Mission Impact Report 2023

As CEO, I’m often asked what sets Abt Global apart. It’s our will to adapt. For almost 60 years, Abt has tackled society’s toughest, most entrenched problems. Doing that has always meant taking intentional risks and bold steps to align our business with the social and environmental progress we and our clients believe is imperative.  

We know we can’t create change for people or the planet without embracing change ourselves—evolving Abt’s solutions and expertise to respond to the challenges people in communities around the world face every day. In the early 1980s that meant standing up an unrivaled research practice to support fundamental shifts in U.S. government programing and funding. In 2023, it means ambitious changes to amplify and accelerate our impact worldwide: 

• Because nothing threatens human health now more than climate change, we launched Abt’s Climate Office, led by Chief Climate Officer Eric Reading. This positions our world-class climate, environment, and energy experts to integrate climate solutions portfolio-wide, helping all clients assess and mitigate risks, confront inequities, and strengthen resilience to climate shocks.
• And, knowing the world’s problems aren’t siloed, we’ve transformed how we connect Abt’s expertise—in health, housing, economic growth, environment, governance, and more—to the digital, data, research, equity, and program design and implementation solutions needed for today’s connected challenges. With the introduction of our new Solutions Organization, our teams are primed to innovate together to deliver the next generation tools, systems, and support our clients and partners need.

As we evolve, I am deeply proud of our teams’ commitment to impact. Whether contributing to the adoption of one of the most ambitious climate action plans in U.S. history or analyzing the role that racism plays in employment processes—our 3,600 global staff work with urgency to lead change, build resilience, and center equity across our partnerships and programs.

When crises emerge or contexts change, Abt adapts. When war broke out in Ukraine, we helped rapidly expand the use of telemedicine and remote surgery tools to facilitate critical health services at nearly 300 facilities. When cyclones and COVID-19 shocked Mozambique’s health system at the start of a five-year HIV/AIDS program, responsive, locally-led data and service delivery innovations led to astounding improvements in HIV care quality and continuity. When the largest population experiencing homelessness in America lost access to shelters during COVID-19, our housing team joined California authorities in a novel approach to temporary housing that will inform national strategies for years to come.

Excellence, equity, and progress are equally evident in our operations and culture. With a company-wide framework for integrating sustainability across Abt, this year we set ambitious science-based greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets, closed the gender pay gap for our employees worldwide, and became the first-ever company to earn a rigorous new sustainability standard.

The launch of this 2023 Mission Impact Report comes almost 40 years to the day of my first week at Abt Global, as a health policy analyst. What attracted me to the company then—pioneering the evidence and innovation that can improve policy, systems, and lives—is still what motivates us today. And improving the health and economic well-being of people worldwide has always been what brings us to and keeps us at Abt. Our north star. This will never change.