Think Globally, Act Locally

Dr. Dirk Voeste, Chief Sustainability Officer of Volkswagen Group, is taking a different course: slow down the talking and speed up the action. His approach builds on a strong framework for the values that guide responsible ideas and actions.

With "regenerate+" Dirk Voeste is pursuing the mission of developing and implementing a holistic and joint sustainability strategy within and for the Volkswagen Group. He believes that each brand and each site commands enormous expertise. If all of these experts can inspire and encourage each other, something extraordinary can arise. Voeste sees himself far more as an “integrator” within this global enterprise, whose job it is to bring people and ideas together, encourage them to learn from each other, work together towards shared goals, try out new paths, and develop further.

He has very clear expectations for himself and his team: “By setting guidelines, starting projects and building partnerships, we drive and steer sustainability in the Volkswagen Group in its transformation towards a nature- and society-positive mobility provider.” The key to future success is obvious for Voeste: “Fostering the interplay, coordination, and standardization of suitable measures, in a scope as global as possible – not only within the Group but also across industries.” With the Group's first Sustainability Forum in October 2024, the Volkswagen Group took an important step towards more dialogue, discussion, and exchange of ideas. Most of the participants came from other companies and organizations, including sustainability experts from the different brands and functions in the Volkswagen Group.