About Jakob Stausholm
Jakob Stausholm is the former Chief Executive Officer of Rio Tinto. As Chief Executive, Jakob used his strategic, commercial and governance expertise to oversee the implementation of Rio Tinto’s strategy. He was committed to building trust with communities, governments and other stakeholders, improving operational performance, and decarbonization.
Jakob worked globally in senior finance for more than 20 years. From 2012 until 2018, he worked for A.P. Moller-Maersk, the world’s largest shipping company. He was Chief Strategy, Finance and Transformation Officer, first for Maersk Line and later the broader Maersk Group. In 2008, Jakob moved back to his native Denmark as Group CFO of the global facility service provider ISS. Before that, he spent 19 years working for Shell across Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific.
From 2009 to 2016, Jakob served as a non-executive director of Statoil (now Equinor), the last six years as Chairman of the Audit Committee. He also served as a non-executive director of Woodside Petroleum between 2006 and 2008.
Jakob grew up in the city of Nyborg, Denmark, the son of a civil engineer and a teacher. He made his start in business working at Shell’s Danish head office while studying at the University of Copenhagen. Jakob was married with three children and split his time between homes in Denmark, Mallorca, and London. An avid cyclist, Jakob’s favorite way to get to know a place while on business was through an early morning bike ride.
About the Y-SIM CEO Speaker Series
The idea that great companies can serve both business and society sounds deceptively simple. In practice, it is one of the most complex challenges leaders face. How can CEOs systematically create value for customers, employees, partners, communities, and other stakeholders—while sustaining financial success?
The Yale Program on Stakeholder Innovation and Management (Y-SIM) CEO Speaker Series explores this question directly with leaders of iconic enterprises. Moderated by Jon Iwata, Executive Fellow at Yale SOM and former Chief Brand Officer at IBM, these conversations probe the toughest “how” questions: How do leaders balance stakeholder demands without zero-sum tradeoffs? How do they turn commitments into systems and strategy? How do they position their companies to thrive long after founders are gone?
By uncovering the mechanisms behind these choices, the series reveals the playbooks shaping some of the most consequential strategies in business today.
Latest
How Former Rio Tinto CEO Jakob Stausholm Reshaped the Company’s Purpose, Culture and Strategy in the Wake of a Crisis
October 20, 2025
Rio Tinto, the world’s second-largest mining corporation, underwent massive cultural and operational transformations following an incident where the company destroyed a 46,000-year-old sacred Aboriginal site at Australia’s Juukan Gorge in 2020. Former CEO Jakob Stausholm emphasizes the importance of transparency, humility, and long-term thinking to rebuild stakeholder trust and foster a healthy corporate culture. Additionally, Stausholm shares insights into his leadership philosophy, underlining the significance of self-awareness, resilience, and continuous improvement in navigating complex challenges.
How Delta CEO Ed Bastian Creates Enduring Impact Through Bold Investments and Putting People First
October 2, 2025
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian reflects on Delta’s transformation into the most profitable U.S. airline, highlighting how a commitment to people, culture, and stakeholder alignment has powered its success. In this wide-ranging conversation, he shares insights on leadership, resilience, profit-sharing, the future of air travel, and why investing in employees and customers is the foundation of long-term value.
Other CEO Speaker Events
Jane Sun, Trip.com Group CEO
December 8, 2024
Jane Sun guided Trip.com Group, a leading global travel services company based in Shanghai, China, to significant growth in all aspects of the business. Under her leadership, the company experienced an exponential increase in its market capitalization.
Francesco Starace, Former Enel CEO
December 4, 2024
As CEO of Enel, Francesco Starace set into motion a company-wide transformation that unleashed innovation, shifted its business, forged new ways to engage communities, and resulted in a near doubling of the company’s market value.
Fernando González Olivieri, Former Cemex CEO
September 13, 2024
Fernando González Olivieri has spearheaded global growth and transformation at Cemex, with innovation and sustainability at the forefront of stakeholder value creation. The conversation was moderated by Horacio Arredondo, Dean of EGADE Business School and took place at EGADE Business School at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico.
Paul Polman, Former Unilever CEO
November 13, 2023
Paul Polman developed Sustainable Living as the organizing principle for Unilever while also achieving excellent financial performance.
Ronald Lam, Cathay Group CEO
February 13, 2025
Under Ronald Lam's leadership, Cathay reported an attributable profit of HK$9.9 billion in 2024, and Cathay Pacific reached a significant milestone by exceeding 100,000 passengers in a single day, showcasing the airline's post-pandemic recovery. The conversation was hosted by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Business School (HKUST) and moderated by Prof. Stephen Shih, Associate Dean of MBA Programs at HKUST.
Indra Nooyi, Former PepsiCo CEO
November 6, 2023
Indra Nooyi is recognized for aligning PepsiCo’s customers, employees, suppliers, and shareholders around Performance with Purpose. The conversation was moderated by Professor Edward Snyder and took place during a new elective class on stakeholder management at Yale School of Management.
About the Global Network for Advanced Management (GNAM):
GNAM’s mission is to drive innovation and create value by connecting leading global business schools, their resources, and their stakeholders. Launched in 2012, the global network includes 32 leading business schools from diverse regions, countries, cultures, and economies in different phases of development. Member schools connect their students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other constituencies so that they can deepen their understanding of differences and commonalities in their economies and increase their effectiveness. Today, many Global Network schools are already exploring aspects of stakeholder management. To find out more, visit the GNAM website.