One Food System, Many Tables
Leadership Lessons from Climate Week and Beyond
In September, New York pulsed with its usual energy—but during Climate Week, that pulse felt different. The city buzzed with ideas: regeneration, circularity, equity. Yet amid all the urgency, one question echoed for me: Who is truly at the table?
At Deloitte’s sustainability event, our Midunu chocolates were served as a symbol of climate-conscious indulgence. I felt immense pride—seeing Ghanaian cocoa, crafted at origin, in rooms where impact is discussed. But it also underscored how far we still have to go to connect story, supply, and system.
A few days later, I was in Stockholm at the Stockholm Food Forum, where the 2025 EAT Lancet Commission Report was launched. The conversation was richer, more inclusive—but still missing key voices. Africa, soon to be home to a quarter of the world’s future population, remained largely underrepresented in a dialogue about our shared future of food.
When I spoke about cocoa, I framed it not as commodity, but as culture—a lens through which we can understand sustainability itself. Fermentation and flavor are not just chemistry; they are collaboration. And when I shared my “Recipe for the Future,” it wasn’t about metrics—it was about memory. Cooking at origin. Paying at origin. Respecting the hands and histories behind every plate.
On World Food Day, the message was “Leave No One Behind.” A noble vision—and a timely reminder that inclusion isn’t a theme; it’s a practice.
Three Leadership Takeaways
Representation is Responsibility
Equity isn’t achieved by invitation—it’s achieved by redesign. Leaders must intentionally create space for underrepresented voices—not as tokens, but as teachers.Connection Is the Missing Ingredient
Most people in the climate conversation aren’t short on will—they’re short on relationships. Real transformation comes from cross-sector collaboration: chefs, farmers, financiers, and policymakers working side by side.Sustainability Requires Storytelling
Data informs, but stories transform. When people taste the impact—literally—they begin to care differently. Change the narrative, and you change behavior.
Looking Forward
These weeks reminded me that leadership today isn’t about owning the table—it’s about setting more places. The work ahead lies in turning shared intent into shared action, building bridges so memory and market finally meet.
🎧 I explore these ideas further in my Thinkers50 conversation, “Leading Through Deliciousness,” on how food can move from pleasure to policy. Listen here.
💼 Bring these lessons on inclusion, connection, and sustainability to your boardroom, corporate retreat, or summit.
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