Sustainability LIVE Singapore: IFS Fireside Chat
Speaking at Sustainability LIVE Singapore, Stephen Keys, Chief Talent Officer at IFS, shared how the enterprise software firm is embedding sustainability across the business by combining technological innovation with an inclusive culture.
He opened by outlining IFS’s three-pillar strategy for sustainability: their own business practices, the impact they can enable for customers and their broader influence on society.
“Helping our customers transition to more responsible and sustainable methods of doing business is clearly where we have the greatest impact,” he said.
Positioning IFS as a leader across sectors like manufacturing, aerospace and utilities, Stephen noted the company’s unique opportunity to create systemic change.
“We’ve got an outsized role to play in shaping our collective future.”
Building innovation through cognitive diversity
Much of Stephen’s session centred on how sustainability goals are achieved through the right people, capabilities and mindset. That includes an emphasis on innovation – but not in a superficial sense.
“It’s very easy to put in a presentation saying, well, you must all be more innovative,” he said. “But how do you go about actually implementing that in the real world?”
The answer, for IFS, lies in industrial AI and in what Stephen calls cognitive diversity.
“What I’m really talking about here is different perspectives, different expertise, maybe different levels of seniority – folks who can advocate for different stakeholders.”
Innovation happens when technology is built from the outset with diverse insights – whether those are drawn from customers, end users or internal teams with different experiences. This kind of thinking ensures better products, fewer blindspots and ultimately a more sustainable impact.
“Technology we design today must consider diverse voices and different scenarios,” he said.
Stephen drew attention to the tension between speed and rigour, suggesting that agility and inclusivity are not mutually exclusive.
“You want the core project team to be agile, but interview people to gather insights and avoid bias.”
Inclusive cultures lead to better business
Asked what inclusivity means in practice, Stephen gave a clear answer: “Every person deserves to feel valued, respected and empowered to thrive during their time here.”
But he was also clear that this isn't just about values – it’s a business imperative.
“It’s the foundation for higher performing and cognitively diverse teams that drive innovation in sustainability and business success.”
He shared three focus areas IFS uses to embed this into operations. First, building awareness and capability, particularly around bias and inclusive leadership.
Second, embedding fairness and transparency across processes, from hiring to promotion. And third, listening, supporting and acting – ensuring feedback loops are in place and acted on.
On bias specifically, Stephen emphasised the importance of creating conditions that support fairness rather than targeting specific diversity outcomes.
“It's not about enforcing the outcome. It’s about creating the conditions to mitigate bias.”
The impact? Better ideas, better performance and better outcomes across the board.
“We see evidence for that in our financial performance, in our employee engagement results and even in our retention rates.”
Future plans and advice for getting started
Looking ahead, Stephen expressed excitement about IFS’s industrial AI work and its sustainability potential – but cautioned against hype without value.
“There’s a lot of talk about AI, we have to be talking about what tangible value looks like” he said.
IFS is focused on building not just cutting-edge tech, but proven use cases with clear business and sustainability outcomes.
He also sees data as the next major focus area.
“Data is a fundamental challenge in the world of sustainability,” he said, adding that IFS is developing tools to help customers manage and make better decisions with their data.
Closing the session, Stephen shared advice for organisations earlier in their journey.
“Sustainability initiatives must deliver tangible business value,” he said. “Well-intentioned projects lacking substance won’t cut it anymore.”
He cited the work of academic Wayne Visser and the ‘10 Rs’ of sustainable business advantage – from revenues and resilience to regulation, reputation and realising purpose.
“Think about a business case and try to articulate it in one or more of those terms and I think you’re on the right track,” he concluded.
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