“I think the content was great; it was so in-depth and I found a lot of value in it”
Shaun Taylor
End User Business Manager, HID Global
Diploma in Business Sustainability Graduate
Tell me about your professional background
I’ve been involved in a substantial amount of critical infrastructure projects and building & construction in general- a vast amount of capex projects over the past 17 years. For me, it was a long road to understand the sustainability angle for a lot of the industries I was involved with.Â
I moved across from South Africa after looking after Africa & Middle East Mining and Oil & Gas for Abloy for over two years. In this role, I drove specifications for the business on mass roll-out projects, focusing on cost efficiencies and the best use of technology. I then moved across to Commercial Real Estate and Banking for HID in the UK. I’ve been in this role for two and a half years now.Â
The multinational banks I work with have sustainability strategies; there’s a crossover with smart buildings, in this sense, and how to make better use of energy in their building (if owned) or on the tenant’s demise (as tenants). The ideal goal is to ensure the tech stack of the building is employed in the correct manner. This has finite downstream effects- the most important one being the sustainability strategy of the business, in addition to the services and solution set the landlord provides.Â
Why did you decide to do a sustainability course?Â
It was an obvious choice to add the learnings of this course to my business development skill set. As someone who is involved in an industry like this, I wanted to understand the topic of business sustainability properly in order to offer my customers the most efficient and cost-effective solution for their business. It was also about wanting to understand our customers and their needs better.
The multinationals I engage with have a clear goal to reduce their carbon footprint and are working towards Net Carbon Zero by 2050. Understanding what they needed from a Scope 3 perspective helped them to deploy our solutions on more projects. Their confidence in us, as trusted advisors, helped their sustainability journey.Â
On a personal note, leaving a legacy for my two young girls is important. I believe that I can contribute towards their future by educating myself to be a better custodian of sustainability in my own career and in my life outside of HID.
How was your learning experience on the course?
I think the content was great; it was so in-depth and I found a lot of value in it. The way it was constructed was really good, the content was relevant, and the use cases were fantastic. It was also nice to get the opportunity to engage with other participants on the course and get their viewpoints. I appreciated the flexibility of the course too; it was 100% online and self-paced which suited me with looking after my two young girls and balancing work.
How has the course helped you advance your career?
It’s been four months since I qualified but I’ve already noticed the benefits. The main advantage I’ve seen is that I can better hold conversations on sustainability-related topics. My customers have been impressed by the fact I completed a business sustainability course too, for their benefit as well as mine, something others in the industry have not done.
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If you are interested in gaining a comprehensive and practical understanding of key sustainability concepts and learning to implement sustainability best practices to confidently lead sustainability initiatives within your organisation, or advance your career in sustainability, start your learning journey today with the Diploma in Business Sustainability.
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