Meet our Co-founders: Rida Bilgrami

Who are you?

I’m Rida Bilgrami, a sustainability strategist and one of the co-founders of Diversity in Sustainability based in London. For the last decade I have worked as a strategy consultant focused on corporate sustainability and reporting. I also work as a food and culture journalist. My writing spans reported features, profiles, and essays with a focus on food culture and its intersection with history, identity and migration.

What made you realize that you should be in the field?

I have an inter-disciplinary academic background in Economics, Anthropology and Development Studies. Soon after completing graduate studies in London, I started working at a cross-sector think tank that was focused on providing foresight to INGOs to facilitate collaboration with the private sector. I began to realise that many of the issues I was interested in – human rights, gender equality, water security – could also be seen from the lens of how business can play a role in tackling these. I grew interested in how corporates could leverage their expertise in logistics, supply chains, and technological innovation in expanding the possibilities for sustainable development. I wanted to work with companies on shifting business models and strategies that addressed exploitative working conditions and improved resource stewardship.

What was your first job in sustainability? What did you learn from that experience?

My first job in sustainability was working as an Analyst in the London office of SustainAbility, a hybrid strategy consultancy and think tank. I eventually progressed to a Project Manager and from the get-go I had the opportunity to work with some of the world’s largest corporations on sustainability strategy development, stakeholder engagement and reporting. Working with a geographically dispersed but dedicated team of colleagues who had such varied professional and academic backgrounds really honed my analytical and problem solving skills. It was a great place to learn and also meet other thinkers and practitioners in the industry. I’m still quite close with many of my colleagues and members including two who are co-founders at Diversity in Sustainability!

Why do you think diversity in sustainability is important?

In my view many sustainability focused organisation are still consciously or unconsciously quite colonial, patriarchal, and non-inclusive in their outlook. Intergenerational equity is a central concept within sustainability, and to achieve that it is important to pay attention to how we cultivate more inclusive workplaces that honour the differences that people bring to the table. I also think we need to do a better job of embedding and integrating perspectives of marginalised groups in decision-making.

Why did you want to get involved in Diversity in Sustainability? 

I have observed the lack of racial and ethnic diversity in the industry since I started working in this sector a decade ago. People of colour – and especially women of colour – are not visible in this industry.

 At the beginning of my career I was hesitant to initiate discussions or initiatives on how to cultivate a more diverse and inclusive workplace as I felt I needed to expand my knowledge and understanding on what the solutions look like. The world looks very different in 2020. We are living through a zeitgeist of cultural change where conversations regarding equity and inclusion beyond window dressing are percolating across sectors. Diversity needs to be more than just a tick box exercise to increase representation. For me the question now is what type of change needs to be catalytic for meaningful transformation? At Diversity in Sustainability we are at the beginning of a journey to explore how we drive forward change and achieve impact.

“The world looks very different in 2020. We are living through a zeitgeist of cultural change where conversations regarding equity and inclusion beyond window dressing are percolating across sectors. Diversity needs to be more than just a tick box exercise to increase representation. For me the question now is what type of change needs to be catalytic for meaningful transformation? At Diversity in Sustainability we are at the beginning of a journey to explore how we drive forward change and achieve impact.”

What advice would you give to students, young professionals or mid-career professionals that want to get into the field?

I think the sweet spot as a sustainability practitioner is combining curiosity with purpose and impact. Be open to learning and unlearning and thinking systemically. I have found great value both professionally and personally in challenging myself to observe and listen beyond the echo chamber of sustainability discourse as framed by large institutions. Seek out writers and thinkers who are interrogating systemic issues in food sovereignty, listen to indigenous communities talking about climate change, faith leaders building a moral case for tackling inequality.

What are some good examples of good sustainability practice that you're impressed with? Are there any sustainability leaders that come to mind?

I am enthused about new business models in ingredient sourcing such as the work being undertaken by Diaspora Co – a company focused on equity and quality that is disrupting an outdated and unjust spice trading model by sourcing single-origin turmeric, chili, coriander, pepper directly from family farms in India. They operate on the philosophy that decolonizing the spice trade means redistributing power that previously rested with traders and middlemen to farmers who are paid much above market price.

 When did you first realize that your diversity made you different from your counterparts in the field?

“I think we all bring some element of diversity of thought and experiences to the table in our unique ways. I spent my formative years in Pakistan, where being a woman and from a sectarian minority shaped my early views on how I understood difference at a societal level and the reality of being on the margins of a majoritarian group struggling to see if you will ever get a seat at the table.”

 For a large part of my adult life living in the U.S and UK I grappled with how my identity markers – woman of colour, Muslim, first-generation immigrant could potentially hinder my access to professional opportunities and progression. However, being able-bodied and having a post-graduate degree also gave me privileges that eventually facilitated my entry into organisations that I worked for. Having lived and studied in different countries and being multi-lingual afforded me a unique vantage point and cultural agility as I began my career in sustainability. It enabled me to zoom out and see the big picture in a systemic way without losing sight of the finer details. I see my diversity as an asset but I am acutely aware that it’s not the same for many others from my cultural and religious background, especially in the UK context.

What quote do you most live by and why?

This is not so much a quote I live by but one that has had a profound impact on my lately:

Photo credit: Claudia Leisinger

I read an interview by Zohran Mamdani, who recently became one of the first South Asians to secure a seat in New York’s State Assembly, where he said:  “I don’t think that representation in and of itself is enough to deliver us to the world that we need, I think it’s a part of it.  The real, key power of representation is that you not only look like someone who hasn’t been at the table, but that you in fact change the nature of which discussions are prioritized, and that you’re fighting for a different set of priorities that have been ignored. Arundhati Roy has spoken of the idea that, “there are no voiceless people, there’s just the unheard.”

What was your proudest moment as a sustainability professional?

My proudest moment was working with a large pharmaceutical company on developing a commitment to paying a living wage for their supply chain workers, which positively impacted over a 1000 workers. Working cross-functionally across the business from procurement to human resources to investor relations, to come up with workable solutions and a policy commitment was a huge learning experience for me, and also gratifying to see impact.

What issues in sustainability are you most concerned about?

• The devastating impacts of climate change in the world’s most vulnerable countries.

• Large-scale human migration due to resource scarcity and increased frequency of extreme weather events

• Unsustainable and exploitative sourcing models that pose an existential threat to the future supply of ingredients such as coffee, cocoa and vanilla that are intrinsic to our daily lives.