Venera N. Anderson
on Rational Optimism
“If you want to bring peace to the whole world, go home and love your family.”
The famous quote of Maria Teresa has accompanied Dr. Venera N. Anderson's footsteps as family is one of her greatest values in life. With a loving family as her anchor, Venera embarked on a journey across three continents through diverse cultures, flavours, sensations, and languages, enriching her understanding of our shared home.
It all started at Harvard Business School, when she could sense disruptions and changes in the world: "Based on my analysis and intuition, I was certain that both financial and non-financial issues concerning society and the environment would be crucial for the sustainability of businesses, economic and social systems, and the well-being of our planet; I held such convictions eight years before the U.N. adopted the SDGs and before sustainability emerged as a viable career choice", she reflects.
Initially, Venera pursued a career on Wall Street focusing on renewable energy and a Ph.D. program in Economic Theory with an emphasis on poverty to further her impact on a global scale. However, with courage, humility, and curiosity, she decided not to follow a conventional path in the sustainability sector. Instead, she chose to carve out a unique one, as a career portfolio, tackling challenges such as climate change, economic development, and humanitarian issues head-on.
As a multi-hyphen person, she wears many hats, engaging with various communities: global strategy advisor, published author, member of the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council, illuminem Top 100 Global Female Sustainability Leader, and poverty expert. She co-authored the “Touching Hydrogen Future” book and was recognised as an International Expert in the "Women In Green Hydrogen,” reflecting her dedication to the just energy transition.
Constantly reinventing herself, Dr. Venera N. Anderson describes her resilient spirit as “rational optimism”: “This is what allows me to be an anti-fragile experimenter and find solutions even in the direst situations!” Despite the inherent challenges and uncertainties in the field of sustainability, Venera finds it captivating. She believes that “everyone in the world, with determination and willingness to pour their hearts and minds into the sustainability field, has the potential to become great leaders who can change the world!”
Discover Dr. Venera N. Anderson’s answers for Inspirators and remember that the most profound change is rooted in love and respect for your own family!
Thank you, Venera, for being a Rational Optimist!
#INSPIRATORS QUESTIONNAIRE
Name: Dr. Venera N. Anderson
Company / Institution: Member, The Harvard Business Review Advisory Council
Title: Global Strategy Advisor and Author | Sustainability & Climate
LinkedIn profile: www.linkedin.com/in/venera-n-anderson-ph-d
Illuminem Voice profile: https://illuminem.com/illuminemvoicesprofile/venera-n-anderson
Country you currently live in: Japan
Your definition of sustainability: I find the classic Brundtland Commission definition from 1987 to be the best: “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
Main business challenge you face: The lack of time to focus on all offered fascinating projects, collaborations, and research topics related to the global sustainability sector.
The main driver that keeps you going: The fear that we have very little time to address the energy and environmental security and reliability situations around the world, especially considering current geopolitical calamities.
The traits you are most proud of in yourself: Rational optimism, which helps me become a more resilient leader and a human being. Besides the ability to constantly reinvent myself, this quality allows me to be an “anti-fragile” experimenter and find solutions even in the direst situations for my clients’ companies, friends, and family members.
The traits you most value in others: Honesty, humility, and courage.
Passions & little things that bring you joy: In general, world travel, spending time with my family and friends worldwide, trying new things, experiences and foods.
I love getting an instant energy boost from dancing the night away in various locales, from South America and Australia to Eurasia.
At the same time, I can also get energy and creativity from “slow activities,” such as downhill or cross-country skiing, horseback riding in Montana, camel caravans in Eurasia, ocean swimming, reading, gardening and cooking dishes from the recipes from my favorite restaurants worldwide.
The #inspirators who determined you to take the sustainability path:
Many people have directly or indirectly inspired me to take this path.
I especially want to thank my Harvard Business School professor, Dr. Rawi E. Abdelal. I always had a clear and conventional vision of my future. After college, I went to Wall Street to focus on investment banking. Later, during my MBA studies, I became fascinated with global issues like poverty, climate change, and international relations. So, besides the MBA coursework, I also completed an independent research study on poverty in transitional economies under my advisor, brilliant Dr. Abdelal, and concurrently started a doctorate in economic theory at another university in Eurasia.
Before graduation, I considered careers with the most global impact, feeling that the world was about to change. Based on my analysis and intuition, I was sure that financial and non-financial issues related to society and the environment would be crucial for the sustainability of businesses, economic/social systems, and the well-being of our planet. I had such thoughts eight years before the U.N. adopted SDGs and before sustainability emerged as a viable career choice.
After graduation, to create a global impact, I continued with my doctorate program and returned to Wall Street to learn from, at that time, the best global investment banking group focused on renewable energy. Eventually, I decided 'not to go where the path may lead.' Instead, I chose to carve my path in sustainability: a career portfolio focused on developing and implementing solutions for global issues like climate change, economic development, and humanitarian challenges.
A hint or starting point for companies or professionals that are taking the first steps in the sustainability journey:
Some helpful advice that was given to me at the beginning of my sustainability journey:
Remember that significant gains usually result from consistent small steps over time.
Never take direction from someone who has not been there where you are going.
Your value is not decreased based on someone’s inability to see your worth.
