From rapidly industrializing regions in Asia and Africa to established markets in Europe and North America, workplace safety and environmental sustainability remain pressing global challenges. The International Labour Organization estimates that more than 2.78 million people die each year from occupational accidents and work-related illnesses, while nearly 374 million suffer non-fatal injuries. These figures highlight the human and economic toll of operational gaps. In today’s interconnected economy, supply chain disruptions can erase billions in shareholder value overnight, and sustainability is no longer a matter of corporate responsibility; it is central to business survival.
Against this backdrop, Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) has transformed from a compliance function into a strategic pillar for resilience, innovation, and growth. Few leaders embody this transformation more fully than Junaid Ahmed Khatana, whose career spans nearly two decades across blue-chip multinationals such as British American Tobacco (BAT), Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestlé, and Pakistan Aluminium Beverage Cans Limited. From leading billion-dollar supply chains to managing global EHS strategies, Khatana’s leadership illustrates how purpose-driven systems can safeguard people, protect assets, and create sustainable competitive advantage.
You’ve held leadership positions at British American Tobacco, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestlé. What has been your philosophy of leadership and your contributions in these roles?
My leadership philosophy has always been to go beyond compliance. I work to embed ESG principles into the heart of operations and to deploy digital and AI-driven systems that allow organizations to anticipate risks instead of merely reacting to them.
For example, during my tenure as Head of Operations & Security in Myanmar, I guided the company through an unprecedented crisis. We successfully executed a market exit under political and economic turmoil, ensuring a zero Lost Time Injury Rate (LTIR) while respectfully managing the transition of 400 employees and safeguarding/exporting £7.5 million in strategic assets—all within six months, on time and in full. That experience reinforced my belief that resilience must be engineered into operations.
As Head of Leaf in Pakistan, I transformed the supply chain into a global export hub, navigating one of the most challenging buying seasons in the industry’s history. This required synchronizing planning across cultivation, processing, and international logistics. The result was not just continuity but an expansion of Pakistan’s footprint into over 10 countries.
Earlier, at Pepsi Bottling Ventures, I led the supply chain during a record-breaking production year that earned the company the Chairman’s Ring of Honor in New York. At Coca-Cola CCI, I managed the third-largest selling territory in Pakistan, overseeing 09 production lines and 03 preform manufacturing units, producing nearly half of Pakistan’s total beverage supply.
These experiences taught me that leadership in EHS and operations is about more than processes—it’s about creating systems that endure beyond individuals, crises, and market cycles.
Your thought leadership is reflected in your publications and global contributions. Could you highlight some of your key works?
Alongside my corporate leadership, I have been working on a series of research papers and am planning to publish them soon. These works draw on my practical experience and explore themes such as global supply chains, sustainability, business continuity, and EHS systems.
- I have intensely worked on Building Climate-Resilient and Sustainable Supply Chains in Global Manufacturing, which explores how global manufacturers can align with emerging U.S. climate resilience mandates. This has been raised by the US in its Executive Order 14057 as well. My research work is drawn from my work at BAT and Nestlé on alternative fuel boilers, water network savings, and traceable agro-supply chains.
- Similarly, extending my research from my profession is Integrating ISO 45001 and U.S. OSHA Standards: A Global Leader’s Roadmap for EHS Harmonization presents a framework for harmonizing global ISO standards with U.S. OSHA requirements to strengthen worker safety and incident prevention across multinational operations.
Another line of my research combines lessons on supply chain risk mitigation and business continuity. Drawing from my leadership of agro-based export hubs in volatile regions, as well as navigating crises in Myanmar and Pakistan, I have been developing a framework that blends strategies for securing critical manufacturing supply chains with continuity planning principles similar to those outlined in the U.S. FEMA National Response Framework. The goal is to demonstrate how organizations can safeguard essential exports while also incorporating resilience into their operations in response to political, economic, or environmental shocks.
Your contributions have been recognized with awards and global deployments. Could you highlight some of these milestones?
Recognition has followed when resilience and innovation have produced measurable results. At PepsiCo, I received the Chairman’s Ring of Honor for achieving record-breaking production while embedding sustainability into operations. At BAT, I was awarded the Battlefield Bonus in 2023 during a high-stakes operational period that tested the resilience of our systems.
Beyond individual recognition, my teams have earned APMEA Olympics silver medals in operational excellence. But what matters more than the awards themselves is what they represent: evidence that safety, sustainability, and business growth can coexist.
Alongside your corporate leadership, you also hold several memberships and mentorship positions. Can you share more about these and how they amplify your impact?
Memberships and advisory roles allow me to extend my contributions beyond multinational corporations into entrepreneurship, policy, and research ecosystems.
At the National Incubation Center (NIC) Lahore, Pakistan’s premier government-backed startup hub, I serve as an Advisory Board Member, guiding early-stage ventures on growth, scalability, and responsible practices.
I am also part of the Punjab Information Technology Board’s (PITB) Incubation Wing, and I am a Senior Member, supporting Pakistan’s digital ecosystem by nurturing startups where technology intersects with operational safety.
Beyond these entrepreneurial and policy-driven roles, I also mentor at the Al-Khawarizmi Institute of Computer Science (KICS), UET Lahore, a leading R&D institution. There, I evaluate research projects and help ensure innovations are not only groundbreaking but also commercially viable and socially responsible.
Through these platforms, I’ve mentored dozens of professionals who now lead EHS, engineering, and operations teams globally. Importantly, I focus on inclusive mentorship, empowering women and underrepresented groups. I strongly believe that diversity is not just representation—it is a catalyst for resilience and innovation.
With your global experience, how do you see industries evolving, particularly those facing regulatory and sustainability pressures?
Industries are at an inflection point. In the tobacco industry, for example, shifting regulations, consumer demand for reduced-risk products, and pressure for supply chain transparency are reshaping the operating model. For EHS leaders, compliance alone is no longer enough—we must embed sustainability directly into the innovation pipeline.
The future lies in proactive systems: predictive analytics, AI-driven risk modeling, and integration of EHS data alongside financial KPIs in boardrooms. This is the only way to ensure safety, resilience, and innovation scale together.
Looking back and ahead, what message guides your leadership philosophy?
Awards like the Chairman’s Ring of Honor or the Battlefield Bonus validate excellence, but to me, true leadership is not about enforcement—it’s about legacy. It’s about the systems, cultures, and values we leave behind for future generations of professionals.
In a world facing unprecedented environmental, regulatory, and social pressures, my guiding message is simple: lead with purpose. That is the only way to build safer, smarter, and more sustainable operations that will endure.
