Cambridge Executive Business Insights
Cambridge Judge Business School
Cambridge Executive Business Insights: Journey to Regeneration, is a new podcast brought to you by Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education. Host, Chris Marquis, is a professor at Cambridge Judge and world-leading expert in responsible business and corporate strategy. The podcast explores how businesses can go beyond sustainability to actively restore and enhance the vitality of the natural and social systems they rely on for long-term success. This is one of the biggest challenges companies face today—but one that will define the future of business.The podcast brings together leading academics, business leaders, sustainability strategists, and climate champions. The series explores key topics such as the challenges of regenerative business, policy catalysts for change, and what it means to be ‘net positive’. We welcome diverse guests from industry, who have pioneered regenerative practices in their own organisations, with the aim to inspire dialogue and share unique and forward-thinking perspectives on sustainable and responsible business practices.Find out more about Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education > About the host:Christopher Marquis is the Sinyi Professor of Management at Cambridge Judge Business School and a globally recognised scholar in the fields of sustainable business, social innovation, and corporate purpose. He previously held faculty positions at Harvard and Cornell, and earned his PhD from the University of Michigan.Christopher’s research examines how businesses can drive systems-level change, with a particular focus on stakeholder governance, sustainability strategy, and the emergence of purpose-driven organisations. He is the award-winning author of The Profiteers: How Business Privatizes Profits and Socializes Costs and Better Business: How the B Corp Movement is Remaking Capitalism.Find out more about Christopher Marquis’ research >
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 30, 2025 • 38min
From Giving to Regeneration: The 1% for the Planet Approach
In this episode of Journey to Regeneration, host Chris Marquis speaks with Kate Williams, CEO of 1% for the Planet, a global network that channels at least 1% of annual sales from member businesses and individuals to high-impact environmental nonprofits. Together, they explore how a simple commitment has grown into a worldwide movement, mobilising over $800 million in support of the planet. Kate explains how 1% for the Planet ensures credibility by rigorously vetting nonprofit partners and guiding members toward meaningful, impactful giving. More than philanthropy, she frames this model as a catalyst for deeper cultural and strategic shifts—helping businesses embed environmental responsibility into their operations. The conversation also highlights how generosity can spark broader systems change, as members move from giving to transforming supply chains, engaging employees, and advocating for policy. Kate offers an inspiring message: in the face of climate challenges, no action is too small to drive regeneration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 23, 2025 • 37min
Sustainable Agriculture
Host Christopher Marquis speaks with Andrea Illy, Chairman of illycaffè and founder of the Regenerative Society Foundation, in this latest episode. As a third-generation leader of the iconic Italian coffee brand, Andrea shares how illycaffè is evolving from sustainability toward regeneration—embedding principles of beauty, quality, and shared value into its business model. With coffee as the starting point, Andrea explains how the company invests in soil health, farmer livelihoods, scientific research, and education across the global South. He highlights illycaffè’s long-term commitment to biodiversity, carbon neutrality, and smallholder resilience, showing how regeneration can be both an ecological and economic imperative. Andrea also tells the story of illycaffè’s work in Brazil, where regenerative practices like agroforestry and reduced agrochemicals have restored ecosystems while elevating coffee quality—producing award-winning beans that prove environmental renewal and excellence can go hand in hand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 16, 2025 • 38min
Rethinking Food Systems: From Soil to Soul
In this latest episode, Professor Chris Marquis is joined by Elizabeth Whitlow, founding Executive Director of the Regenerative Organic Alliance—the force behind the pioneering Regenerative Organic Certification (ROC). Elizabeth shares her inspiring journey from sustainability advocate to global leader in regenerative agriculture, offering a heartfelt and strategic take on what it truly means to heal land, empower farmers, and reshape food systems. She explains how ROC goes beyond traditional organic standards to integrate soil health, animal welfare, and social fairness into a holistic framework. The conversation explores the challenges of maintaining integrity in a commercial landscape, resisting greenwashing, and balancing scale with authenticity. Elizabeth also emphasizes the power of storytelling and deep relationships in shifting consumer understanding. Her message is clear: regeneration isn’t a label—it’s a movement rooted in partnership, tradition, and purpose. This episode is essential for anyone interested in agriculture, certification, and systems-level change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 9, 2025 • 45min
