on investment together, turning climate action into a disciplined, value-driven decision process. SAP’s carbon accounting solutions, like SAP Green Ledger and SAP Green Token, can empower organizations to drive actionable climate strategies and unlock measurable impact by helping them integrate sustainability into core business processes through the combination of trusted financial data and granular carbon insights.

A C-suite framework for climate capability in 2026

Across industries, five leadership actions will define those organizations building true climate capability:

1. Embed climate and carbon assumptions into core business planning and governance.
2. Redesign value chains for resilience and emissions reduction.
3. Protect assets and people with predictive, forward-looking insight.
4. Align mitigation and adaptation with financial strategy.
5. Measure resilience and emissions together, not in isolation.

Together, these actions help shift climate efforts from parallel initiatives into a managed enterprise capability, one that determines operational continuity, financial resilience, and long-term competitiveness.

Learn more about how you can build a more compliant, sustainable, and resilient business with SAP Sustainability solutions.

Sophia Mendelsohn is chief sustainability and commercial officer at SAP.

Discussions at Infocast’s recent Projects & Money Conference highlighted a growing sense of confidence across the solar and energy storage markets, signaling a continued shift toward a more mature, fundamentals-driven industry.

Across panels and conversations, industry leaders emphasized disciplined development, thoughtful capital deployment, and long-term value creation as key priorities — reflecting an evolution beyond reliance on incentives alone. While policy support remains an important accelerator, many attendees noted that solar’s competitiveness increasingly stands on its own.

Recent analyses underscore this shift. Independent studies from organizations such as the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and Lazard show that unsubsidized utility-scale solar is now among the most cost-effective sources of new electricity generation, with levelized costs that often undercut conventional fossil fuel alternatives. In addition to cost advantages, solar’s relatively short development and construction timelines allow projects to move from planning to operation in months rather than years, providing a meaningful advantage in today’s capacity-constrained market.

Battery energy storage systems (BESS) were also a prominent focus throughout the conference. As storage deployment continues to scale, its role in enhancing grid reliability and flexibility is becoming increasingly central to project development strategies. According to forecasts from Ascend Analytics, more than 30 U.S. states are expected to show strong market conditions for BESS over the next five years, reflecting growing demand for solutions that balance renewable generation and support grid stability.

The pairing of solar and storage is helping address longstanding concerns around intermittency and reliability. By storing excess daytime generation for use during peak demand periods, providing backup power during outages, and smoothing fluctuations in output, solar-plus-storage projects are increasingly viewed as comprehensive energy solutions rather than standalone generation assets.

Attendees at the Projects & Money Conference noted that this convergence of cost competitiveness, speed to market, and reliability marks a defining moment for the sector. As the energy transition enters its next chapter, the industry’s focus is shifting toward execution, risk management, and long-term planning — hallmarks of a maturing infrastructure market.

With continued collaboration among developers, investors, utilities, and policymakers, solar and energy storage are poised to play a central role in meeting future electricity demand while supporting broader decarbonization goals.

At BioStar Renewables, we’re encouraged by the conversations coming out of Infocast’s Projects & Money Conference, which reinforced what we’re seeing across our own development and financing efforts: solar and energy storage have entered a more mature, fundamentals-driven phase. The emphasis on disciplined capital deployment, execution certainty, and long-term value closely aligns with how we approach project development.

Looking ahead, we’re excited to continue the conversation at Infocast’s upcoming Solar + Wind Finance & Investment Conference in Phoenix, AZ, March 15 – 18. As developers, investors, and capital providers dig deeper into how renewable projects are financed and scaled, we see these discussions as critical to advancing bankable, resilient clean energy infrastructure nationwide.