Episode 1 Running Through the Smog: ESG, Endurance & Everything In Between
Welcome to Season 4 of Truth Shots.
Guest: Sundeep Sharma (MD, Accenture – ESG | Marathoner)
That’s right, we’re back. New season. New stories. Same unapologetic truth. If you thought we were going to ease you in, sorry-not-sorry. We’re jumping straight in, with a guy who runs niggling marathon times for fun and drives ESG at one of the largest firms in the world by day.
Let’s talk about ESG in Business like it actually matters.
Meet Sundeep Sharma.
He is the Managing Director for ESG at Accenture. And he is a serious runner. A dude who has run thousands of kilometers while the rest of spend our days dodging potholes and regimented deadlines. While this episode touches on ‘running’ from time to time, it is about why we are all running in circles on sustainability, and why we love to use ESG as a buzzword, and hate to focus on action for the future.
A perfect story of Sustainable Leadership in action.
This episode breaks down what a real Corporate ESG Strategy looks like—beyond the buzzwords.
We talked about:
Air Pollution: Why are we still surprised breathing in Delhi is like chain smoking in a locked garage
Corporate ESG: most companies see ESG as a checkbox PR exercise. Sundeep doesn’t, and he unpacks why this can be an existential crisis mindset.
Discipline vs Motivation: No fluff! All facts. You don’t wake up every day feeling inspired. You wake up and you show up. That’s it.
The Long Game: There are no shortcuts that stick whether you’re trying to run a marathon or trying to build sustainable systems.
So what did I learn?
We live in a world that worships speed and forgets about direction. Sundeep’s story is a cautionary tale, that if we are not centred on our purpose, we will crash, whether it’s in business, health or life. And ESG isn’t something you simply tack on at the end. It’s the damn spine if we want to have a livable planet to run on.
ESG in Business is not a side quest—it’s the core mission.
Sustainable Leadership means showing up, even when it’s hard.
Episode 1 of Season 4 is streaming now. Watch it, question yourself, and maybe lace up the running shoes again—or at least start walking your sustainability talk.
