Member Story: Rodrigo Castro, Director of Knowledge Management and Learning, SustainCERT
- How did you get into CR&S, and why did you choose this profession?
After several years in the construction industry, I wanted to refocus my career on sustainability in the built environment. I was curious and excited about the different perspectives that a job in that area could take. And I knew I wanted to have an impact on business operations by embedding sustainability. So, I earned a doctoral degree to increase my technical know-how. Yet, after working in the technology sector with different industries, I remain curious at the possibilities of enabling change and marvel at the common threads that tie our industries, our societies together. Now, as I work in the Voluntary Carbon Market and Value Chain Interventions, I am excited to help address the multiple challenges that we live in. And CR&S serves as a connecting point to make a holistic impact.
- What makes your sector unique from a CRS perspective?
Currently, I work in the technology sector providing sustainability services. The dynamism and quick iteration of this sector can help many industries innovate. The focus on satisfying customers’ needs, finding the value proposition that could make the implementation of a sustainable solution easier can be reached through a continuous learning process. This perspective is something that can be used in other areas.
3. What are the most essential skills for working in CRS?
Excellent communication skills and resilience. On one hand, your communication skills facilitate your work as an agent of change and allow you to build upon the core competencies described in the ICRS framework to be effective in your field. Also, as I moved away from delivering purely technical solutions to enabling teams, I found great satisfaction in being part of that change and helping bring the best in my teams. Because it is always about people and the opportunity to lead in any transformation process is about engaging different parties to find common ground and goals. On the other hand, there are always competing demands and a lot to learn from the problems we are trying to solve and the people we want to reach. So, setbacks are part of the process. This requires remembering that we are in it for the long run. Be compassionate with your self and others. And never forget that there might be something we are missing, something that we could learn to reach our goal.