Claudia Toussaint, Chief People and Sustainability Officer at Xylem, has redefined how a global enterprise can merge culture, purpose, and operational excellence. Steering the integration of Xylem and Evoqua Water Technologies, she made culture—not structure—the foundation of the company’s operating model transformation. She championed transparency among leaders, built trust through open dialogue, and emphasized aligned behaviors over rigid processes. Under her leadership, Xylem has maintained its position as a sustainability leader, operationalizing environmental goals into tangible customer value like deploying pipe-crawling robots and advanced analytics to detect water loss before it impacts communities.
Born in Germany, Toussaint moved to the United States with just $500, a leap of faith that foreshadowed the risk-taking mindset defining her career. She earned her bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a juris doctor from UC Law San Francisco. Before joining Xylem in 2014 as senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary, she held senior legal roles at Barnes Group Inc., Embarq Corporation, and Sprint Nextel, and practiced law at Morrison & Foerster LLP. Today, she leads Xylem’s global HR and sustainability strategies, developing leaders, attracting talent, and embedding a “High-Impact Culture” across the organization. Her initiatives have helped secure Xylem’s AAA ESG rating from MSCI.
For Toussaint, transformation is about moving quickly even when it’s uncomfortable. She likens it to yoga: “The pose starts when you really want to get out of the pose.” She sees discomfort as the moment true growth begins, both for individuals and organizations. Whether simplifying a purpose statement so employees can live it daily or helping leaders confront difficult changes with honesty, she approaches each challenge with a clear goal: to empower people and processes to thrive in service of building a water-secure world.