Chicago Booth Magazine Sipping Sustainably at AB InBev

Ezgi Barcenas, ’13, has always been driven to make an environmental and social impact. That drive led her to pursue a master’s in environmental health following a double major in biomedical and electrical engineering. After she worked in the public sector and in international development, her plans ultimately led her to Chicago Booth. “I needed that financial rigor and business acumen,” Barcenas said. “I observed the role of the private sector in bringing change to the world.” As global head of sustainability, Barcenas oversees the development and execution of the sustainability strategy for Anheuser-Busch InBev, which operates in more than 50 countries and includes over 500 brands. This is a glimpse into what it looks like in one day of her current routine.

6 AM I’m up at the crack of dawn with my two boys, who are 18 months and five years old. I get the kids settled with their breakfast, and I quickly scan through my emails. Mornings are hectic as we all get ready to go.

7:30 AM My husband takes the kids to school. I head into the office. On my 45-minute walking commute I call my parents in Cyprus, where I was born and raised.

8:15 AM I arrive at AB InBev’s Midtown office. We’ve had an opt-in return-to-workplace policy since the summer. It’s nice to be back. I grab my coffee and hop on Zoom with European colleagues for our monthly T&M (tracking and monitoring) meeting.

10 AM At our weekly team meeting we discuss key priorities for the coming week. I find myself often turning to the insights and lessons learned in the managerial and organizational classes at Booth. How do you operate in complex organizations, how do you lead with impact and influence, how do you inspire teams? The 10 of us are based across Switzerland, Belgium, and the United States, but we have a much larger team of teams across the world that are all working towards our 2025 Sustainability Goals.