Session: Sustainability - from buzzword to plan
From consumer preferences to evolving regulations, more and more organizations are required to detail their carbon footprint, and share their approach towards resource management. How can technology, and the lessons from the tech world, help shape a common language, and foster cross-industry collaboration, and support informed strategic decision making.
In this session, Lara will draw from her 25 years in the tech industry, first at Microsoft and Salesforce and then as start-up advisor and Board Member, to show how the learnings from digital transformation apply to shaping sustainability strategies.
She will also propose concrete examples of how technology can help support better traceability across the supply chain, patient-centered data in healthcare, inform sustainable investment strategies and support a more comprehensive approach to risk.
Bio
Lara Martini transitioned from a successful executive career in technology to a portfolio career, working as non-executive and advisor to scale-up companies.
Lara has over twenty years of experience in the IT industry, primarily at Microsoft and Salesforce. Among others, she has been Director for Commercial Strategy for Latin America at Microsoft, and managed the Dynamics business unit for the region, to best growth worldwide.
She also has been in global marketing roles and led channel sales, managing both technical and non-technical teams, driving the shift in ecosystem to SaaS and working closely with key customers on successful digital transformation initiatives.
Her passion for innovation and inclusion brought her to social entrepreneurship, acting as mentor and angel investor with a focus on companies using technology to address inequality, and green tech. In particular, she focuses on international growth, operational excellence and organizational culture. She is also an active mentor.
As a non-executive, she brings strong business acumen and system thinking, an active focus on sustainability, and the ability to work across stakeholders and combine long- and short-term imperatives.
Currently in London, Lara has lived and worked in Italy, France, Turkey, Brazil and the USA. She holds a diploma in International Relations from CEDS in Paris, an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is certified in business sustainability and ESG investing.
In her free time, Lara enjoys sailing, hiking, yoga and manages a small woodland in the Chilterns AONB.