Lauren was on a small ship in Antarctica when she decided to pursue a career in sustainability. Based in Oliver Wyman’s New York office at the time, Lauren won an essay contest and a ticket to represent Oliver Wyman on a leadership expedition with Sir Robert Swan and the 2041 Foundation. The journey was so impactful for Lauren that she dedicated herself to starting a local green team, which grew into her role leading Oliver Wyman’s internal sustainability efforts globally. Working with Oliver Wyman’s parent company, Marsh McLennan, she co-created its award-winning Green Traveler program and other initiatives, while growing Oliver Wyman’s global Green Champion network to engage colleagues.
I’ll never forget the sentence that inspired me to do this work, shared by a fellow Antarctic expeditioner: He said, “If we don’t do something about the way we use our resources in the next 5 years, in 20 years we’ll be asking ourselves, “What were we thinking?”” That was 2008, and the issue is even more urgent now.
Lauren leads the effort to fulfill Oliver Wyman’s commitment as a CarbonNeutral® company, and to integrate sustainability into the firm’s operations, collaborating on strategies to reduce its carbon footprint. As of January 2021, Lauren also leads the Oliver Wyman for Society program, which coordinates the firm’s volunteering, fundraising, and social impact projects that aim to make a significant, meaningful impact on society. Lauren is also working to support Marsh McLennan and Oliver Wyman’s alignment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Leading these two programs enables me to more easily identify opportunities to team together on shared issues and build engagement throughout the firm. It’s quite clear to me that we can create more impact and positive change if we do it together, and I love the creativity sparked by this thinking.
Lauren has returned to Antarctica twice since 2008 as part of Robert Swan’s leadership team and has shared her story with many schools and organizations to raise awareness and promote sustainability. She transferred to Oliver Wyman’s San Francisco office in 2013 and currently resides in Sausalito, CA, where she was appointed as Sustainability Commissioner in 2019. Lauren also serves on the Board of Directors for EarthShare, a nonprofit that connects the most influential environmental organizations with employers, people, and communities to protect our planet.
With a theatre degree and an early career as an actor, I never imagined I’d end up with a career in sustainability and social impact, yet much of what I do calls upon the fundamentals I learned early on. I am still a storyteller at heart, except now I share my own experiences to inspire others to take action and innovate for change. A decade from now, I don’t want to be wondering what else I could have done.
Visit our Sustainability and Oliver Wyman for Society pages to learn more.