Impact Interview: John Kim

Name: John Kim

Role/Function: Graduate Programs Career Advisor, Sustainable Innovation MBA Program at The University of Vermont Grossman School of Business

What are you working on these days?

After working in corporate sustainability for the last 15 years (The Walt Disney Company, Herman Miller, consulting) I've made a bit of a left turn to work in Higher Education.

I've recently joined the University of Vermont's Grossman School of Business as the Graduate Programs Career Advisor supporting students in their Sustainable Innovation MBA and Master of Accountancy programs. I've turned my attention from systemic impact at the corporate level to impacting the career journeys of this next generation of changemakers.

I've long heard the notion that if "we want to change business, we also need to change the way business is taught." The Sustainable Innovation MBA program centers sustainability at the core of all aspects of the business education but doesn't compromise on any of the 'hard' business skills that any MBA would be expected to know. With the focus on sustainable business, the program draws individuals who truly believe that the private sector can be part of the solution to the world's biggest problems; while it's only been a few months the students I've worked with have reenergized my hope for a brighter future!

In addition to supporting these students, I'm interested in exploring efforts to make it simpler for those who want to commit their careers to purpose-driven work to find jobs. There’s a lot of ESG hiring right now yet it still seems difficult for those who want to contribute to the solutions to find opportunities and I'm afraid great talent and passion are being squandered. There are a lot of amazing individuals and organizations (Reconsidered included) that are increasing access and visibility to roles, but I think we can take it up a level to make sure that all who want to contribute to a better future can do so. If this is of interest, let's brainstorm!

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

Early in my life, I thought I wanted to impact equity and inequality through policy. My first job out of college was the Capital Area Food Bank serving the Washington, DC area. My primary focus was providing healthy food and nutrition education to more than 30 afterschool programs in the D.C area. It was my first exposure to the concept of food banking and it was the first time I really saw how businesses and nonprofits could partner in mutually beneficial ways to solve a social challenge. Food distributors and manufacturers could reduce their costs related to sending food waste to landfills, and food banks could distribute that perfectly good food to organizations helping people living with food insecurity in the community. 

Up to that point, I viewed business as being a big part of the problem and thought that government or nonprofit intervention were the only solutions to societal and environmental challenges. But this model of win-win collaboration really opened up my mind to the idea that business had a critical role in addressing the world's biggest problems.

How did you break into the social impact space?

My first CSR job was as the Better World Manager at Herman Miller, but it wasn’t a clear path to that job. I was hired based on a patchwork of experiences: nonprofits, Peace Corps, working at a cause marketing firm, and my own passion project around World Cup Soccer and Corporate Responsibility. 

A little more detail: I started my career in nonprofits and NGOs, first working in food insecurity, and then serving in the Peace Corps in Morocco. It was after that experience that I made the pivot to working in the corporate sustainability space. Up until then, I had no experience working in the private sector other than waiting tables at a bar and helping my parents at their drycleaners/photo development shop. I knew I needed 'real' business experience and was fortunate enough to get an opportunity with a branding and marketing firm called Lipman Hearne, that focused on the nonprofit sector. 

While learning on the job about client service, consumer research, creative briefs, and more, I continued to pursue my personal interest in exploring the intersection of events such as The World Cup, sponsorship by global brands, and social impact. At that time, the 2010 FIFA World Cup was going to be the first hosted in Africa. During the build up to the tournament, there was a lot of discussion about all of the good that corporate sponsors such as Visa, Adidas, and others were going to do in South Africa, while also seizing the opportunity to build their brand awareness. I started a blog exploring this confluence and ultimately connected with a lot of professionals in the sport and social impact space; some of whom I'm still in contact with today.

 The main lesson here is something that I share with my students: pursue your side passions. I pursued this personal and professional interest while I was struggling to find a role in the corporate world. But it gave me something to point to after networking calls which showed my writing ability and also my commitment and level of interest in the topic. While I don't think my World Cup and CSR blog alone got me my first job in a corporate setting, I do believe it contributed to my success.

Working in social impact is often about driving change. What is the skill or trait that has been most important for your work as a change agent? How did you learn or hone it?

I'm frankly amazed at all of the "hard skills" our Sustainable Innovation MBA students are graduating with these days: a deep understanding of materiality, GHG accounting, ESG reporting, finance, LCAs, and much more. These are skills I certainly didn't have when I started out. 

For me though, I believe my "soft skill" of partnership and relationship-building across broad organizations is what has contributed most to my success. At every place I've worked, I've prioritized building authentic relationships vertically and horizontally and these relationships have been critical for unlocking ideas and connections, building coalitions, and sometimes getting myself out of a jam! When you develop relationships, without intent or agenda, truly amazing things are possible.

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

Two interconnected trends that are giving me hope for the future are 1. the sheer number of social impact, sustainability, and ESG roles that are out there these days; the number of roles is finally reflecting the urgency of the work! And 2. the recognition of the need for greater diversity in the space. Social impact and sustainability have historically not been very ethnically, racially, and socioeconomically diverse sectors. With these two intersecting trends, I'm hopeful that there will be more diverse voices and perspectives in positions all throughout our companies and that they will contribute to continuing to build a better world that works for everyone.

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