Datamaran: From Sustainability Software to Collective Impact

Sustainability teams have often found themselves isolated from strategy, with the C‑suite lacking hard evidence on which ESG issues truly matter and why. Founded in 2014, Datamaran set out to solve this problem that many corporates still face today. Marjella Lecourt-Alma, CEO and Co‑Founder of Datamaran, describes the product suite as AI‑powered software that helps executives understand which sustainability issues matter most, based on real evidence. From the outset, the goal was to move sustainability beyond good intentions into the language of risk, opportunity and performance.

“We wanted to make ESG objective and data-driven so it could truly reach the C-suite and boardroom,” she says. Back in 2014, this was a bold proposition. Sustainability was far from mainstream, and the idea that it could reshape core business strategy was still nascent in most sectors.

Marjella was frustrated that sustainability managers rarely had access to a CEO, a CFO or the board. After almost eight years at the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), she had seen first-hand how voluntary reporting struggled to gain traction as a strategic priority.

At GRI she led a technical team assessing corporate sustainability reports, then moved to represent the standard-setter in North America. That role exposed her to sceptical US corporates that did not yet see a strong business imperative for sustainability. “It was a fantastic learning experience in how to connect sustainability to real business risk and opportunity,” Marjella explains. Those years convinced her that technology could accelerate change. By analysing large, unstructured datasets on ESG topics, she believed companies could build an objective business case compelling enough for even the most hard‑nosed executives.

“That’s what led me to found Datamaran – using technology to evidence which ESG issues matter most and get into C-suite rooms faster,” she says. The company name itself reflects that mission. Datamaran plays on the word catamaran, a vessel designed to navigate complex waters, and the data “lakes” of unstructured information around sustainability. “It was always about helping companies navigate the data lakes of ESG information – hence Datamaran,” Marjella notes.

In the 12 years since, the context for ESG has shifted dramatically. Sustainability moved centre‑stage as mainstream media, investors and regulators embraced the ESG agenda, before political pushback and fatigue brought a much more cautious tone. Marjella argues this volatility has only increased the need for robust, non‑ideological evidence. “We have to make sustainability non‑emotional and non‑political – it’s about building successful businesses in a changing world,” she says.

How Datamaran frames sustainability as risk and opportunity

At the heart of Datamaran’s approach is a deliberate shift in language. Many standards bodies, Marjella suggests, become stuck at the level of key performance indicators, debating how best to measure a specific metric. Business leaders, however, want to understand the underlying drivers: why a topic matters, where it is emerging and how it affects fundamentals like revenue, costs or resilience. To bridge this gap, Datamaran built what she describes as a dictionary or ontology – a structured map – of sustainability topics.

Initially focused on environmental, social and governance issues, it has expanded to include geopolitical, cyber and technology trends that shape corporate risk. The platform continuously scans mainstream business sources, such as regulations, media coverage, reputational signals and peer disclosures to track how these issues evolve. “From the start, we broke sustainability down into business risks and opportunities, and created a single source of truth internally,” Marjella says.

This enables sustainability, risk, legal and other functions to work from the same taxonomy and evidence base. Crucially, not all issues are created equal for every company. Datamaran uses a client’s footprint – sectors, geographies, upstream and downstream relationships – to pinpoint which topics are most likely to be material. “We help companies understand what is most applicable to them and then track those issues by country or sector over time,” she explains.

The result is a topic‑level view grounded in core business concepts. Marjella insists this framing is essential to overcome confusion and resistance. “We talk about risk and opportunity rather than ‘sustainability’ – that’s the language business leaders understand,” she says.

From one‑off assessments to continuous ESG governance

Historically, many boards approached ESG as an annual exercise. They might receive a high‑level presentation on megatrends, perhaps from a consultancy, then move on to business as usual. “Proper ESG governance means ongoing monitoring, not a yearly workshop you tick off and forget,” Marjella says.

Datamaran’s products are designed to institutionalise those processes. The software structures how companies determine which issues are most material, provides the evidence behind those determinations, and then monitors them across stakeholders and geographies. The aim is to integrate non‑financial issues into general business governance. This means ESG topics feed into existing risk committees, executive forums and board discussions, rather than sitting in a separate sustainability silo.

“Our mission is to transform sustainability from a project into a business process that companies truly own,” Marjella explains. Ownership is a recurring theme in her thinking. If organisations agree that new risks and opportunities – from climate to human rights to AI ethics – are important, she argues, they must bring responsibility for them in‑house. “You have to own these issues internally and make them part of your day‑to‑day business processes,” she says.

Navigating a volatile ESG and regulatory landscape

The political climate of the mid‑2020s has reshaped how companies engage with sustainability. In the US, ESG has become a flashpoint in culture wars, while in Europe regulations such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) have triggered intense debate. Marjella describes 2025 as “foggy”, with companies uncertain how far or how fast to move. She saw a divide between those pressing pause and those continuing their sustainability work albeit in a quieter, less public way for many.

“We saw companies that stopped, but also those that continued in quiet because they know it makes business sense,” she notes. This context has driven Datamaran to become more flexible in its own product offering. The company has structured its solutions into four products that map to different levels of maturity and ambition.

