EXECUTIVE INSIGHT
Q . PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND EXPLAIN YOUR ROLE AT NETAPP .
» I am the Chief Sustainability Officer at NetApp , which I joined in June of last year . I come to this position from a long career in sustainability having spent 14 years at VMware . In many ways I was doing this before there was a role called a Chief Sustainability Officer incompanies .
My portfolio has three key components . The first is setting strategy and operationalising sustainability across the business . That includes our operational footprint as well as setting strategy around where we go from a product innovation perspective . Second is the commitment to decarbonising our value chain . The third is working in partnership with the engineering organisation to build the most sustainable approach to intelligent data infrastructure .
I would say that now more than ever , going from aspiration and intention to action requires CSOs to zero in on connecting sustainability to business value . To me , the real work is integrating it into the rhythms of the business – how do you make sure sustainability is not just the domain of the CSO and their usually small team , but is built into annual and long- term planning so that it truly is operationalised across the business ? We are half way through the decade of action and to accelerate progress we must be laser focused on driving business outcomes through sustainability efforts .
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Q . WHAT ARE THE THINGS YOU ENJOY ABOUT YOUR JOB ?
» I consider myself fortunate in the sense that the work that I do is really more than a job . It is my calling , it ’ s my purpose .
I was trained as an ecologist and a systems thinker . In the early part of my career I spenttime teaching MBA students about how to think about sustainability . The joy in my job is that I get to bring those two mindsets together – the mindset of an ecologist and systems thinker with the discipline and practice of a business practitioner .
I ’ ve been fortunate to be part of the cohort of leaders who have been in the driver ’ s seat in this evolution of sustainability from CSR and philanthropy to being a function that is core to business strategy and an agenda item of almost every board , at least in public companies .
You often hear me talking about sustainability as a shield and a spear for the business – as both an imperative to not only impact the bottom line , but also the top line , reducing risk as well as driving innovation and opportunity . I enjoy connecting the dots for my peers in different parts of the business .
The other thing that I love about this role is that it is one of very few executive positions where you get to see the full scope of the business . The nature
proportion of global energy predicted to be consumed by the IT sector by 2038
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