Contact Us
Foundations Executive Search,
86-90 Paul St,
London, EC2A 4NE
+44 (0) 208 167 37 37
DEI Policy
Sustainability Policy
Privacy & GDPR
As the topic of climate change heats up, there is mounting pressure both from global governments and individual citizens for business and industry to renew their focus on real sustainability both internally and on a more macro scale to develop the technology that can accelerate our plans for a cleaner and more sustainable future.
While within business there has always been some resistance to change a model that has seemingly worked well so far, with all of the upheavals we have faced recently and businesses re-evaluating large areas of how they work – from including remote working to changing how they outreach to customers and the UX of the buying process – there is no better time to effect real change through the technology we use and create.
Especially with Tech professionals being experts in complex and co-dependent relationships and have an acute understanding of the interrelated nature of platforms, value chains, and ecosystems, it is time for them to take a bigger hand in how we can develop and innovate new solutions for the problems that put big business and sustainability at odds and create digital innovations to drive new and healthy growth.
So, as companies look towards developing a more holistic view of their operations and supply chains and address what we refer to as the “triple bottom line” of people, planet and profit, it makes sense to identify new and better ways to leverage their diverse technology investments to advance their equally diverse sustainability objectives while still delivering business outcomes.
So how can we address this triple bottom line and how we do business?
First and foremost, looking after your internal teams and their well-being helps to create a stress-free environment where colleagues are able to collaborate and innovate together, which goes a long way towards natural growth and brand loyalty for the company.
This can be taken a step further – we all know that data, facts, and actionable insights are key to creative insights and enabling smart, timely decisions. Traditionally, companies analyse data to evaluate and improve conception, production, sales, marketing, customer experience or other “external” aspects of their business. Yet applying those same methodologies to innovation throughout their internal processes can enable enterprises to accelerate and sustain their teams’ wellness.
By investing in digital platforms and resources that focus on training and professional development, businesses can empower employees to carve out their own career paths based on personal goals, capabilities and interests. Companies can gain granular insights through these platforms to provide their employees with pathways that align with their individual objectives and situations. By leveraging data for traditionally HR-related functions, employees — and their families — can enhance their ability to be professionally, emotionally and physically healthy.
IT professionals know that every component of a networked system is connected and dependent upon one another. Like digital networks, everything in our human lives is connected to the natural environment in critical ways. This reality is a call to arms for the tech industry, whose talents and platforms can play key roles in how people and businesses create sustainable value, communicate and improve their communities.
Much needs to be done to address the climate crisis. Digital technology can help in transformative and pragmatic ways. For example, AI can help plan and optimize delivery routes to reduce fossil-fuel consumption. Intelligent sensors predict and manage optimum lighting and power usage based on usage for efficient use of energy. Predictive analytics can scale up or scale down production lines based on known and anticipated trends.
Digital technology can also play a substantial role in supply chain sustainability, which touches everything from product design and manufacturing to transportation and retail. While achieving a more sustainable supply chain can reduce labour costs by 50%, it can also trim material usage by 20%. It also helps in recovery and recycling, providing a great source of raw materials for new products reducing the environmental damage caused by mining. So, as many companies consider digital solutions for operational and fiscal benefits, those same solutions can be used to deliver environmentally beneficial results as well.
And that’s not to mention the physical technology this can help build across a number of still blooming markets including green energy, sustainable farming and food production, and eco-friendly transport – think not just EVs on the road but shipping and air transport. There are a whole range of new opportunities for tech professionals to take the reins in these and other new markets out there.
The third “p” in the triple bottom line — profit — sometimes has negative connotations, but fiscal responsibility is often overlooked as part of a company’s sustainability journey. If a corporate enterprise is not financially viable, it will by definition be unsustainable and unable to effect further change or support its employees. Technology can help companies address the “people” and “planet” aspects as outlined above, yet one of its greatest strengths is helping organizations ensure their fiscal responsibility.
AI and blockchain, for example, enable businesses to better manage and track inventory — a common bottleneck to cash flow and supply chains — which reduces costly warehousing and overhead expenditures and accelerates shipments and revenue streams. Companies can further leverage AI to use trusted data sets for predictive models and forecasts, allowing businesses to optimise processes, eliminate bottlenecks, and predictively mitigate the impact of disruptions.
Digital technologies also can connect isolated business process islands, empowering managers and decision-makers with actionable insights that impact their decision-making with a new level of macro awareness and enterprise intelligence.
To become truly sustainable, we and the companies we work for must leverage digital innovations to advance all three pillars of sustainability: people, planet and profit.
Though not easy, ensuring that the idea of these three pillars is followed and addressed in that order among businesses, industries, nations, and governments, will provide the first real stepping stone to changing the effect business has on the planet.
If we can turn something good from the last year it is this – the world has had to face the effects of a massive disaster on a global scale together. Changing how we live, how we work, and collaborations between businesses and countries that would never have happened otherwise. If we can do this for the pandemic, then with an inspired sense of purpose, and propelled by effective leaders and innovative technologies, we can move sustainability forward, together, toward a greener, cleaner, and more sustainable future.