New Global Mind #8 Sustainability in a Volatile World: What’s Next? with Michael Kobori xCSO Starbucks
What really changes when economics and geopolitics rewrite the rules.
In this conversation, Michael Kobori and Sandja Brügmann explore how sustainability is evolving amid today’s macroeconomic and geopolitical pressures. Kobori highlights the growing need for sustainability leaders to align their work with core business and financial priorities, the power of collaboration across companies, and the role of innovation in driving systemic change. Drawing on his experience at Starbucks, he also underscores the importance of culture and leadership in embedding sustainability at scale. The discussion closes with a pragmatic yet hopeful outlook, calling for proactive leadership and stronger communities to shape the future of sustainability.
New Global Mind is a video podcast exploring leadership and strategic transition for systems transformation. The series forms part of New Global Mind — an evolving field of inquiry and strategic sense‑making focused on how societies, organisations, and economies evolve under conditions of complexity.
Each episode features cross‑disciplinary conversations with senior leaders and experts across systems science and living systems theory, political economy and finance, human behaviour and decision systems, governance and institutional architecture, and futures literacy and anticipatory thinking.
New Global Mind explores how shifts in worldview, governance, and system architecture enable fundamentally new economic, social, and ecological outcomes. Through grounded, in‑depth dialogue, the podcast examines how leadership, cognition, communication, and strategic decision‑making are evolving, and clarifies practical pathways for real‑world systems transition at organisational and ecosystem scale.
Hosted by Sandja Brügmann, Founder & CEO of The Passion Institute and a synthetic strategist, the series bridges intellectual inquiry and practice. Sandja Brügmann has been named a “World’s Leadership Guru” by Lederne and is referred to by senior leaders as “The Board Whisperer.”
About Michael Kobori Michael Kobori is a global sustainability leader committed to building a more just and sustainable world. He has held senior roles including Chief Sustainability Officer at Starbucks, Vice President of Sustainability at Levi Strauss & Co., and board director at Bunge Global SA. He is currently a strategic advisor to Nationswell and an advisor to GaiaStar, a circular economy start-up. Michael is a Trustee of The Asia Foundation and a member of the U.S.–Japan Council, with prior service across leading industry, NGO, and UN initiatives. A frequent speaker at global forums, Michael has also taught sustainability at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. He holds a Master’s in Public Policy from UC Berkeley and has studied sustainable finance at Oxford University.
Listen or Watch on 
— The podcast is available on Spotify and all major podcast platforms https://lnkd.in/efrmF6Ds
— Video podcast available on YouTube https://lnkd.in/edGqP8zd
The Passion Institute’s mission is to develop synthetic strategy, partnering with organisations shaping a future‑fit, clean economy.
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