Pia Heidenmark Cook today enjoys a portfolio career, splitting her time between board, advisory and keynote speaking roles across the world. She is a non-executive director sitting on several boards across for-profit and non-profit organizations across healthcare, materials innovation, restaurants, and hospitality sectors. She advises several professional services and private equity firms on sustainability, and she is also a frequent keynote speaker/lecturer on sustainability and business transformation at e.g., Cambridge, INSEAD and Competent Boards Executive Training as well as at corporate events. Cook held the position of Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) at IKEA/Ingka Group between 2017-2021, as well as senior advisor post leaving the company.

IKEA is the world’s leading home furnishing retailer aiming to become a people and planet positive business. In 2021, the total IKEA climate footprint decreased by almost 1.6 million tonnes of CO₂ eq in absolute terms compared to baseline FY16, a reduction of 5.8%, while IKEA sales surpassed previous highs. This was the 3d consecutive year of climate footprint reduction despite increasing sales, meaning IKEA is on track to meet its set 2030 climate positive goals.

Cook joined IKEA in 2008 and held several senior sustainability positions at the company, and for the last 8 years she was member of the Executive Retail Management Team, the largest business division. During her time as CSO, Cook led a team of sustainability professionals in the global office, as well as sustainability experts integrated across the Retail, Shopping Centre and Customer Fulfilment business across 30 countries in Europe, Asia Pacific and North America.

For several years, ending in 2017, Cook served as co-chair of REAP, Retailers Environmental Action Programme, together with the EU Commission. Prior to IKEA, Cook worked as Vice President Corporate Social Responsibility at the Rezidor Hotel Group, operator of hotel brands Radisson Blu and Park Inn (300+ hotels in 50+ countries). During this period, Cook chaired the tourism branch of Prince of Wales Business Leader's Forum, a membership organization for all major international hotel brands.

Cook holds both a Technical Licentiate degree and a M.Sc. in Environmental Management, from the University of Lund, Sweden, and a M.Sc. in International Business Administration and Economics from Uppsala University, Sweden. She has lived in France and Belgium, but today lives in southern Sweden, with Canadian husband and two teenage daughters.

Cook has worked with, lectured and studied CSR/sustainability related topics since 1996, across academia, consultancy and business.

Environment, Sustainability, Business Leadership, Women in Leadership, Women, Women in Business, Influential Women, Sweden, Supply Chain Leadership, Economy,