Impact Interview: Heather Mak

Name: Heather Mak

Role/Function: Co-Founder, Diversity In Sustainability

What She’s Currently Working On: 

Since June of 2020, I’ve been working with a few former colleagues on starting up Diversity in Sustainability, a global network where we aim to equip current and future Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour sustainability leaders with the skills, networks, and resources to accelerate the transition to a sustainable and just future. We wanted to approach this from a systemic basis – so not only to create the space for people of colour, but also to work with the broader ecosystem to create that access and opportunities in a mutually reinforcing way.

1. What was the “aha” moment that sparked your interest in social impact? 

There were a series of “aha” moments for me to start Diversity in Sustainability. I’ve been working in sustainability for over a decade, and the notion of a “just” future was something that I took for granted. Here I was thinking to myself that, because I’m here to make a better place, that justice is inherently part of the equation. That worldview was completely shattered after George Floyd’s death, and it was a good reality check for me to do some deep reflection on our field and interrogate my underlying assumptions. A few helpful ‘aha’ pieces, among many:

Ibram X Kendi has a paragraph in his book, How to Be an Antiracist, about the history of capitalism, where he refers to the “conjoined twins” of capitalism and racism. It made me reflect on working on sustainable supply chains for years – for example, cocoa, cotton, sugar – and recognizing that most of the fundamental flaws that we’ve tried to solve have come from the legacy of slavery.

Anand Giridharadas’ book, Winners Take All, emphasizes some of the elitism that pervades the sustainability and social impact space. It made me think more about the need for the sector to be genuinely inclusive in the way it creates solutions – and to fully involve those that are affected by specific actions rather than just checking boxes.

Absurdly, growing up in Canada, we had very little teaching about the history of Indigenous peoples, other than passing references about specific nations assisting in the fur trade or being part of the battles between the French and English. A few years ago, the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission came out, and I’ve been diving into it and other relevant books to better understand the challenges faced by Indigenous peoples throughout history – cultural genocide, racist legislation, and exclusion from settler society, amongst many other challenges. I also came to realize how much has been drawn from Indigenous wisdom without acknowledgment. For example, sustainability frameworks and even Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which I only recently found out was based on Blackfoot beliefs.

I came across this letter from the Southwest Organizing Project from 1990 urging the key conservation organizations to diversify their boards and leadership as a way to actively incorporate environmental justice into their actions. While things are just now accelerating on the diversity front, if you look at the time span – over 30 years – it’s taken a very long time.

2. How did you break into the social impact space? 

I started my career in the field of consumer goods, working in sales, marketing, and market research. In order to switch careers, I decided to do a Masters's degree focused on sustainability and business, and I conducted an independent study looking at the feasibility of carbon labeling in Canada and made sure to connect it to industries that I was interested in working in afterward. For my research, I interviewed as many people as I could for the study. During school, and when I graduated, I had as many coffees with people as I possibly could. It was challenging to some extent, because sustainability is already not a linear path, and there weren’t people like me – of Chinese-Canadian descent – in the field. I had no family members or friends that could give me advice – so I started from ground zero in terms of making new contacts. I looked for people whose career paths were interesting and tried to get some time with them. People have been very generous with their time, and I always make an effort to pay it forward.

I also found that in my career before sustainability – in marketing, sales, and marketing research in consumer goods – a lot of my skills were transferable. It’s important not to underestimate the applicability of your other skills. Plus, most “sustainability skills” or technical knowledge are typically learned on the job, as it is a relatively emergent field.

3. What most excites you about the social impact space right now?

I have been trying to learn from the wisdom of Indigenous land-based approaches to conservation, and figuring out how we at Diversity in Sustainability can best support Indigenous peoples in their efforts to practice these approaches.

I am heartened by the diversity of some recently appointed leaders – in Canada, we have Annamie Paul, who is the first Black permanent leader of not only the Green Party but any major political party in the country. In the US, it has been exciting to see Kamala Harris as VP and Deb Haaland, the first Indigenous Interior Secretary. I think it’s been exciting for people to see leaders that look like them and can understand/represent their interests.

I am also excited by new approaches to philanthropy, as exemplified by Mackenzie Scott. Instead of subjecting already stretched nonprofits to fill out endless applications and to mollify wealthy donors and their chosen causes, she is giving generously and quickly to the most urgent causes. I hope that other Foundations will follow that approach.

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