Datamaran’s flagship governance product sits at the top – Datamaran Suite. It integrates AI-powered regulatory intelligence, peer benchmarking, materiality and executive insights to support comprehensive always-on ESG oversight. According to Marjella, this tier will continue to attract organisations that see sustainability as core to long‑term value creation, not just compliance. “We’ll see leaders that still want to lead and invest in governance because of real business reasons,” she suggests.

Datamaran Core provides companies with a streamlined foundation. It helps them quickly identify, prioritise, manage, and monitor the ESG issues, risks, and opportunities most relevant for their business on an ongoing basis. Although double materiality has become politically sensitive, she expects it to return in a more pragmatic, automated and cost‑effective form. “We expect a return to materiality, but not at last year’s crazy price points with huge consulting projects,” she says.

Datamaran’s Regulatory Monitoring product serves organisations that are cautious about major sustainability commitments, but need clear visibility on evolving policies and rules as they relate to their global operations. “We’re seeing strong traction from companies that don’t want to be labelled as ‘sustainability leaders’ but still need to understand where the regulatory environment is going,” Marjella explains.

Harbor is a community platform powered by Datamaran exclusively for ESG and corporate sustainability professionals looking to network with their peers, navigate the rapidly evolving landscape, and excel in their careers regardless of company size or status. Harbor Plus additionally gives community members access to quarterly policy briefs and weekly regulations updates along with more ways to connect, collaborate and learn.

Collective Impact: turning data into stories and community

Datamaran may be a software business, but Marjella is clear that people and community have always come first. The firm’s core team includes many ESG and sustainability experts who moved from advisory roles into building practical tools.

In 2026, this community ethos crystallised into Collective Impact, a documentary and podcast series produced by Datamaran. Rather than spotlighting abstract thought leadership, the project focuses on companies and leaders that are actually making sustainability work in practice. “There are many ESG experts who can tell stories, including me, but why would you believe us?” Marjella asks. “With Collective Impact we wanted to hear from the companies that are truly making an impact.”

The series highlights organisations that use sustainability to innovate, align their business models and deliver measurable value. That focus is particularly important in an era when some corporates are more cautious about speaking publicly on ESG. “We felt it was important to feature those who still want to speak because their stories are inspiring – and they make business sense,” she says.

Collective Impact is also a vehicle for community building at a challenging time for sustainability professionals. “We’re a software company, but never a traditional one – Collective Impact is about showcasing the community that made Datamaran successful,” she explains. In her view, software is a means to an end – and the end is a network of practitioners who support each other as sustainability becomes more complex and politicised.

“For us it’s community first and software second,” she says. The first episode of Collective Impact shares Duke Energy’s story, a Fortune 150 energy company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Sustainability has been part of the fabric of Duke Energy for the past two decades, and in the episode we meet leaders from strategy & risk, sustainability and IT to hear how teams work together to modernise infrastructure and advance climate goals.  

Episode two features global technology company, Barco. In the episode, filmed at Barco’s head office in Kortrijk, Belgium, we learn about their Sustainable Impact Journey and the tangible benefits a focus on impact, innovation and purpose has delivered.

Barco: innovation and competitiveness through sustainability

Collective Impact also features Barco, the global technology company known for visualisation, networking and collaboration solutions. “Barco looks at sustainability as a way to innovate and to drive competitiveness,” Marjella explains. “We envision a world where innovation and sustainability go hand in hand to create a better, smarter and healthier future,” says Lien Meuleman, Chief HR Officer at Barco.

“Through our Sustainable Impact Journey programme, we are committed to designing and implementing more sustainable solutions to protect earth, engage people and empower society for a bright tomorrow,” comments Dries Vanneste, Head of Sustainability at Barco. 

By putting sustainability at the heart of innovation, Barco aligns purpose with performance. “Sustainability is all about being resilient and future proof,” says Ann Desender, Chief Financial Officer at Barco. “At Barco we see sustainability as a long-term value creation driver. Our sustainability strategy is one of the strategic pillars of our corporate strategy and is increasingly embedded into three year business-unit specific management and financial plans with specific targets and actions.”

“Sustainability targets & KPIs touch upon all divisions within Barco,” explains Dries Vanneste, Head of Sustainability at Barco. “This means that achieving our sustainability targets is a team effort. Everyone can contribute by taking concrete actions. That’s why we integrate our sustainability targets into our bonus targets.” 

The company’s experience reinforces a key message of Collective Impact. Sustainability is not just about reducing harm; it can be a powerful lens for identifying new markets, differentiating offerings and building long‑term customer trust.

Operationalising impact

The link between Datamaran’s software and the Collective Impact series runs both ways. On one side, the documentary and podcast series surfaces real examples of integrated sustainability leadership. On the other, Datamaran’s platform helps companies operationalise those approaches consistently. “Essentially it’s about transforming sustainability as a project into a process you own internally,” Marjella says.

Datamaran’s tools are designed to feed into annual strategy cycles, enabling evidence‑based prioritisation of ESG topics. From there, ongoing monitoring flows into C‑suite and board committees, keeping decision‑makers informed as issues evolve. The emphasis, again, is on ownership and continuity. If sustainability is to survive shifting political winds, Marjella believes, it must be anchored in the same processes that govern financial risk and performance. “When sustainability is truly embedded into how decisions are made, impact follows naturally,” she says.