An established panel of faculty, staff and numerous other experts recently convened for the Harvard Business School Business & Environment Initiative to “discuss the role of business schools and MBA students in climate action.”
The panel consisted of Professor Rebecca Henderson, Lecturer John Macomber, Oasys Water President and CEO James Matheson (MBA ’01), National Grid Lead Program Manager Smriti Mishra (MBA ’12), and student sustainability associate David Chan (MBA ’18).
Macomber advised students interested in pursuing leadership positions in the battle for climate action to explore “project finance as a strategy for generating operating yield” as a way to address three unwieldy trends: massive urbanization, resource scarcity and government’s inability to address them. In other words, MBAs can play an important role in privately financing infrastructure.
Piggy-backing on the major environmental issues Macomber mentioned, Matheson framed them as “opportunities rather than challenges.” He stressed the importance of connectivity and community in working to address these issues. “If you’re doing it by yourself, it’s too chaotic, and you’re stabbing at windmills, and you get tired. You’ve got to do it together.”
Henderson believes more and more business leaders are voicing their environmental concerns partially in response to the current administration’s denial of climate change. Mishra says, “When [it’s] is hard to be the voice in the room that’s reminding people of [a holistic perspective], just keep being that person. Because you have the credibility. You have the ability to make a difference.”
You can watch the full panel discussion video here.