Meet our Advisory Panel: Kevin D’Souza

Who are you?

My name is Kevin D’Souza. I am a very proud and fortunate Husband, Father and Grandfather. My amazing parents were hard-working immigrants who came to England in the 60s and I was born in London, many decades ago.  I went to the local public primary and Catholic secondary school in Harrow where I grew up - and much of the accepted blatant racism that I faced, as a first-generation kid, is what I now reflect on today in the hope that we can really make a change.  Because of my parents’ many sacrifices and hard work I was fortunate to be able to go to University where I studied Mining Engineering at the famous Royal School of Mines which is part of Imperial College of Science, Technology, and Medicine.

What drew you to sustainability?

I would like to give you an enchanting story, but the truth is it was a complete and utter accident.  I enjoyed maths and science at school and hence studied to be an Engineer. But during my very first real experience on a mine site in Ghana, I became intrigued by the local Ashanti culture and history.  I would love to hang out in the local communities and just observe, listen and chat, so I was subsequently asked to “help” with community engagement and environmental management, and it became a career-changing moment. But it was not really recognized as a real “skill”, and it certainly was not called ESG or sustainability in those bygone days. It was simply a means to achieve a business need. Anyway, nearly three decades later I am still working in all forms of environmental management, sustainability, social performance, community, and Indigenous peoples engagement.

Why do you think diversity in sustainability is important?

“Diversity is essential in sustainability.  Firstly, we must acknowledge the legacy of systemic racism that has pervaded environmentalism including embedded longstanding prejudices against local communities and a focus on protecting pristine wildernesses. The fact is one cannot truly understand and empathize with all the issues that today come under the umbrella of sustainability from a position of privilege. Even today the dominant narrative pays minimal thought to Indigenous and other poor people who rely on these lands, even when they are its most effective stewards.  Of course, education, intent, and passion are vital, but actual lived experiences allow you to have even closer empathy.”

That is where diversity in all forms really can bring a tremendous advantage to any group, company, or institution trying to approach sustainability holistically and authentically.  Diversity will help advance social equity and innovation and help towards solving the complex and numerous interrelated social-ecological crises we face today. Without diversity in sustainability, at best groupthink quickly becomes the default, and at worse it becomes paternalistic and patronizing. As Professor Einstein reflected “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them” – likewise we cannot identify and address the myriad of sustainability challenges we face today with just the usual same faces in the room monopolizing the conversation based on their own world views. If real solutions are to be discovered, we all need to create psychologically safe spaces so that everyone can be heard.

Kevin in Nigeria.

 You’ve spent much of your career working on sustainability and diversity issues in the mining sector. Why is it particularly challenging in this sector?

Yes, as I said I have been blessed to work for nearly three decades in sustainability in over fifty countries. Over these years there have been many challenging areas and all that has really happened is the jargon has changed, and its importance has risen exponentially. Today the mining sector faces increased scrutiny for climate change adaption and resilience; tailings storage management; natural capital management including biodiversity, deforestation, and water stewardship; addressing diversity beyond gender; and human rights especially with respect to Indigenous peoples’ relations and cultural heritage management, to name just a few.

The undeniable reality is that the mining sector is currently experiencing an unprecedented surge of sophistication and emphasis on sustainability issues. Many, like me, believe the industry is in midst of a true transformation with the sustainability (or ESG) performance bar being continuously raised, coupled with a proliferation of standards and reporting requirements. Countless research studies from leading business schools have now unequivocally demonstrated that strong sustainability performance is increasingly being viewed as a proxy for well-managed mining companies. And sustainability performance is considered a significant risk for the mining sector as it has many implications including reputation, credibility, access to capital, and the also the cost of capital. This is all combined with heightened lender and investor expectations. There are also strengthening regulatory requirements and I suspect many of currently voluntary standards and disclosure requirements will be enacted into legislation especially for issues like climate change and human rights.

Do you have a mentor?  How have they helped you in your personal growth?

I really wish I could say I have, and I regret not investing more time trying to find a mentor to help me.  Instead, I have looked to some of my personal heroes for inspiration and guidance from my Father to Bob Marley, Nelson Mandela, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and Mahatma Gandhi.  I would strongly recommend anyone, at any point in their career, to try to find a mentor.

What has been your proudest moment to date?

