Interview: Driving sustainability for long-term success

Interview with Marie Ziegler, Vice President of Strategy and Matthieu Alexandropoulos, Senior Director Corporate Social Responsibility

Driving sustainability for long-term success

Cutting global greenhouse gas emissions means the world is going electric. This puts us right at the centre of a general transformation. In light of this, we defined digital and sustainability as two of our growth levers. To find out about how we approach the topic and how it ties into our strategy, we spoke to Marie Ziegler, Vice President of Strategy, and Matthieu Alexandropoulos, Senior Director Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at Hager Group.

Marie, you joined Hager Group in January this year. What attracted you to Hager, and what is your responsibility?

Apart from the challenge of taking on this important role, I was very much attracted to Hager Group as a family-owned company with its orientation towards long-term value creation. I am charged with making sure that we are ready to address the opportunities, and face the challenges, which the future brings.

Matthieu, you are responsible for CSR at Hager. What does this entail?

At Hager, we call our CSR framework “E3”: Employees, Ethics and Environment. “Environment” covers our efforts to fight climate change and foster a circular economy. “Ethics” includes the building of a culture of trust with all our stakeholders. “Employees” covers good working conditions, diversity and inclusion and people’s aspirations.

Marie, Customer centricity is central to our strategy. How does sustainability come into this?

When talking about CSR we address our employees but also our customers and partners. Sustainability is part of our positioning and our value proposition. We accompany our customers and partners in their own transition by working closely together.

Marie Ziegler

Marie Ziegler, VP of Group Strategy, joined us in January 2024 after 20 years at Schneider Electric and 4 years in the executive committee of Somfy. She leads our strategy and has a special focus on innovation, a topic she is passionate about. She holds an Engineering degree and an Executive MBA from Paris Dauphine University. She lives in the Alps with her husband and two children.

What is special about our approach to customer centricity?

People and customer relationship are part of our DNA, as well as our brand value. I do believe that very quickly, the unique caring and partnership aspect typical to Hager becomes as important to make the relationship blossom as our offers portfolio.

Matthieu, what do you say to the critics who are skeptical of sustainability reporting because of the resources involved in getting it done?

Despite the cost involved, I see clear competitive advantages in CSRD compliance. The demand for environmentally and ethically sound products is only going to grow. When Marie talks about customer centricity, this is what we are doing. We are listening to what our customers and partners are telling us.

Sustainability is part of our positioning and our value proposition.

Marie Ziegler

Marie, if sustainability is so important to our customers, why are we focusing on digital so much?

Digitalisation ties in with sustainability and there are two reasons for this. One reason are our own operations, which can become more efficient using digital processes. The other reason are our customers’ needs. Just think of energy management solutions which enable substantial environmental sustainability gains. At Hager, we provide a growing number of safe and easy to use software solutions and digital services which directly impact their sustainability performance.

Matthieu Alexandropoulos

Matthieu Alexandropoulos joined Hager Group from Airbus in 2018 and has been Senior Corporate Social Responsibility Director at Hager Group since June 2023. He holds a Master in Public Affairs from Sciences Po Paris and is adamant that we can do business and take good care of the planet and people. He lives in Toulouse with his wife and two daughters.

If digital and sustainability are both important for our growth, what are the most important aspects here?

Digital is a key enabler of sustainability and operational efficiency for our own operations but also for our customers and partners. This concerns energy efficiency, CO2 reduction, waste management etc. Hager Group is part of the solution to face energy transition. Incidentally, this also helps to attract and retain talent, as most people these days attach high importance on this aspect of doing business.

Matthieu, is it true that digital tech powers many sustainability efforts?

Absolutely. Digital technologies are the basis for connected electrical infrastructure devices and software which enables smart energy management for our customers. As circular economy principles gain ground, components and product environmental ID and traceability will be of essence. At Hager, we invest in our sustainability-related digital infrastructure in order to master those challenges.

Finally, Matthieu, we want our customers to be successful and happy. How do we know what they want or expect from us when it comes to sustainability?

Marie said, we are in close contact with our partners and customers. We have regular discussions about their needs and about existing and upcoming trends. Overall, big leaps in sustainability happen when connections are made through the entire value chain, involving suppliers, partners, customers and other types of organisations. It is a journey we are on, but we are not travelling alone.

Cover – Message from the Chairman of the Supervisory Board – Letter from the Chief Executive Officer – Highlights 2023 – Facts & Figures – Connecting urban spaces, sustaining the future – Interview: Driving sustainability for long-term success – What the customer thinks – Interview: Sustainability through digital excellence – A sustainable business for a successful future – Hager Group Sustainability Report 2023 – CEO statement – Introduction – Materiality assessment – E3: an integrated sustainability strategy – Protecting the climate and the environment – Integrity in ethical business conduct – Our company culture breeds a thriving workplace – GRI Content Index – Imprint –