Can a company built on cigarettes build a future without them?

In this episode of It Shouldn’t Be This Hard, we sit down with Jennifer Motles, Chief Sustainability Officer at Philip Morris International, to explore what it takes to transform one of the world’s most controversial industries from the inside out.

Jennifer shares her experience leading ESG strategy within a global company undergoing an unprecedented shift — from selling cigarettes to building a smoke-free future. She unpacks the human and moral challenges of aligning business, purpose, and science in real time, and why sustainable transformation requires more than targets — it requires trust.

From corporate accountability to systems change, this conversation dives into how business can evolve beyond compliance and start designing for regeneration.

Key Takeaways:

• How Philip Morris International is navigating its transition toward a smoke-free future and the structural challenges that come with it.
• Why ESG needs to move beyond reporting and into strategy, leadership, and cultural transformation.
• The importance of moral courage and transparency in driving change within legacy industries.
• Why the future of sustainability lies in systems thinking, empathy, and long-term value creation.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction: What a “future without cigarettes” really means

05:00 – Jennifer’s path from public policy to corporate sustainability

08:39 – Rethinking ESG: moving from metrics to meaning

09:30 – The business case for transformation in legacy industries

11:02 – What does a smoke-free future look like?

13:08 – The tension between transparency and progress

13:30 – Systems thinking and redefining corporate responsibility

20:15 – Leadership lessons for the next era of sustainability

26:00 – Closing reflections: building trust in transformation

Additional Resources:

🤖 Meet Gaia, our sustainability AI: https://shorturl.at/zHp81

🌍 Get Grounded: https://shorturl.at/SXFdo

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It Shouldn’t Be This Hard is the podcast for leaders, founders, and change-makers reimagining what good business looks like — real conversations, radical ideas, and the belief that purpose and profit can (and must) coexist.