Wesley Gee currently chairs the Advisory Board for AIESEC York University, Canada. He had had a long and rich AIESEC experience as LCP, VP, AI Member, CEEDer and Trainee. We are delighted to count him as the featured Alumnus of the Month of September. 

AASN: Tell us what makes you a change agent?

W.G: That’s a tough question since titles like “change agent” should come from others, not from oneself – so maybe it would be better to ask a friend or colleague. Though I am a very passionate and optimistic about my role as an advisor and consultant who help businesses shift toward a sustainability mindset, and in some cases to demonstrate leadership. 

There are clearly top and bottom line benefits to thinking strategically about sustainability (rather taking a ‘random acts of kindness’ approach) and I have captured the attention of many important decision makers by focusing on the improvement of mainstream business priorities such as engaging with people that matter, reducing risk, capturing opportunities, demonstrating integrity and practicing due diligence.

AASN: What was your AIESEC experience?
 

W.G: My friend and I had started up a local committee in Halifax, Canada (following its disbandment years before) – so we had joked that we had started with less than nothing, with a negative local reputation to repair. While as VP Marketing and Local Committee President, I took advantage of many of the opportunities available to me, to expand my professional networks and learn more about issues and practices in sustainability. As early as 1997 I was encouraged (by AIESECers) to read books such as The Ecology of Commerce and learn about progressively thinking/doing companies such as Interface.

Following my local roles, I left North America for the first time as a CEEDer to the Philippines – a wonderful experience which gave me the travel bug to visit and live in several other countries. Some of these roles included VP External Relations at AIESEC New Zealand, External Relations Manager with AIESEC International (AI), and AIESEC trainee with Ernst & Young in Belgium. I remain close with many friends across several countries, though locally I lead the Advisory Board for AIESEC York University (Toronto) and am a member of the National Council of Board Chairs, led by AIESEC Canada’s Member Committee. It has been a life changing experience, and the journey continues…

AASN: Recount one of your best AIESEC moment
 

W.G: There are too many to remember, and some which will forever remain in the ‘vault’. But most of my fondest AIESEC memories come from my times in New Zealand and Netherlands, and the inspiring and committed people I had the privilege of meeting and working with – not to mention the beauty that is New Zealand and diversity that is Western Europe (adventures scheduled almost every weekend: week 1: Stockholm, week 2: Amsterdam, week 3: Prague, week 4: Utrecht…)

AASN: How did your sustainability career started?
 

W.G: It started as an undergraduate student, gaining permission to take Masters level courses in “Business in the Natural Environment” and “Sustainable Development” in 1997 and 1998, where I had an opportunity to learn many important concepts; meet, understand and critique the priorities and performance of leading companies; and be involved in practical projects such as establishing an environmental management systems for a packaging company.

This experience spun off into volunteer efforts with the Red Cross and attempted visits to well guarded mining sites in rural Philippines; establishing executive level corporate social responsibility roundtables in Wellington; partnering with progressively thinking international organizations such as the EBBF while at AI; and establishing the “Innovation Workshop” while at E&Y.

These were all things that I was passionate about, and while they were a small or some cases nonexistent part of my job responsibilities I changed them by working with the right (influential) people to make them happen. Most people don’t have the courage to ask difficult questions or move outside of their box, though AIESEC certainly gave me some of the insight and cockiness to make it happen.

More recently I decided to pursue a Masters in Sustainable Business program at Leeds (England) to improve my knowledge and credibility in this space, which quickly followed with a role at a well known sustainability non-profit called Canadian Business for Social Responsibility. This was my first full time fore into sustainability consulting and involved working with senior level executives at several multinational companies as their trusted advisor – companies such as Wal-Mart, Siemens, Bombardier and Scotiabank.

After more than three years and several job offers I have moved on to the for-profit sector, to help lead and grow the sustainability consulting practice for a large design and engineering company (Stantec). This is my next challenge, and one which I graciously accept, but ambitiously pursue.

AASN: What current trends in the sustainability space can you perceive?

W.G: There are three main ones that come to mind: a greater need to show due diligence in identifying priority areas at a company as it relates to sustainability (linked to ‘materiality’ and ‘stakeholder engagement’); the second is a heightened requirements by investors to publicly and consistently disclose environmental and social risks (which can help them make better long term decisions); and the third is to take a value chain approach to sustainability so that companies are considering how their products, processes and services impact the environment and society across their lifecycle (e.g. from the mining of iron ore, to the production of steel beams, use in construction, reuse/recycle of materials, and end of life disposal). All three will be significant, though none perhaps as much as $200/barrel oil and how it will change how we live and work in most parts of the world (e.g. high fuel costs leading to more localized/virtual economies).

AASN: What is your lecture of the evolution of Sustainable Development in the corporate arena?

W.G: Some of you may have recently read “The Case Against Corporate Social Responsibility” in the Wall Street Journal. Try not to focus on the title as it is intended to grab your attention. Focus on the content. While I don’t agree with all of its points, part of this editorial stresses the necessity of businesses to meet the needs of its shareholders and other important stakeholders.

To me, this is common sense, as by engaging with these groups to understand their expectations and concerns, a company can determine where it can invest its resources to make a positive impact, by being aligned with its business objectives.

In short, businesses should do things that they (and their employees and customers) care about and are good at – not based on what someone else is telling them to do, or where they have no vested interest. Though oversimplified, a national grocery chain should support local food banks over a global malaria initiative, while a pharmaceutical company should support a global malaria initiative over local food banks.

Focus and long term commitments are essential, as without these sustainability becomes charity (read: a random act of kindness). Businesses that can focus on where they can make an impact – with operations, products, employees, partners – and can follow a long term vision which considers business and social prosperity, will be better off. If all basic things remain equal (affordable and effective products, efficient operations, and healthy working environments), customers and employees will be committed, reputations will be strong, governments will be rewarding, and financial performance will improve.

AASN: What advice can you give to the members of AASN reading this interview?

W.G: This sounds grumpy, but if you are not yet a sustainability practitioner, do not decide to have a career in this space just because it makes you feel good. Enthusiasm isn’t good enough and it won’t get you a job. Figure out what you would like to do, who you would like to network/work with, which topics you would like to be knowledgeable in (get educated in these areas), and have a general idea of where you would like to make a positive impact. Know this before you decide to quit your day job so that you have the confidence, expertise and credibility to make an impact with those that matter. Sustainability opportunities are (slowly) growing but the network of practitioners is close. Know your network because they will have a strong role in helping you get your first (and definitely your next) sustainability job.