The most used and abused clichés in sustainability bother you:
“We must save our planet" by just focusing on net-zero arguments. I genuinely believe that the nexus approach (energy/water/food) combined with geopolitical, international security, and social factors is a better, more holistic way to approach sustainability dilemmas on a case-by-case basis worldwide.
An honest piece of advice for young people who lose hope:
The field of sustainability is fascinating. However, a sustainability career has its challenges and uncertainties. I believe in the saying - "When nothing is certain, anything is possible." So, I think that everyone in this world, with determination and willingness to pour their hearts and minds into the sustainability field, has the potential to become great leaders who can change the world in their own ways.
Books that had a significant impact on you: There are so many to mention since I like reading books in their original versions in various languages, but the relatively recent ones (in English) are the following:
Peter Frankopan - "The Earth Transformed: An Untold History," "The Silk Roads: A New History of the World"
James Mearsheimer - "The Tragedy of Great Power Politics”
Thomas Piketty - "Capital in the 21st Century”
Joseph E. Stiglitz - "The Price of Inequality: How Today's Divided Society Endangers our Future.”
Recent favorites written by female writers:
April Rinne - "Flux: 8 Superpowers for Thriving in Constant Change"
Christina Wallace - "The Portfolio Life"
Eugina Jordan - "Unlimited: The Seventeen Proven Laws for Success in a Workplace Not Designed for You"
Liz Elting - "Dream Big and Win"
Must-reads for any sustainability professional:
Jeffrey Sachs - “Common Wealth – Economics for a Crowded Planet”
Bill Gates - "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster”
Bruce Usher - “Investing in the Era of Climate Change”
Daniel Yergin - “The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations”
Sustainability Movies or Documentaries you would watch all over again: Oceans, Year of Living Dangerously, Ten Billion, Before the Flood.
Blogs / Websites / Podcasts you visit frequently: illuminem, LinkedIn (so many blogs/newsletters from various sustainability professionals), Bloomberg NEF, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, RechargeNews.com, Financial Times, The Foreign Affairs, among others.
Podcasts: The Sustainable Finance Podcast, My Sustainability Journey, Energy Gang, Climate Rising, Everything About Hydrogen, Grid Geeks, Columbia Energy Exchange, "Cleaning Up. Leadership in an age of climate change” with Michael Liebreich.
Music that makes you (and your heart) sing: Tunes from various genres which remind me of special people and places throughout my life.
Places you traveled to that left a mark on you: Tibet, Ural Mountains, Japan, Victoria Falls, (Zimbabwe) since I bungee-jumped from a bridge there in my late teens; Mont St. Michel (France), Pomeranzen Garden (Leonberg, Germany); Cape Zanpa and Cape Hedo (Okinawa); Montana (USA); Kazakhstan; French Polynesia, and New Zealand.
Global Sustainability Voices, you recommend us to follow:
Elena Doms
Michael Liebreich
Alicia Eastman
Aisha Williams
Harald Walkate
Eugina Jordan
Elin Bergman
Shiri Hinish
I suggest joining the illuminem community to follow exceptional sustainability leaders based on their specialties (carbon, circular economy, sustainable finance, and many others).
Trends in sustainability we should keep an eye on:
The tug of war of opposing forces in sustainability, as it was briefly described by Andrew Winston in the recent Harvard Business Review article “2023: A Strange, Tumultuous Year in Sustainability.”
He states that while society is winning (more companies are incorporating sustainability in their strategy planning), it is also losing (poverty and carbon emissions are rising). At the same time, some forces strive to slow progress toward a cleaner economy or human rights efforts.
Best places for business networking (online or offline): LinkedIn and illuminem, Rotary International clubs around the world.
Events we should attend: I highly recommend following illuminem, which started to announce such events on its website. Among some of my recent favorites are The Wall Street Green Summit (New York), the Japan Energy Summit (Tokyo), the World Hydrogen Congress (Rotterdam), among others.
Associations, business clubs, tribes you belong to – and why:
Rotary International, the “Women in Green Hydrogen,” Women in Sustainability and Climate,” “GWNET – Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition,” "Harvard Alumni for Climate and the Environment" – due to tremendous impact that these organizations make on the world.
Sustainable Development courses, trainings, or certifications that teach us how to have an impact:
I highly suggest formal sustainability programs in universities around the world. This link to the courses can be helpful as well.
Reasons to feel optimistic about our future in 2030: The sustainability field has transformed into a mainstream field and continues to grow since the youth, career re-launchers, and many others want a more purpose-oriented career.
Reasons to feel pessimistic about our future in 2030: Uncertainty brought by the climate crisis and geopolitical negative factors.
Sustainable Leadership qualities are much needed today: Courage, compassion, stakeholder approach, curiosity, and rational optimism (able to see opportunities under challenging situations and respond appropriately).
The # inspirators you are endorsing for a future edition of the newsletter are
Alicia Eastman
Aisha Williams
Eugina Jordan
Liz Elting
The quotes that inspire you:
“It always seems impossible until it's done." (Nelson Mandela)
“I did not know what I wanted to do, but I always knew the woman I wanted to be.” (Diane von Furstenberg)
“You could die right now. Let this fact guide the rest of your life.” (Marcus Aurelius)
Your own quote that will inspire us:
