Kristen Siemen

Kristen Siemen recently retired as Vice President & Chief Sustainability Officer at General Motors, a position she held until February 2021. During her tenure, she was instrumental in driving GM’s vision of a zero-emissions future and its commitment to becoming carbon neutral in global products and operations by 2040. Her leadership earned GM significant accolades, including recognition as one of JUST Capital’s Most Just Companies, Fast Company’s Brands That Matter, ISS ESG’s top scores for Environmental and Social QualityScore, and Ethisphere’s World’s Most Ethical Companies for five consecutive years.

Siemen began her GM career in 1994, holding engineering and leadership roles across Electrical Engineering, Thermal Engineering, Test and Validation, and Energy, Certification, and Compliance. Her contributions extend beyond engineering, championing inclusion and gender equality. She played a key role in launching GM’s “Take 2” career reentry program and the GM Women Ally Program and serves as the company’s key executive for the Society of Women Engineers.

Since becoming CSO, Siemen has earned individual accolades such as Crain’s Notable Leaders in Sustainability and Sustainability Magazine’s Global Top 100 Chief Sustainability Officers. She also serves on several prominent advisory boards, including the United Nations Global Compact USA Board, Fortune Impact Initiative, and the Oakland University School of Engineering and Computer Science Advisory Board, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering.