Alberto Ogura: Investing in the Future Through Kindness

Alberto Ogura’s story is one of personal transformation, systems-level leadership, and a deep belief in sustainability as an ethical imperative. With roots in Brazil and Japanese heritage, and a professional path that has taken him across five countries, Alberto brings a global and reflective lens to the question of what kindness looks like in action.

For him, kindness is an investment in the future. “My personal investment in kindness is for the people and animals of the future,” he said. “We do not know what the future will be, but we must act now to enable it.” That ethos led him to leave a fast-paced consulting career and embark on a journey of deep self-inquiry. After personal tragedy and professional discontent, Alberto held a symbolic ceremony to mark the “death” of his former self. He made a promise to no longer betray his values, even though he did not yet fully know what that would mean.

What followed was experimentation—ten sustainability ventures, nine failures, one success, and a powerful realization that his next chapter would need to be rooted in purpose. That search led him to Climate KIC, a European organization focused on accelerating climate innovation, where he now leads industry decarbonization initiatives.

One of the most transformative moments for Alberto came through his Executive MBA in sustainability. “This MBA was life changing. It showed me kindness in a way that I didn't expect.” It introduced him to nonviolent communication, embodied leadership, and the practice of calling upon one’s “future self” as a guide. He also learned to understand equanimity—the ability to recognize emotional triggers and respond with curiosity rather than reactivity. He sees equanimity not only as a personal strength, but a tool to build cross-cultural understanding and reduce reactive leadership in high-stakes environments.

These tools reshaped how he approaches leadership. “Consulting culture taught me to judge quickly,” he said. “Now, I suspend judgment. I try to lead with openness, with an open heart, an open mind, and an open will.”

He is especially attuned to how kindness shows up—or fails to show up—across cultures. Having lived in Finland, Germany, the UK, Peru, and now the Netherlands, Alberto has observed both connection and disconnection. “There is a lot of violence in corporate cultures,” he noted, “but kindness is possible when we build frameworks based on curiosity, not mandate.”

“Being competitive does not mean you cannot be kind.”

Alberto Ogura is a systems thinker and sustainability leader who believes that kindness is a responsibility to the future. Keep an eye out for more interviews.