Insights from industry leaders, Volume 6: Claire Brady, Head of Sustainability at Stand Agency
Meet Claire Brady, Head of Sustainability at Stand. For more than 14 years, Claire has played an integral role in driving action with her expertise and experience across all sectors. Her passion for creating positive change is coupled with sound expertise in cutting-edge sustainability practices. With her dedicated commitment to sustainability and social impact, Claire is a force to be reckoned with and an inspiration to all aspiring sustainability professionals. In this week’s series, Claire shares the biggest obstacles in the comms sector and the valuable lessons she has learned throughout her exceptional career.
What are the biggest challenges for sustainability in your sector?
First of all, the prevailing narrative is ‘business as usual’. It doesn’t show that there is a better version of the future that is sustainable and can be better for everybody – and so challenging that prevailing narrative is a key priority. Challenge number two links back to greenwashing; if the wider public don’t have a basic level of understanding of sustainability issues , it makes it very difficult for them know what is true and what isn’t. We need that broader education piece so that it becomes easier to communicate what companies are doing and what ok, good and excellent looks like. Currently, the terms that brands use are being used differently by different companies and they all mean different things.
What is the biggest roadblock in meeting your sustainability targets?
Companies need to have brave conversations to surface these challenges. We then have a better chance of shifting the narrative and creating the impact we want. But that isn’t easy – The more we can have those conversations then the more able we are to transition to a net zero future that is equitable and fair for everybody.
What is 1 thing you want people to know about sustainability at Stand?
It’s absolutely integral to who we are as a brand – it’s woven into all of the work we do with clients especially as a B Corp. It’s very much about changing the narrative around climate change and climate action inequality and trying to help our clients really create an impact. Everyone here has their comms experience but we also focus on our passion areas as well whether it’s the social side of sustainability or the environmental side of sustainability we bring what we can to make an impact.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to someone starting their career in sustainability?
It comes back to the idea of ‘Ikigai’. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses; accept what that makes you good at and then apply that. If you are going to succeed you must build that confidence and resilience – there’ll be plenty of times when you feel like bashing your head against a brick wall and when youre in it you can’t see the change. It takes someone else from the outside to remind you of where you started and how far you’ve come. Get a group of friends with similar goals and make them your board of directors who can share your challenges. And be brave!
Follow IAC on LinkedIn for more sustainability insights.
MORE SUSTAINABILITY SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEWS
You can read our recent interview with, Dr Rima Trofimovaite, Head of Measurement at Planet Mark here.
If you would like to be featured in one of our spotlights please contact Alyssa.Walsh@iac-recruit.com