What A Vice President Of ESG At Compass Diversified Wishes They Had Known Before Entering The Sustainability Industry
Zoe, Vice President, Head of ESG at Compass Diversified, wished someone had prepared her for the pushback inherent in challenging "traditional boundaries" and operating "in the gray" areas of sustainability, a complex field requiring a visionary mindset to navigate conflicting perspectives and established practices. The role demands a comfort level with ambiguity and the ability to think "outside of the box," skills that are not always explicitly highlighted when entering the industry.
Visionary Thinking, Challenging the Status Quo, Comfort with Ambiguity, Navigating Pushback, Complex Problem-Solving
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Zoe Koskinas
Vice President, Head of ESG
Compass Diversified
University of Western Sydney
UCLA Anderson School of Management - EMBA
Business & Related
Finance (Banking, Fintech, Investing)
Climate, Environment and Sustainability
Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. The role requires a visionary mindset and the ability to think outside the box, challenging traditional boundaries and the status quo.
2. Be prepared for pushback when challenging traditional ways of doing things, especially from those used to a more binary (black and white) approach.
3. ESG is a complex field; you must be comfortable working in the gray areas, as opposed to simple black and white answers.
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone would've told you before you entered the industry?
One of the main skill sets for this type of role is to be a visionary and to have that visionary mindset. This is the capacity to think outside of the box and to challenge the status quo.
I wish I had been guided more in that area. It's not always the easiest position to be in when you're challenging traditional boundaries or challenging the ways things have typically been done.
I would have loved to have been guided through the pushback I would receive in doing this type of role. This often comes from people who are set up to do their jobs in a more binary nature, where it's black or white.
Sustainability is the complete opposite of that. It's such a complex topic, and you have to be comfortable operating in the gray.