Lessons from VW: courage, climate change and the C-suite

Gail Whiteman, Lancaster University

Martin Winterkorn has resigned after finding himself in a real-life CEO nightmare. A relentless (and talented) NGO finds out an inconvenient truth – putting into question Volkswagen’s legal and moral obligations – authorities confirm corporate misconduct, the story goes viral, criminal charges are pending and the share price drops dramatically. Added to the mix is the fact that the planet is experiencing its hottest year on record, undoubtedly a situation that is not helped by what appears to be emissions-fraud.

It is an amazingly fast fall from grace: less than ten days previously, VW was named by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index as the...