Lev Lourie

With a career spanning various aspects of environmental sustainability and technology, Lev has consistently demonstrated a unique blend of expertise, enthusiasm, and innovative thinking.

“I've always felt a deep connection to nature, even as a child, which has grown deeper over the years as I travelled to remote corners of the world—from the cold peaks of Antarctica to the sunny reefs of Australia,” Lev recalls, as he reminisces about his early days exploring the great outdoors. This innate love for travel sparked a lifelong commitment to protecting and preserving the environment.

Lev’s business career began amid the dissolution of the USSR when he started a couple of small businesses in the newly found capitalist Russia. This early exposure to business realities cultivated his ability to identify opportunities and fostered a sense of adventure and adaptability. “I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mindset. But I realized that Russia in the 1990s wasn’t the place for someone interested in technology and business.”

Lev's entrepreneurial spirit led him to Silicon Valley at a young age, coinciding with the dot-com boom. Balancing education with launching startups, he learned valuable lessons about market readiness and the importance of timing in business on multiple early venture, including an ambitious project similar to Uber Eats.

“Resistance from restauranteurs unfamiliar with online commerce made it wildly unsuccessful and a concept ahead of its time, but it was a great and humbling learning experience.”

After college, Lev enrolled at Indiana University Bloomington to study business with a focus on technology.

“I’m fascinated by technology’s role in problem-solving and its potential for growth, innovation, and social change.”

After completing his degree, the university offered Lev to continue his education with a Master of Science in its new information systems program, along with a teaching assistant position.

“It was a great program, exploring how technology can revolutionize different fields in society and science. It went beyond business, disciplines like geology, legal, investments, and others, with the pure purpose of figuring out how technology and information can enable growth in those areas or different solutions.”

One of his most exciting projects, Lev developed a proof of concept for a voice recognition system for the Indiana Supreme Court to help keep track of parolees, using technology to address a social issue. It was known that juvenile offenders who stayed home in the evenings were less likely to re-offend, but phone calls for location checks were unreliable. And in-person location checks were expensive and time consuming for an already time pressed police force.

“We created a pilot program featuring an automated call and voice recognition system to deter these young offenders from getting into trouble.”

Lev’s professional journey is as diverse as it is impactful. After earning his master’s degree, he joined a consulting firm and was part of a significant HR and ERP transformation project at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in New York. “It was a life-changing experience for me. Working alongside individuals committed to the UN’s mission made me realize how diverse and complex the world is.”

Throughout his career, Lev has been instrumental in leading numerous sustainability initiatives, from corporate responsibility programs to large-scale environmental projects. His ability to navigate the complex landscape of sustainability while maintaining a clear vision has earned him respect and admiration from peers and industry leaders alike. “Seeing the tangible results of our efforts is incredibly rewarding.”

Lev’s extensive travel to over 120 countries and sailing experiences have significantly influenced his sustainability journey. “Travelling has given me a broader perspective on life and the many social dimensions of sustainability that extend beyond climate change.” His adventures on the ocean have deepened his understanding of climate change. “Being on the ocean, you see the changes in water temperatures and weather patterns. There is no better way to understand how the world is changing and the responsibility we bear.”

At the heart of Lev's work is a simple yet profound philosophy: sustainability is not a choice but a responsibility. “Every action we take has a ripple effect,” he says. This belief drives his tireless efforts to create a more sustainable world for future generations.

Lev understands that using technology to create or preserve business value can be foundational to helping clients achieve their sustainability goals as well. This means bringing together leaders from across the organization for a more holistic view of the problems they’re trying to solve and how technology can enable those solutions. ”

He references ESG reporting requirements as one common example.

“Our clients have teams of regulatory professionals who work on this and help interpret government regulation, but they seldom perceive this as a technology problem. This regulatory problem is really a technology issue. And it’s CIOs who control the technology budgets—who can bring forward technology solutions to underpin the sustainability reporting efforts, by generating more accurate and timely insights and making systems and processes more efficient.”

Breaking down the complex challenge of sustainability into manageable components that align with broader organizational priorities is Lev’s vision for the future. The journey begins with using technology to generate insights for the business—whether it’s for compliance purposes or operational efficiencies. If it makes business sense first, either by creating or preserving value, it can also add to the sustainability of the operations.

“Helping clients reach milestones and seeing the progress they’re making in their sustainability journeys is a major win for me every time.”