Shaping a Sustainable Future: A Spotlight on IEMA and Its Mission

Tell me about you and your business.

IEMA is the professional body for everyone working in environment and sustainability and now boasts over 20,000 members internationally providing resources and tools to meet the varied needs of our members, comprising individuals, students and businesses of all sizes.  Our mission is to transform the world to sustainability!

I am IEMA’s Business Manager looking after various projects for the organisation including our Digital Transformation, the Environmental Management System and Wellbeing to name just three!

Why did you join Mosaic?

When the government advised businesses to work from home wherever possible, we followed their advice which in turn enabled us to advise our members.  IEMA was originally formed in Lincoln back in the late 90s and we ran the business from a fairly sizeable office just outside the city centre.  However, it became evident very quickly that everyone actually enjoyed working from home, and worked very productively, and as a result, we decided to reposition ourselves as a digital organisation, with everyone working fully remote.  This provided many benefits from reducing our carbon emissions to opening up a much larger talent pool for recruitment and consequently, we now employ staff from all over the UK from Brighton right up to Scotland!

As much as most of us enjoyed working from home, it did become evident, certainly to me, that an element of interaction was missing not only for collaboration but also to alleviate some of the loneliness which remote working can result in.  Albeit we now had staff working for us right across the UK, a large percentage of the headcount was still based in or around Lincoln so I was then set the task of finding a managed office space for our Lincoln cohort.  Mosaic provided all the necessary elements in terms of facilities and the managed set-up meant that we could turn up at the office with just our laptops!

What do you find beneficial about working in Mosaic?

The people. The community which Mosaic has created is great, and not only that, the office is also extremely well equipped providing all that we need including a range of meeting rooms and other excellent facilities, all very competitively priced.

Where do you see yourself and your business in the next 5 years?

During my relatively short time at IEMA, I have learnt a huge amount, particularly from an environmental and sustainability perspective – I manage the collation of our carbon emission data, the detail of which is continually improving and hopefully this will enable us to continue to educate our members and potential members alike on how they can develop less damaging processes.  We are continually looking at how we can expand our message across the world by making our membership offering as accessible as possible to everyone, wherever they may be based across the world, ultimately we want to see as many members as possible and in every single country!

What has been your biggest challenge so far?

Our members have been faced with many challenges over the last couple of years or so including the pandemic and now the cost of living crisis.  Our work has to continue if we’re to make an impact and consequently, we have to be able to provide our members with valuable membership benefits and as such, we are always looking at how our offering can be improved further.  

Tell me about your biggest success so far.

I think that one of our biggest successes is maintaining the loyalty of our membership throughout the last couple of years.  We are mindful that sometimes people have to make tough decisions and a professional membership is not necessarily something which may be seen as a necessity.  However, our continual improvement philosophy has meant that our members have been able to exploit the resources and tools we have made available to them for personal advancement for example, particularly where some may be looking to increase their professional qualifications for better and future job prospects.

Any advice?

Never undersell yourself and be kind to yourself (and the planet).

Three words to describe Mosaic...

Collaborative, friendly, modern