SusDev.Life

Sustain and Develop

Why Sustain and Develop?

In part this is a simple play on words for sustainable development, but it is also a reference to the requirement to take stock and ensure that the business model being applied by an organisation can be sustained into the future and to then constantly develop and improve. Lastly it is a reference to the complementary aspects of sustainability and the development of those people and the training solutions required to transition an organisation to a more sustainable footing. Ultimately very little will be achieved if workforces, boards, shareholders and other stakeholders are not supportive.

Damien Plant

MBA MA MEd PCSB PGCE BA(Hons) CEnv FIEMA

In 2020 I established a small consultancy service, based in Vienna, focussing on sustainability and development. Prior to this I served as a diplomat and as a career officer in the British Armed Forces.

Contact me: damien@susdev.life and +43 681 20718560

Mission

My personal mission is to support organisations, whether public, private or not-for-profit

who wish to transition to a more sustainable footing.

Contact me for:

Broad based, holistic advice around all aspects of sustainability, nature & biodiversity.
Project leadership - sector agnostic! An extensive network allows me to put together the right team for your needs.
Learning solutions to up-skill your teams at all levels. A number of off-the-shelf offerings can be complemented with bespoke training.
Coaching for sustainability - from C Suite to shop floor, as required.
Sustainability event management - from programme development and speaker recruitment to moderating on the day.
Presentations to your organisation and workshop facilitation.
Advice around climate security and risks to your organisation.

From the people I’ve worked with

“This last tour in diplomatic service have fully rounded off a highly capable, hugely experienced officer who is comfortable working from the operational to the strategic levels. With his strong analytical skills, genuinely original initiatives, outstanding ability as a communicator/networker and passion for all he does, he will undoubtedly be a huge asset wherever he works in the future”

Her Majesty’s Ambassador Leigh Turner CMG, British Ambassador to Austria and the International Organisations, 2 Feb 2021

“Damien really helped me see my issues from a number of perspectives, as we approached the subject using multiple coaching methods from different angles. Damien is very easy to speak to and his presence is reassuring. As a coach, I cannot recommend Damien highly enough.”

Matti Katara, Henley Business School, Helsinki Campus, 24 Sep 2023

“Damien has the ability to see and connect the strategic with pragmatic actions to bridge the knowing/doing gap. He has years of operational delivery capability in demanding environments and understand what it takes to make the change happen. Most excitingly his application of this experience in the sustainability transition is a capability we need much more of, and quickly”

Simon Bailey MBA, Managing Director, LSP Leadership, 24 Mar 2022

https://www.lspleadership.com

"Damien was a great help to the Environment Agency in a training consulting role as we designed and delivered key training for the entire UK water industry. Damien's professional expertise as a trainer was obvious, but his depth of knowledge as an environmental consultant was hugely complementary. On a personal note, as the EA lead I found his support to me invaluable".

Dr Catherine Jefferies, Programme Manager, UK Environment Agency, 5 May 2022

“Having worked with Damien during his diplomatic service, I know how much energy and positivity he brings to addressing these challenging and important issues. He takes a truly collaborative approach to developing actionable strategies and bringing key stakeholders together to really deliver impact”

Linda Dann, CBE, former Deputy Director Europe, UK Ministry of Defence, Oct 2022

“I am honoured that we can now count you - with all your knowledge, experience, passion and influence - as part of our new generation of ambassadors for sustainability.Following your successful application, you have joined a network of leaders who are challenging norms and transforming the world. Together we can highlight, debate and tackle the big issues. We can only do that with members like you who represent the entire sustainability profession and understand where it is heading.”

Sarah Mukherjee MBE, CEO, Institute for Environmental Management and Assessment, 7 May 2021.

“Damien has a gift for carefully and astutely drawing out a dialogue that is helpful for clarifying thoughts and ideas on a complex situation. He keeps to time in a structured way yet listens carefully to allow you to direct the conversation in a way that is true to your own priorities. I found the sessions immensely beneficial, enabling me to tackle an issue that felt too big to handle - and by the end I had a feeling of control and confidence that has lasted. Highly recommended”

Dr Christine Peters, consultant Microbiologist, NHSGGC, 18 Oct 2023

“The Embassy hosted an event that brought the climate conversation to the attention of the defence community in Hungary. Damien facilitated, drawing together some first class speakers who set the discussion in terms that were of immediate relevance to our participants and helped to demonstrate that action within the defence community was not only possible but could bring benefits to their developing projects as well.”

Richard Shackleton, Deputy Head of Mission, British Embassy Budapest, 27 Jan 2022

"Damien was a terrific support to the senior leadership team at the university, when he spent six months with us as a strategic consultant, identifying actionable opportunities for new income streams and leaving us with a thorough, costed plan to implement"

Mag. Andreas Schweighofer, MD Talent Squared, Modul University, 15 Dec 2021

Now: Geschäftsführer, UBIT -Akademie Incite

https://www.incite.at

“Despite the current, turbulent and polarising context, the need for a healthy and sustainable world provides a common destiny for all. Damien Plant, through his knowledge, experience and passion, is well suited to assist and guide organizations, industry, government and others alike, on their path towards greater climate and security awareness and responsibility. I had the privilege to work with him, he impressed me, I know he will do the same for you”.

Ben Bekkering, vice-admiral (rtd) Royal Netherlands Navy, Dec 2022

“Life can be so full of opportunities that deciding which to prioritise and how to make the most of them can feel a little overwhelming. This was particularly true for me following a promotion into a natural capital lead role, alongside wearing several other hats within the business. Damien’s thoughtful approach to coaching supported me in analysing the situation. Over several sessions Damien helped me to think about opportunities holistically and prioritise actions that have both aligned well with my personal career ambitions and the vision of the business as I transition into my new role.”

