At this year’s Action Speaks summit, two B Team Leaders – Jesper Brodin, CEO of Ingka Group/IKEA and Ryan Gellert, CEO of Patagonia – sat down with our very own Leah Seligmann for a candid conversation about the future of business, climate, and leadership.

With humor, honesty, and urgency, Jesper and Ryan tackled the contradictions of running global consumer brands while committing to deep climate action. From IKEA’s investments in renewable energy to Patagonia’s decision to never stop speaking up – despite political headwinds – both leaders made the case that sustainability is not only compatible with business success, it’s essential to it.

What emerged was a glimpse into how two very different companies are navigating today’s turbulence: economic and geopolitical uncertainty, the pullback of public ambition, and the immense pressure to deliver short-term results while staying true to long-term commitments. They spoke openly about the challenges, the myths that hold us back, and the optimism – sometimes hard-won – that keeps them moving forward.

Highlights include:

Personal journeys

“When I got into rock climbing, I knew that was the thing I was going to spend the rest of my life doing and I have built my life around it. Through that, I came to understand the impact of the human hand on wild places.” – Ryan 

“I usually say I suffer from optimism. Although there are days when it's difficult to muster that optimism.” – Jesper 

“Something that gives me optimism – and this week's been great for this – is meeting with young people who are not debating facts or polarizing every issue, but instead are just taking the world as it is and trying to drive for solutions. I find that really inspiring.” – Ryan

The role of business

“We need to speak more about the challenges we have in these topics, what we have resolved, but also the things we simply don’t have solutions for yet. Sustainability is a bit technical. So it's about how you actually tell the story. Not in a sugar-coated way, but in a way that actually connects with people.” – Jesper

“It's about modeling a more responsible version of a business. It's not a perfect business. It's not a sustainable business. It's just a business that wakes up every day trying to figure out how we can minimize our footprint and accelerate positive change.” – Ryan  

Hope and courage

“Ask a lot of the brands and the businesses that you give your money to – and I'm not making a plea for you to spend a nickel with Patagonia. Reward the ones that do, ask a lot of questions and have high expectations. I think that's the single greatest thing that any of us can do. The most important title in any society is not President. It's not Prime Minister, it's not CEO; it's citizen. So just think about what you could do in each of your roles as a citizen.” – Ryan  

“That’s wonderful. It's also about bringing to the table the discussion about moral responsibility. It might sound boring, but I think Ryan and I, and other leaders out there at this moment, have an incredible responsibility and an opportunity to do something. Failure can happen along the way. I’ve heard it said that the worst thing that can happen to a CEO is that you get fired. But if you lose your self-respect, I think that's something that could be much more damaging to you personally. So we must have courage collectively. Let's make sure we do what's right for humanity, for this planet and for the future.” – Jesper

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