HELEN MAISANO
DIRECTOR, GROUP SUSTAINABILITY AT OPTUS
I AM VERY values-driven - even from my teenage years, I felt a strong sense of purpose to make a difference on a range of issues like social justice, poverty, inequity and inequality, and this drove my career path towards sustainability.
I studied public relations initially, but as I moved more towards sustainability, I found that the field was really about creating change. I wanted to learn practical tools that I could apply in my field, so I ended up doing a Graduate Diploma on change management and eventually got my Masters. This led me to work for a large global humanitarian aid and development non-government organisation (NGO), where I learned a lot about sustainable development, and how interconnected social and environmental sustainability really is.
These experiences were real eye-openers for me, and I realised how significant the influence, resources and impact companies can have, both at a local and global level. That was what spearheaded me into pursing sustainability roles in business.
At its core, sustainability is about transformation, and we are seeing sustainability completely transform how businesses operate in a way that also creates shared value and positive impact for society and the environment. That's ultimately what sustainability professionals do, and it goes beyond a title. You need to be an intrapreneur, a strategist, a collaborator, an implementer, a thought leader and a problem solver, but