Dr Ida Bailey, Senior Ecologist, 22 November 2023

“Damien has worked as an advisor and advocate for the Carbon Literacy Project and has been highly effective on both fronts. In the field of sustainability, we find that its most impactful practitioners need to major on both personal empathy and technical proficiency - and Damien excels on both.”

Phil Korbel, Cofounder/Director of Advocacy, the Carbon Literacy Project, Jun 2022

www.carbonliteracy.com

“Damien hat profundes Wissen und verfügt über sehr viel Erfahrung im Zusammenführen von verschiedenen Sektoren zum Ziel einen positiven Impact zu generieren. Er geht sehr hands-on an die Dinge heran und überzeugt mit seinem interdisziplinären Zugang. In der Zusammenarbeit und dem gemeinsamen Kreieren ist Damien ein großes Asset als Brückenbauer zwischen Kulturen, Sprachen und Industrien,,

Johannes Naimer-Stach, Owner Klimaschutzakademie by ORCA Evolution, MD Climate-KIC Austria, co-founder Climate Lab, Nov 2022

“Damien was superb at identifying the opportunity to develop a military response to climate change and sustainability much earlier than others. He was able to translate that idea into practical action across a number of countries, many of whom have remarked on how much they appreciate the work he has done.”

Lt Gen Richard Nugee CB CVO CBE, UK Defence NED (Climate & Sustainability), Senior Advisor, Chair, 6 Oct 2022

https://www.gov.uk/government/people/richard-nugee

“Damien has demonstrated long-term strategic vision on how national security infrastructures have to adjust to expectations of climate change. As CO2 emission targets start to determine policy choices, the defense industry will not be able to resist the transition to a hydrogen powered and cyclical economy model. While a number of corporate actors and institutions seem unprepared for this, Damien is well placed to help devise and implement this transition.”

Prof Dimitris Christopoulos, Director of Research, Edinburgh Business School, 6 Nov 2022

What has been achieved so far?

Since 1992, when I was an attached mountain leader to a group of glaciologists measuring glacial retreat in Iceland, I have developed an intense interest in climate change and how to tackle this existential crisis. This is the problem to which I now wish to dedicate the remainder of my life.
Over 30 years this has involved a great deal of study and I have been able to incorporate the climate issue into a number of qualifications. Through study, reading, engagement and action I have literally tracked climate change and our response to it for three decades.
Whilst a member of the British Armed Forces, I undertook a number of initiatives, often by ‘stealth’ as the environment during those years could not be cited as a justification for activity or resource application - this in spite of the Army generously funding my studies at the Cambridge University Institute for Sustainable Leadership!
My last five years service was spent as a diplomat and this coincided with the UK hosting of COP 26. As such it provided an opportunity for me to ‘break cover’ and develop an initiative with all three of my Embassies to deliver government-to-government (G2G) conferences around the theme of ‘Greening Defence’. It was amazing to attend COP26 and, apart from anything else to witness the first event addressing the defence issue.
Since retiring from public service in June 2021, I have delivered two more ‘G2G’ events for central European governments; this work continues.
I since worked for six months as the strategic consultant to a Vienna university to scope a ‘sustainability advisory service’ which drew on their specific strengths and interests; this culminated in a costed, actionable plan for the university. Alongside this work I also developed engagement in the Real Estate sector in Austria - a key area if we are to tackle emissions.
I am associated with three complementary and noteworthy consultancies (see formal affiliations, below). Projects have included developing learning solutions for the UK Environment Agency and the UAE hosts of COP28 and I am conducting a major study for an environmental professional body in how to expand across Europe. I have also led a review for the UK Cabinet Office (and other stakeholders) into the feasibility of adopting a multi-capital approach to procurement (involving an approximate €25bn per year budget).
In addition to these examples, and my formal partnering, I have close links into a number of other key players (such as Capitals Coalition, Supply Shift, see below) and can draw on a wide range of sources to deliver solutions in detail. I am very good at connecting and collaborating and am intent on bringing the very best partners and solutions to bear in my support of organisations. I have a strong network across central Europe and insights I can bring to bear.
One particular strength lies in the area of learning, for example through links with CISL, Carbon Literacy Project, Climate Reality Project, IEMA, Klimaschutz Akademie, and through my own several decades of experience as a training consultant across the globe. For example I was invited to produce and present a paper for the EU Strategic Compass last year considering the impacts of climate change on military training and offering solutions; this is now part of an EU publication. I am currently engaged with supporting a European learning provider to add their sustainability courses in English as a formal offering to corporate clients.
Given my military background and extensive operational experience, I also have much to offer at the nexus of climate and security and have been involved in Podcasts and Webinars in this area. My thesis for a 2007 masters with King’s College London’s Defence Studies department was almost certainly the first anywhere in the world to explore the link between climate change and defence. It was described by the Dean of Studies as a “tour de force of the climate issue”.
I am also involved in coaching and mentoring. This includes the CEO of a major developer, plus a variety of senior and less experienced individuals as they seek to establish how they can best contribute to the climate battle. Having been responsible for bringing the first formal coaching system into UK defence during a previous role, I am very well placed to do this; in fact the original ‘purpose’ I envisaged for myself was specifically in the area of ‘coaching for sustainability’. In this spirit I am revisiting my coaching skills though undertaking the prestigious, triple accredited Executive Coaching course from Henley Business School.
I continue to develop my own knowledge and associations; a ‘growth mindset’ is absolutely key to my approach and I take joy from the chance to work with others on meaningful activity and to learn as I go along. We are truly in the fourth industrial revolution, which will move at a tremendous pace. Only by keeping up with this pace will we be able to harness the developments of this revolution (against a backdrop of population explosion, resource constraints et al) in order to sufficiently mitigate and adapt to the changing world. There is much to be done.