Baker McKenzie has named Paris-based Partner Alyssa Auberger as its first Chief Sustainability Officer. Alyssa will be responsible for leading the Firm’s global Sustainability strategy which is core to the Firm’s overall priorities for the next decade.

After beginning her legal career in-house in the United States, Alyssa joined Baker McKenzie in Paris in 1998 and from 2016 until this appointment, was Global Chair of its Consumer Goods & Retail Industry Group. In this role, she worked closely with a number of global bodies, including the United Nations Global Compact, to heighten awareness of the importance of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) risks and opportunities for the consumer goods and retail industry. She has worked with the Firm’s leading practices to develop solutions for clients on supply chain transparency and claims, product lifecycle issues, and human rights and emissions reporting, in order to help them understand their impact and responsibilities across entire value chains. 

Franco-American and as a partner specialized in multijurisdictional M&A and Private Equity transactions and based in Baker McKenzie’s Paris office, Alyssa has extensive experience regularly advising American and French corporations, multinationals, and private equity investment funds on their acquisitions and divestitures worldwide as well as in their international expansion efforts. 

Baker McKenzie has strong relationships with leading sustainability-focused forums, including the World Economic Forum and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, of which it was the first law firm member. In 2017, the Firm collaborated with the World Economic Forum to launch the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in San Francisco, which brings together leading policy makers, businesses, start-ups, academia and international organizations to collaborate for the greater good by maximizing the benefits of science and technology. 

The Firm became a participant of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) in 2015 and remains committed to upholding the Ten Principles on human and labor rights, the environment and anti‐corruption. Since then, it has adopted eight of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Gender Equality, Climate Action, and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.

Recently Global Chair Milton Cheng joined more than 1,200 Chief Executive Officers from companies in over 100 countries to demonstrate the Firm’s support for the United Nations and inclusive multilateralism by signing onto a powerful Statement from Business Leaders for Renewed Global Cooperation. To mark the 75th Anniversary of the UN, the statement was released by the UNGC Action Platform for Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (SDG 16), of which Baker McKenzie is a proud co-patron. The Firm also recently announced commitments to significantly reduce its global carbon emissions over the next decade and achieve aspirational global gender diversity targets, set at 40:40:20 per cent, to represent 40% women, 40% men and 20% flexible (women, men or non-binary persons). 

“I am delighted to be taking on this new role and leading Baker McKenzie’s Sustainability efforts. Our clients are at differing stages of their sustainability journeys and we want to do all we can to help them achieve their ESG goals given our own depth of experience. More than 20 years ago, we established the first Climate Change practice within a major law firm, and we now offer a number of ESG Advisory services, including Sustainable Finance, Corporate Governance, Renewable Energy, Human Rights and Modern Slavery, Sustainable Real Estate and Responsible Product Sourcing", said Alyssa. 

Milton Cheng, Global Chair of Baker McKenzie commented, “Collaborating with our clients to find solutions to their complex problems has always been at the core of what our Firm does. We strive to provide holistic business advice to our clients, helping them navigate their sustainability risks, as well as identify the opportunities that come with being a responsible business". 

Milton adds: "As a passionate lawyer, partner and leader within Baker McKenzie for over 20 years, Alyssa understands our Firm, our practices and our clients and I have no doubt that this knowledge will be an asset to her as she leads our Firm wide efforts with the same passion and commitment she has always shown”.