If you want to bring innovation, you have to start by giving back to society. Thus increased awareness for sustainable innovations within the industry is something that every leader needs to work on. The journey of Lindsay MacIver Zingg began in the Oil & Gas industry in Scotland, where she implemented Health, Safety, Environmental, and Quality Management systems. Today she is heading Corporate sustainability at Georg Fischer (GF) supporting the Corporation’s vision of becoming a sustainability and innovation leader.
Join us in exploring Lindsay’s melody of success, where each note resonates with empowerment, resilience, and a dedication to create a better world through sustainable innovation.
From Oil & Gas to Sustainability Leadership
With a career spanning over 25 years in the Sustainability sector, Lindsay MacIver Zingg embarked on her professional journey in the Oil & Gas industry in Scotland. Holding an honors degree in Applied Chemistry from the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland, Lindsay initially focused on implementing Health, Safety, Environmental, and Quality Management systems, gaining invaluable knowledge and expertise.
A significant turning point in Lindsay’s career occurred at the age of 30 when she was headhunted to join the renowned Global Logistics Company Panalpina in Basel, Switzerland. Serving as their Global Head of Quality, Health, Safety & Environment (QHSE), Lindsay led a remarkable global, conducted internal audits, implemented QHSE management systems, and achieved global ISO certifications.
During this period, the landscape of sustainability gained prominence, and Lindsay found herself at the forefront, responding to increasing customer demands for climate-related initiatives. In her role, she strengthened the sustainability portfolio by establishing Science Based Targets, implementing Customer CO2 reporting dashboards, and spearheading initiatives to reduce the company’s carbon emissions.
Following Panalpina’s acquisition by DSV Global Logistics in Copenhagen, Lindsay faced both professional and personal challenges. Despite bidding farewell to the established work and team spirit at Panalpina, she seized the opportunity to lead Sustainability at DSV. Successfully integrating sustainability programs, Lindsay elevated DSV to a prominent position in the field and built another high-performing team during her three-year tenure.
After her impactful journey at DSV, Lindsay sought a new challenge in the field of Industrial Engineering. Joining Georg Fischer (GF) as the Head of Corporate Sustainability, reporting to the CFO, she has spent the last 18 months contributing to GF’s legacy as sustainability leader.
A Tale of Continuous Improvement
GF, an international industrial corporation with its headquarters in Schaffhausen, a town in northern Switzerland, approximately 50 kilometers away from Zurich, operates with four divisions. The company provides products and solutions facilitating the safe transport of liquids and gases, along with offering lightweight casting components and high-precision manufacturing technologies. Guided by the purpose of “Becoming better every day – since 1802,” GF aspires to establish itself as a leader in sustainability and innovation. In the midst of its current strategy cycle, the company is building upon the promising trajectory it has pursued over the past years.
Emphasizing the deeply embedded strive for innovation and sustainability at GF, Lindsay is making a substantial impact on the company’s commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainability leadership. The inclusive and empowering culture at GF aligns with her own values, which was a crucial aspect when she agreed to take on the role at GF.
Leadership Journey in Sustainability
Throughout her career, Lindsay continues to place immense importance on her teams, considering them instrumental in the success of the companies she has been a part of, particularly in the realm of sustainability. Lindsay considers herself fortunate to have led highly successful and motivated teams, characterized by a positive mindset.
The core elements she believes that are crucial for a successful team include empowerment, allowing each team member to thrive by maximizing their skills and pursuing their passions. Lindsay instills a high level of trust in her teams, fostering an environment conducive to high performance and the exploration of innovative ideas.
During challenging times, Lindsay ensures her team feels supported, creating a sense of security that enables them to navigate difficulties effectively. Recognizing the value of diverse experiences and backgrounds, she actively embraces differences, acknowledging that they bring varied perspectives, knowledge, and creativity to problem-solving.
Authentic recognition and cultivating a fun work atmosphere are fundamental aspects of Lindsay’s leadership approach, contributing significantly to the overall success and cohesion of her teams.