In life, it is without a doubt being married to my beautiful and incredible wife, Melanie, who has really been my real inspiration through her unbelievable humanity, genuine kindness, and unwavering support. In my career, I have been fortunate to have many absolutely wonderful moments. My wife often laments why I did not keep a journal to capture all my adventures.  Some hilarious, some surreal, some scary, some bewildering, and some very emotional times. Being stuck in the desert, escaping from a coup d’état, swimming with piranhas, being arrested, walking through minefields or opium poppy fields, negotiating with drug cartels and diamond smugglers, the list goes on.  One moment that immediately comes to mind is working for the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and trying to eliminate child labour in artisanal mining in the Sahel.  This involved working in Burkina Faso and Niger and in some of the most remote areas where extreme famine had driven families from their homes and fields to mine for gold with children working underground in unbelievably harsh conditions. Over time we did manage to have an impact over time helping the families and simultaneously stopping the children from working underground.  Another moment was working for an international NGO focused on gorilla conversation in DR Congo.  Years of conflict had driven local communities in the remote forests in search of lucrative minerals and they then all hunted for bushmeat.  Again, seeing unhabituated lowland Gorillas whilst working was just unbelievable for me another proud moment just being able to combine my specific set of skills with incredibly important wildlife conversation and also critical humanitarian efforts.

A lowland gorilla in the DRC.

What advice/quote do you most live by and why?

I am a bit of quodophile so I am not sure as I have too many that I often misquote.

Perhaps it is Dr. King’s “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

Maybe Confucius’s “Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance”

Perhaps the Dalai Lama’s “When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But when you listen, you may learn something new.

Or even Theodore Roosevelt’s rather long but very poignant quote “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”

Or it could be simply “Illegitimi non carborundum” which is actually a marvelous mock-Latin aphorism that is so apt far too often.

What development(s) have excited you most in the field?

Although many now claim that the whole concept of Milton Friedman`s edict from the 70’s “the business of business is business” is increasingly being challenged, there is a worrying misperception that sustainability issues are only long-term concerns and simply do not need to be part of current corporate strategic imperatives (coupled with a lack of clarity about Board and Executive oversight). But investors, lenders, stakeholders, and the general public are demanding better performance, transparency, and sustainability disclosure on so many issues.

I believe to thrive in this new era of accelerating transformation - and stakeholder capitalism companies need to embrace sustainability as a business imperative. And suffice to say sustainability approaches cannot be about short-term thinking, hoping to do the right thing, just maintaining a “social license” to secure permits, window dressing, or simply ticking boxes. Rather it should be about creating and protecting value through the systematic application of sustainability disciplines throughout the business. I believe it is about strengthening company-wide operational preparedness and building resilience. It is about attracting and retaining the best talent and being a true company of choice.

This is what makes it exciting for me, and is forcing the sustainability (or ESG) field to move rapidly from the `soft` non-core stuff relegated to the back office with a few tree hugger-type folks, to becoming a strategic imperative for many companies and institutions. This means that there will be huge opportunities for sustainability practitioners and courageous leaders to really make a difference in all sectors. In terms of careers, the future is bright for the next generation of sustainability practitioners.

Kevin with local communities in Papua New Guinea.

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future, and why?

Fully optimistic. We are at a historic tipping point for many sectors especially in industries like mining.  Today we need to avoid what some call “defensive sustainability” that is primarily motivated by value-protection and driven by risk management.  This outdated “CSR-type” approach focused too narrowly on monitoring negative impacts on the environment and a few communities and less on value creation. Enter the new sustainability (or ESG) approach that I believe is fundamentally about creating a sustainable culture and is focused on creating maximum value, and importantly not just financial.

The new approach is about embedding systematic sustainability governance and discipline in the very core of the business. However, there is a dearth of genuine talent to achieve this.  In addition, there is the increasing danger with the parallel overnight growth in sustainability “experts” who lack the foundational experience empathy. Regrettably, there are a great many charlatans both individuals and companies who are very good at talking about sustainability and producing amazing websites and glossy reports with all the latest jargon on “what to do”, but who lack the authenticity and fundamental knowledge to act and implement with empathy. There is always unquestionable intent, but I am afraid there is no shortcut to sustainability experience and success. Both are earned through the difficult journey of building self-awareness and self-management; having to choose courage over comfort; gaining humility through making mistakes, experiencing failures and disappointment; and good old-fashioned perseverance.

What’s next for you?

A timely question.  I have just left my last job as Vice President of a mining company after eight years and I am exploring options for the next chapter in my life, and I guess somewhat open to offers. What is essential is for me is finding a place where I can truly belong and there is a genuine commitment to authentic sustainability performance to future-proof the business, combined with real equity, diversity, and inclusivity.