Usha Sthankiya

“An interest in climate and sustainability—what my role is, what business can do, what society should do—has always been part of my persona.”

When Usha was choosing her degree, the main options for a career in sustainability were in communications or the technical/engineering side—neither quite suited her interests. “I chose an accounting and finance degree so I could carve out a path that connected sustainability to the business world.”

Early in her career, Usha attended a conference at which an early mover in setting zero-footprint goals spoke. That speaker was Ray Anderson, the founder of one of the world’s largest commercial flooring manufacturers, Interface, which operates based on what’s good for the business and good for the world. The company is also transparent about these efforts in hopes of influencing other businesses, flipping the idea of competition on its head.

“It was a completely different way of thinking about business. It still operated within the idea of capitalism, but wasn't driven solely by profit at the cost of all else. The idea that business plays an important role resonated with me, and I've carried that throughout my career.”

Once Usha earned her accounting designation, an opportunity to do environmental liability work arose in Deloitte’s Sustainability & Climate Change practice. From resource producers to manufacturing plants, she toured client sites working on environmental issues from an accounting perspective. While doing so, she also built an understanding of those same issues from a technical perspective.

“I was fortunate to work with colleagues who were keen to share their technical knowledge. That built my confidence and enabled me to understand the in-depth environmental context of our clients’ challenges, too.”

“What's so different about climate and sustainability is that it touches on so many different parts of the business, all at the same time. If you don't consider it an issue that floats over the whole business, finding the opportunities and managing your risks becomes tough.”

"I see myself as the bridge between the two worlds—with the technical environmental people on one side and the traditional business-oriented people on the other—bringing them together by translating for both sides."

Asked how she manages to stay motivated, Usha acknowledges that progress on climate and sustainability has been slow.

“Still, things have changed. Where we are today is very different from when I finished university. That steady progress motivates me to keep going and do more. Also, the people we hire from university today are miles ahead of where I was in terms of what they know and how they think. It's incredibly motivating to know they will carry this on.”

Who are the climate influencers Usha looks to?

“For me, it's more the voices that are less heard. I’m inspired by Indigenous activists like JP Gladu, who is often published and cited locally, but not at the frequency of more internationally known commentators. There are others like him from jurisdictions outside Canada. I seek to learn from their perspectives. Our Promises, Promises report on climate and Indigenous reconciliation, for example, includes important and varying perspectives from First Nations leaders.”

In her work with financial services firms, Usha has witnessed a significant change in the attitudes and approaches toward climate and sustainability in organizations that aren’t historically climate-focused.

“In the course of working with one financial institution, what began as helping them on their journey to setting emissions-reduction targets morphed (through many stakeholder engagements) into a net-zero by 2050 announcement and publishing sectoral net-zero 2030 targets—a huge achievement!”

“The low-carbon transition will be inequitable. Some communities are already disproportionately affected. These communities need to be included in this transition. The idea of ‘us and them’ needs to disappear, especially in the context of climate. If you don't think about the interconnectivity of climate and social issues, you’ll only be looking at one piece of the problem.”

Businesses that don't think about those communities from an opportunities perspective will miss out.

“We can learn and do things quicker and more efficiently by bringing in all of our communities. It’s not just a social initiative, it’s smart business.”