Leaders in sustainability share their stories in navigating the landscape

Last 19 June, The Ateneo Institute of Sustainability, with the support of Ateneo Graduate School of Business and the John Gokongwei School of Management, gathered over 60 attendees for “Blue Roots: Stories of Filipino Sustainability Leaders”. 

This event followed a larger gathering in April called “Blue Roots” and aimed to keep the conversation going among Ateneo Alumni in Sustainability and beyond. The highlight was Ms Ephi Banaynal dela Cruz, an Ateneo alumna and CEO of Context Nature, who shared her journey as the keynote speaker. 

Lessons from Leading Sustainability in the United States

With over 20 years of experience in leading corporate sustainability in the United States, currently holding the position of Chair Emeritus Steering Committee for Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI), Ms Ephi shared her reflections on how she steered her path towards becoming a sustainability professional, recalling ambitions to be a teacher, a doctor, public servant as she grew up until she eventually found the sweet spot that encompassed all three disciplines through sustainable development.

In her early years leading sustainability in companies in the United States overseeing environmental management systems, she shared that the term “sustainability” was yet to catch on instead being tagged “process efficiency,” or more broadly, “good business.” She noted that once the term “sustainability” was being used sustainability managers had difficulties engaging with stakeholders effectively. 

“Bridging the language” and “finding a common language” are crucial when bringing along people to advocate for sustainability, given the role of collaboration and collective action in catalyzing change. Ms Ephi shared her efforts in understanding what the people around her cared about and gave importance to, in order to be able to bring everyone along in the journey to sustainability. 

She did this by taking opportunities to learn and contribute regardless of the job title that it entailed – for instance, her switch to a program manager role at Palm, where she introduced life cycle assessments into the organization, and further into her career at SAP, moving to sourcing management in order to have a clearer look at critical areas in management that needed improvement. For Ms Ephi it was a matter of being alongside people who made the decisions rather than a matter of job titles. 

Ms Ephi also shared why she started Context Nature—to create jobs and give a voice to those affected by climate change, especially indigenous communities. She ended with a call to action for everyone to keep pushing for sustainability and to recognize our connection to nature.

Perspectives from the Philippines

The event continued with a panel featuring Ms Nikki Lizares, the Sustainability Head at Security Bank and Ms Kristine Rowan Head of Sustainability Programs at MERALCO, who shared their own paths into sustainability.

Ms Nikki cites her family background as the catalyst for her interest in marine life, as she grew up in Negros Island in a family involved with conservation. She had planned on being an environmental lawyer and entered Ateneo de Manila University under Environmental Science. After rethinking her decision to enter law school, she became an education officer and pursued a Master's degree. Afterward, her job experiences in various companies immersed her in seeing the private sector’s influence on the ecological crisis. Much like Ms Ephi, she emphasized the need for working alongside clients and stakeholders with a more contextualized mindset when dealing with environmental problems. 

On the other hand, Ms Kristine’s journey started with her being invited to work in a newly established department in Meralco centered around sustainability after a long-standing job under corporate strategy. She conveyed feeling a sense of fulfillment working towards the long-term goals of sustainability. With regards to Ms Ephi’s own journey to sustainability, she noted that they both shared a love of learning from others, as well as contentment in their current roles in the sustainability space.

With these profound points in mind, everyone was invited to stay and mingle with fellow professionals, mentors, and colleagues at the end of the session. 

In case you missed it, you can watch the whole event on YouTube for insights from these inspiring sustainability leaders here.

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