I spent my twenties bouncing between industries as diverse as architecture, sales and mining, but 3 years living abroad was to be a formative experience. My social life was spent volunteering with environmental friends – I had to ask myself why my personal passions weren’t my day job? I vowed to retrain in sustainability back in UK.
Initially I worked for an environmental consultancy acting as a consultant and facilitator to corporates, local authorities and communities on a complete range of sustainability issues whilst I studied part-time for a Masters in Environmental Management for Business.
Since then I have worked as a sustainability professional for Interserve, a global construction and facilities management company. My role has evolved over the years, offering sustainability support for various contracts, such as government, education, local authority and hospital contracts. A flair for talking to people, getting under the skin of operations, and writing engaging and inspiring communications now sees me focused on capturing amazing stories from across the business to share learning and replicate successful models.
One of Interserve’s crowning jewels is its forward-thinking sustainability plan, SustainAbilities, and a key part of my role is to help Interserve reach audacious goals across a broad spectrum of environmental and social aims. This gives me freedom to support myriad activities that aim to create employment opportunities through apprenticeships and work experience placements, foster diversity and inclusion, create opportunities for disadvantaged groups, encourage employee volunteering and promote sustainability in the supply chain via use of small/medium-sized businesses and social enterprises.
I’m passionate about community and equality, and thankfully sustainability has grown to include caring about people as well as the world around us. I’m delighted that my career gives me the opportunity to create real, tangible impact on so many issues that matter to me.