Chris Wei
Business Development Manager - Asia - South Pole
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Chris' introduction

At South Pole, Chris supports Asian clients in their climate leadership and circular economy journey. The scope of services includes both carbon credits & sustainability consultancy. Chris currently manages clients from more than 10 Asian countries in categories such as conglomerate, agriculture, property development, asset management, retailing, information technology, and energy.

What brought you to sustainability?

I grew up in China and I witnessed the most rapid urbanization during my childhood and adolescence. While I was amazed by the improvement in life quality in general, the scale of environmental pollution and social issues was daunting. For example, I was sick of the hazy days when I was a student. The industrial waste & polluted natural resources were also disturbing.

After I experienced the environmental issues * social issues in urban, suburban, and rural China directly, I became determined to tackle sustainability in my life. Hence, I decided to major in Environmental Studies at my university. Upon graduation, I joined one of the big accountancy firms' sustainability and climate change team, supporting companies with their compliance-based sustainability projects including sustainability reporting, ESG due diligence, and greenhouse gas verification under Singapore's carbon tax.

Beginning of 2021, I joined South Pole, a climate solutions provider.

Which sustainable actions are you in charge of or have you implemented in your organisation?

I am a business developer and key account manager at South Pole. I am in charge of building bridges between organizations and sustainability.

Which challenges did you meet and how did you overcome them?

When I first joined South Pole in 2021, most Asian companies were compliance-based and they were not sure of advancing their climate journey beyond regulatory requirements. After talking to some organizations and understanding their concerns, I decided to engage the companies frequently and build their awareness of the climate issue.

For example, I started my conversation with an Asian conglomerate back in 2021. The conglomerate was not ready to start its climate journey and my point of contact was too busy to reply to my email. I sent several update emails on industry sustainability trends and sustainability reports. A year passed by and the conglomerate was impressed by our company's net zero report. We started a 4-month project together.

What are you most proud of?

I feel proud of my authentic passion about climate change and sustainability. In my daily life, I try my best to have a sustainable lifestyle. Hence, I am a very consistent sustainability professional both at work and in life.

What would be your top 3 pieces of advice to the Matcha Initiative users?
  1. Building sustainability awareness among employees is necessary, simple, and effective! Without awareness, any sustainability will not be sustainable in the long run.
  2. We do good not for the environment, but ultimately for human beings! For example, supporting cookstoves projects in rural areas not only abate emissions but also improve indoor air quality.
  3. Being sustainable also brings economic benefits to companies and helps retain talent. Most young professionals value a purpose-driven organization that values people, planet, and profit.
In which field could you help The Matcha Initiative users as a buddy?
  • Experience Sharing
  • Expertise Sharing
  • Sustainability Career Advisor
Please describe how you could help The Matcha Initiative users as a buddy?

As an experienced sustainability-focused business developer, I could facilitate users/organizations with getting their internal buy-in for supporting sustainability/decarbonization projects. For instance, I could help analyze the current status of the organization and suggest possible first steps (e.g., understanding stakeholder expectations, training/capacity building, and learning about what peers are doing) before C-suite allocates a budget for sustainability teams.

I can exchange and talk also about carbon credits, energy attribute certificates, and plastic credits.

Chris' 3 key sustainability skills

Consultancy / Carbon Credits / Circularity

Chris kindly accepts to answer your questions.

If you need additional insights, you can send him a message.