Fostering Sustainability and Growth
Lindsay envisions a future deeply entrenched in the field of Sustainability, driven by her belief that she can make a meaningful difference in shaping the world we live in. She expresses a commitment to continue spearheading sustainability initiatives and supporting GF in maintaining and expanding its industry leadership. Given the dynamic nature of the sustainability landscape, she remains enthusiastic about constant learning and staying abreast of emerging trends, ensuring she adapts to the evolving challenges within the field.
Parallelly, Lindsay expresses her desire to continue leading teams, finding immense joy in witnessing a team thrive and progress collectively. In the context of GF, she aspires to see the realization of all sustainability goals outlined in the company’s Strategy 2025. This includes a dedicated effort to minimize environmental impacts throughout the entire supply chain and an ongoing exploration of innovative avenues for product development that brings both social and environmental benefits.
Lindsay emphasizes the pivotal role of GF’s employees in the company’s success and envisions a focus on their safety, engagement, and growth. She aims to foster a culture of belonging, encouraging authenticity in the workplace and inspiring employees to become changemakers, addressing global and local challenges with resilience and determination. GF’s unwavering commitment to its people remains at the forefront of her vision for the company’s future.
GF’s Dynamic Corporate Culture and Collaborative Workforce
GF boasts a global workforce of approximately 19,000 employees spread across some 100 sites in more than 40 countries. About two thirds of GF employees are working at production sites. What binds this diverse workforce together is a robust corporate culture founded on three fundamental values: Performance, Learning, and Caring. Performance is about focus, speed and excellence. GF’s vision goes beyond keeping up with an ever-evolving landscape: the company aims to shape the future and lead in its markets. GF encourages its employee to learn – and apply new knowledge or best practice to grow efficiency and effectiveness. Learning is about having an open mind, learn from mistakes quickly and share the lessons learned. Caring is about being part of a team: that includes providing candid feedback to help the team perform even better.
Through its values and culture, GF motivates all employees to cooperate, grow and take pride in their work. For GF, engaged and motivated employees represent its values and are the driving force for its long-term success.
Holistic Vision for Innovation and Sustainability
In the broader spectrum of Sustainability, Lindsay acknowledges the positive momentum generated by new regulations but expresses concerns about the potential administrative burdens they may impose on companies. She emphasizes the need for streamlined alignment across various regulations and external rating agencies to ensure that teams and expertise are primarily directed toward transformation projects and innovative solutions, rather than administrative tasks.
In Lindsay’s pursuit of meeting stringent CO2 reduction targets, she envisions widespread availability of low carbon materials and cutting-edge technologies at affordable costs for businesses. She emphasizes the necessity of improving recycling and upcycling ecosystems within the industry, facing challenges such as the classification of old recyclable machines as waste, which introduces administrative hurdles in transborder waste transport, causing frustration.
Recognizing the critical role of sustainable innovations in the water sector, she advocates for heightened awareness to achieve a substantial reduction in water loss. She underscores the need to draw attention to water efficiency as a significant sustainability contribution for the global building and construction sector. She also promotes the more rigorous adoption of process automation solutions in water applications to enhance water efficiency and reduce consumption. Additionally, she advocates for intensified efforts to minimize CO2 emissions and increase efficiency within the water and water treatment sector.
Navigating Sustainability and Motherhood
At GF, Lindsay is able to navigate a fulfilling and rewarding career in driving Sustainability while concurrently embracing the role of a devoted mother to her two daughters, Emily and Sophie. Flexible work hours at GF and the option to work remotely provide parents with the possibility to balance work and family life seamlessly. To meet her ambitions for both career and family, it still takes a lot of organization and endurance: Lindsay might commute six hours a day to see her team or attend an important management meeting at the GF headquarters and still be able to kiss her daughters goodnight.
As a mother, Lindsay is keen on instilling valuable life lessons in her daughters, emphasizing the importance of self-reliance and determination. She encourages them to set their own goals, pursue their dreams, and remain resilient in the face of challenges. Lindsay’s own journey to success has been marked by non-linear paths and occasional obstacles, which she views as opportunities for growth. Her advice to her daughters but also to other female leaders resonates with the philosophy of never giving up and extracting valuable lessons from every step taken in one’s career journey.
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