Rebuilding Business with Purpose and Values
In this episode of Journey to Regeneration, host Professor Chris Marquis speaks with Dr. Bernice Pan, founder of British fashion brand DEPLOY, about transforming fashion through systems thinking and intentional design. Drawing on her academic background in architecture and fashion systems, Bernice shares how she reimagined every aspect of the clothing lifecycle—from fabric sourcing and modular design to ethical production and customer engagement. DEPLOY challenges the waste and inequality embedded in mainstream fashion by embedding regeneration into the very structure of its business. The result is a timeless, adaptable collection built on circular principles and long-term relationships. Bernice’s unique approach—what she calls “design thinking for systems change”—offers powerful lessons for any industry. Through her lens, sustainability becomes not just about better materials but about reengineering the whole system for lasting impact. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in systems-level change, fashion, regeneration, and purposeful innovation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Aug 26, 2025 • 42min
The Challenge of Net Positive Business
In this episode of Journey to Regeneration, host Chris Marquis speaks with Andrew Winston, renowned sustainability strategist and co-author of Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take. Together, they explore how businesses can move beyond incremental improvements to embrace a bold, regenerative approach—one that restores natural and social systems while driving long-term success. Andrew challenges leaders to ask a pivotal question: Is the world better off because your business exists? Far from being a lofty ideal, he explains why adopting a net positive mindset is both ethically urgent and strategically smart in an era defined by climate disruption, social unrest, and declining trust in institutions. The conversation highlights how courageous leadership, systemic thinking, and coalition-building can help executives overcome resistance, align with investor expectations, and reimagine the very role of business in creating a thriving future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Aug 12, 2025 • 39min
Why Business Should Care About Sustainability
In this episode, host Professor Chris Marquis speaks with Lindsay Hooper, CEO of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), about how businesses can move beyond traditional sustainability toward true regeneration. Lindsay shares CISL’s systems-level perspective on transforming markets to serve people, nature, and climate. She critiques current ESG efforts as insufficient and introduces the concept of competitive sustainability—a new framing that urges companies to adapt to systemic risks reshaping the business landscape. Together, they explore the need for bold innovation, policy engagement, and cross-sector collaboration, while examining the political and economic headwinds facing sustainable transformation. Lindsay offers candid insights and practical steps for business leaders ready to help redesign the systems they operate in. This episode is essential listening for anyone looking to make their organisation resilient, relevant, and regenerative in the face of climate disruption, resource constraints, and growing societal expectations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 29, 2025 • 44min
Regenerative Business Pioneers - Patagonia
In this episode, host Christopher Marquis speaks with Vincent Stanley, a long-time leader at Patagonia and co-author of The Future of the Responsible Company. Vincent offers a candid perspective on what it means for a business to act responsibly in an extractive global economy. He explains why Patagonia is cautious with terms like “regeneration,” applying it meaningfully in its food division but preferring “responsibility” in apparel—measuring impact product by product and working to shift supply chains away from fossil fuels. Vincent discusses Patagonia’s efforts to change consumer behavior through bold moves like the “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign, resale programmes, and mending initiatives. Collaboration is central to Patagonia’s ethos, as seen in its role co-founding the Regenerative Organic Certification. Reflecting on the future, Vincent emphasises localism, authenticity, and staying rooted in purpose—urging businesses to act with humility and protect what truly matters.
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Jul 24, 2025 • 49sec
Trailer
What if business didn't just sustain, but actually restored and renewed the world around us? Join Christopher Marquis from Cambridge Judge Business School for a new podcast exploring how business can be a force for positive systemic change socially, environmentally, and economically. Over the coming weeks, tune in to Cambridge Executive Business Insights - Journey to Regeneration to hear from pioneers at Patagonia, Natura, The Nature Conservancy, and more.
Subscribe now and join us as we explore what it really means to lead regeneratively. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
