Dan Rowe

Growing up in Edmonton, Alberta, Dan was raised in a home rooted in strong values. Dan's upbringing instilled a strong sense of responsibility and self-determination, which he now strives to pass on to his children.

“I grew up with a single mother, who exemplified hard work and resilience. She regularly worked long overnight shifts as a nurse and then invested her free time in fundraising to support my sisters and I in sports and music activities. While she ensured that we had what we needed, we started working at a young age to help fund the extras we wanted in life.”

Dan enjoyed playing various team sports before gravitating towards endurance sports like cross-country running and track and field in high school and university.

“I still run, but my passion now is cycling. There is something about just sitting on your bike and pushing through it. I've definitely covered more kilometres on my bike in the last five years than in our family car!”

At 14, Dan worked as a dishwasher at a local pizza restaurant.

“Being the most junior person often meant getting yelled at, but watching the owner manage the business fascinated me. I stayed for nearly eight years and did almost every job there so that pizzeria is where I learned to work in a team.”

Dan later studied business at the University of Alberta.

“During my degree, I joined an international student group focused on creating greater global understanding through work and travel experiences around the world. Meeting diverse, globally minded peers fuelled my interest in travel, world issues and a desire to make a positive impact.”

While studying, Dan read his first environmental book, which profoundly shaped his views on sustainability.

“Natural Capitalism showed me how businesses can be both sustainable and profitable, which I found extraordinarily practical.”

After graduating, Dan worked in education strategy with a non-profit organization, led by the provincial government and Alberta’s educational institutions. He worked globally on World Bank and CIDA funded assignments to help developing countries establish effective strategies for their education systems.

“Just a month into my job, I visited Asia to meet with senior professionals with deep perspectives on their education systems. Interacting with these leaders taught me the importance of showing up with curiosity, integrity, and openness to new ideas. In my consulting career, I continue to value these qualities, especially in areas like sustainability, where opinions are often polarized.”

After five years working in the non-profit sector, Dan felt drawn to the business world and enrolled in an MBA program.

“The MBA was different from my undergraduate studies—it immersed me in real-world business issues. My classmates' practical experience made case studies more tangible.”

Dan then joined the US strategy consulting firm Monitor Group, later acquired by Deloitte.

“I found advising on business strategy exciting and consequential. I got to work with clients on their most important choices.”

“Over time, I learned that perfect answers are rare. Success comes from making informed choices, engaging leaders to build commitment behind their choices, and monitoring the outcomes over time to know when to adapt the direction.”

As a sustainability leader at Deloitte, Dan leverages his experience as a corporate and business unit strategy advisor to help clients consider sustainability issues as part of their strategies.

“Clients aim to build stronger, enduring businesses through sustainable practices essential for long-term success. We help them maximize value from their sustainability investments and provide support to execute their sustainability strategies. Sustainability is not a separate topic from strategy; it needs to be considered as part of a winning strategy.”

Dan's experience in managing uncertainty helps clients navigate the intricate sustainability landscape.

“In today's fast-changing world, businesses face uncertainties from many areas including technology, regulations, competition, and consumer behaviour.”

“Leadership teams must identify and discuss the most important and impactful uncertainties, take no-regret actions that make sense regardless of how uncertainties might play out, and monitor a set of indicators to know how uncertainties are unfolding over time.”

“Sustainability and climate change, in particular, evoke a wide range of opinions. Our role is to facilitate discussions that explore and debate uncertainties. By addressing these openly, we help clients consider different perspectives and make confident, well-rounded decisions.”

“I am optimistic about humanity's potential to make significant sustainability advances. The book, Being A Climate Optimist, highlights that despite not fully meeting the Paris Agreement goals, we've made substantial progress over the last several decades. I believe we can continue to take practical steps forward so that our country remains strong into the future.