Gib Hedstrom
Gib Hedstrom is widely recognized as a trusted advisor to boards and corporate leaders on governance and sustainability. He has reported to full boards or board committees of Fortune 500 (or equivalent) corporations on over 70 occasions, often meeting with outside directors in executive session.
Since publication of Navigating Sustainable Growth in July 2025, Gib has given multiple talks about the book and The Climate Story in the USA and Europe; participated in two podcasts; provided the keynote closing session on a board training course; and led a climate and energy transition learning session for the board and leadership team of one of America's most admired companies.
Gib's latest article, The Board Owns Sustainable Growth appeared in the December 2025 issue of The Corporate Board and a book review of Navigating Sustainable Growth is in the Q4-2025 issue of Directors & Boards.
PUBLISHED JULY 2025
Navigating Sustainable Growth: A Roadmap for Boards and Corporate Leaders
How do tomorrow's winning companies address climate change while advancing sustainable growth? The easy-to-read, practical guide is full of graphics and useful tips. Over 325 best practice examples from 150 companies support the latest research on enhancing board fluency and aligning the board and C-suite.
Podcasts
Navigating Sustainable Growth
China’s Energy Pivot: What the West Missed
A ~26-minute podcast about Gib’s book, Navigating Sustainable Growth, with Gib interviewing Jennifer Aspen Mason, EVP and CSO of J.M. Huber
A ~43-minute podcast about China’s rapid acceleration, dominating the clean energy technologies and industries – leaving the USA in the dust
The Climate Story
With climate information everywhere, we are burdened by opinions yet confused about the impacts.
Finally, a concise, data-rich, business-oriented summary of the current and projected climate situation for busy executives - and the general public. This 8-step summary shines a spotlight on:
- What the best data tells us (from the most reputable sources).
- How climate change impacts business, strategy, and customers today.
- What we can expect over the next five years.
The free, often-updated pdf will enable you to engage leadership, make smart decisions and drive sustainable growth.
Hedstrom Associates: What We Do
For over 30 years, Fortune 500 boards of directors have turned to Gib Hedstrom for guidance about sustainability governance and strategy. Gib has reported to boards of large global companies on over 75 occasions.
Using our proprietary Sustainable Growth Navigator (rebranded from ESG Navigator), we have helped over 150 companies take an honest look in the mirror and craft a winning sustainability strategy.
Know your position
Chart your course
Build robust systems
For the past several decades, we have provided trusted advice and counsel to chief sustainability officers and C-suite executives of over 125 major global companies - including those listed below.
November 2025
The Board Owns Sustainable Growth
Spotlight 2030…
McKinsey proves companies that plan and execute over a 5-7-year horizon significantly (by 47%) outperform their peers. Yet almost all public companies plan and execute over a 1-3-year horizon.
This article, extracted in part from my book, Navigating Sustainable Growth: A Roadmap for Boards and Corporate Leaders, provides critical guidance for boards. Among other things, the article defines which sustainability-related topics each board committee should address – and which topics the full board must own.
JANUARY 2025
Climate and Sustainability for Boards
The horrible wildfires in California prompted Directors & Boards to post my article on January 16, 2025 and to include it in their Q1-2025 magazine. The article shares insights from board members based on recent research and offers a simple, four-stage roadmap for enhancing board liate fluency.
The article draws on insights from Gib's work with the ~150 leading global companies (including those below) that have used ESG Navigator to assess current performance and map a future-fit strategy.
Executive Briefings
For over 30 years, Gib has counseled boards, CEOs, and corporate leaders on climate and sustainability. Today, Gib is called on for:
- Navigating Sustainable Growth Briefings
- The Climate Story Briefings
- ESG Navigator Assessments
- NACD Virtual Briefing Desk
Advising
Gib has been a trusted advisor in major company corporate boardrooms for the past three decades. He has participated in more than 75 corporate board meetings, typically as a sounding board, not just there to give a talk and leave. He has met with outside directors in executive session (without members of management present) over 20 times.
As a result of this experience and his many years of client engagements, Gib is often asked by corporate sustainability leaders to assist in a wide variety of ways.
Sustainable Growth Navigator
The Sustainable Growth Navigator (also ESG Navigator) is a corporate sustainability assessment and strategic planning platform - designed in Fortune-500 boardrooms. It is the preeminent tool for S&P 1000 companies to honestly assess performance and to deliver business value from sustainability.
Our Value Proposition: The Sustainable Growth Navigator empowers C-Suite executives and your teams to fully embed sustainability into corporate strategy:
- Know where your company stands today on ESG (vs. peer companies and major ESG ratings)
- Build robust governance and a winning strategy to capture value from ESG tomorrow.
The Conference Board endorsed and licensed the platform because “ESG Navigator distills 30 years of industry knowledge, interactions with dozens of CEOs, board members, and ESG expertise into an easy-to-use, online assessment tool.”
Connect
Learn about a free company assessment on ESG Navigator
Learn about The Climate Story