Buddies - Sylvain Mahe

Sylvain Mahe

Head of Sustainability - Palo IT

MAIN SKILLS

Change Management

Sustainability Leadership

Green IT

Malaysia

Singapore

Thailand

France

If you need more insights

Send a message

See Website

Sylvain's introduction

With a foundation in software engineering, I've journeyed through agile coaching to conscious leadership and systems thinking. Now, I guide organizations through complex transformations — agile, sustainability, and AI — by fostering human-centric approaches and systemic understanding. I'm passionate about evolving leadership to navigate our increasingly technological and interconnected world responsibly.

I am absolutely convinced that the solutions to our current global predicaments do not primarily lie in "doing" more or focusing solely on actions. Instead, I believe the answers are found in our "beingness" — our mindsets and underlying belief systems. Addressing our challenges effectively requires a fundamental shift in consciousness. Once that internal shift occurs, the right actions will naturally follow. Simply starting with "doing" or concentrating too much on technical solutions, without this deeper shift, won't lead us to the desired outcomes.

Top 3 pieces of advice to The Matcha Initiative (TMI) users ?

Invest in personal development. Focus on understanding yourself, including your inherent patterns. Reflect on whether these patterns are still beneficial to you and decide if you want to make changes.
Prioritize self-care. In today's attention-driven world, make a conscious effort to carve out time for yourself. This means disconnecting from devices and dedicating moments to simply being present with yourself.
Define and pursue a life well-lived. Take time to reflect on what truly constitutes a fulfilling life for you — whether that involves deep relationships, spending time in nature, engaging in certain activities, or something else entirely. Once you have clarity on what a life worth living looks like for you, begin taking steps to live that life today.

How could you help TMI users ?

I am happy to help users in the following areas:

Sustainability leadership.
Change management.
Green IT.
Sustainability strategy and roadmapping.
Employee activation and engagement.

Expertise in the following

What brought you to sustainability?

My journey to sustainability began at an early age with an awareness that there was something inherently problematic with our dominant economic model, particularly its focus on relentless extraction, exploitation, and growth — the narrative of "more." This understanding remained in the background for many years, alongside growing concerns about environmental crises and climate change.

Around 2016-2017, sustainability became a significantly higher priority in my life. This prompted me to make conscious changes to my lifestyle, and begin to actively connect with sustainability-focused communities. Simultaneously within my organization (a tech company), I started to advocate for and encourage a greater focus on impact, sustainability, and leveraging technology for good. Ultimately, what brings me to sustainability is a desire to be part of the solution, not the problem, and to actively contribute to positive change.

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

As Head of Sustainability, here are a few sustainable actions I am in charge of:

Forming and leading the sustainability team
Conducting internal training and awareness programs, such as the Climate Fresk and Digital Collage workshops
B-Corp certification
Developing the sustainability offering for the organization
Consulting clients on their sustainability strategies, roadmaps, and metrics
Forging partnerships with external groups such as the Matcha Initiative!

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

In promoting sustainability, I've encountered several common challenges:

A lack of education, meaning many people don't understand why change is so important and urgent.
A general resistance to change, as people are often reluctant to alter their established behaviors.
There have been instances where individuals feel threatened or react with denial when confronted with the need to change.

To tackle these challenges, I adopt the following approaches:

I shifted my mindset from trying to "change" others to focusing on "inspiring" them, as I realized that I can't force people to change.
I focused on incremental influence, accepting that not everyone might change and instead aiming to influence one person or make small (1%) changes at a time.
I also made sure to lead by example, demonstrating my commitment through my actions.
I prioritized educating others while also empathizing with their perspectives and feelings.
I practiced patience, acknowledging that meaningful change takes time and consciously avoided becoming impatient.
Last but not least, I understood that there's no silver bullet. These complex challenges don't have a single, easy solution.

What are you most proud of?

I am most proud of being able to give my full presence to someone else.