Julie Sweet defended ESG in an interview with Alan Murray.

I interviewed Accenture CEO Julie Sweet at the Workday Rising event in Florida yesterday, and asked her, as I have others this week, about the political backlash against ESG being led by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. She made no apologies, saying her company’s focus on environmental and social goals “has been fantastic for recruits, brings it to life for our clients, and we are embedding it in our work.”“Are you a woke CEO?” I asked. Her response:“I’m a CEO who understands what brings value. You cannot look at Accenture and our success since 2013 without understanding that when we made a commitment to double down on diversity and have a 50-50 gender split by 2025, and our commitment to DEI…that is completely intertwined with our success as a company…Sustainability matters to our employees from a recruiting standpoint, it matters to our clients, it’s part of our regulatory landscape, it matters to consumers. That’s not changing because of what politicians want to call it.”

Sweet’s comment sparked a spontaneous round of cheers and applause from the otherwise sedate crowd of several thousand. Gov. DeSantis should take notice.

CEO Daily – Fortune Magazine