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I am Thibaut, French bald since 26 & bold since forever! Right now, I am the CEO of The Transmutation Principle.
I come from an IT & software agency background, so deeply into B2B and old-fashioned processes. I came to realize that sustainability cannot be only about consumers and half-hearted measures. I also realized IT sustainability was highly underrated and not understood by most companies. It came as quite a surprise for me, since I always considered IT sustainability to be one of the best ways to merge both ROI & sustainability to make the latter sound acceptable, actionable, and realistic. Having seen that, I wanted to make a change in my own way.
My dedication came from the desire to be able to look my future kids in the eye and tell them that I tried to make the world a better place.
I co-founded The Transmutation Principle, a Singapore-based consultancy, to support businesses in their quest for impact through actionable and tailor-made sustainability & ESG programs.
I am happy to help users realize that the impact of tech on the planet is complex but critical to understand.
And once you understand this, I am glad to help you become a changemaker in this area. I would also bedelighted to support people willing to take the leap of faith into entrepreneurship, because our planet needs - and always will need - bold people driven by impact.
While working in an IT Design job in Hong Kong, I actually experienced a mid-life crisis much earlier than everyone else... I realised that I did not know why I was working in my position, and that my work was not very useful or beneficial to the planet. This led me to transition into sustainable IT, because it was a field of sustainability where I could put my professional skills to good use.
As a consultancy, The Transmutation Principle is a team of 7 which helps organisations shift towards sustainability. There are three main "tiers": For those with little to no sustainability knowledge, we focus on climate education. Organisations wanting to achieve sustainability but lacking an internal team outsource work to us and finally, organisations with their own sustainability teams reach out to us for consulting services.
Aside from our business, we also try to ensure that our day-to-day operations are as sustainable as possible. From having vegetarian team lunches, to limiting Grab (car ride-hailing app) usage for work rides, to using refurbished laptops, we aim to minimise our own resource usage and carbon footprint.
One challenge we face with clients is a mismatch between their sustainability objectives and their actual ability to deliver. This often happens when large companies come up with goals in one country's headquarters and expect them to be adopted globally. To address this, it is crucial to understand the context of each country and adjust aims accordingly for them to be relevant. On a broader note, it is not only the location but also the specific company context which must be considered, to think of solutions that are within reach.
Another setback is that in business, there are many oppositions to sustainability. We have to then adopt a more business-minded approach. Thinking from the company's perspective, we try to start from modifying the company purpose to have a more sustainable lens.
I am proud to have co-founded AlterCOP, a remote alternative to the COP (Conference of Parties), for keeping people informed on COP happenings in real-time all without travelling across the world. I'm also proud to have facilitated the setup of Climate Fresk chapters in countries within Asia, as well as Digital Collage worskhops under Climate Fresk.
I love to inspire people through these initiatives by helping them develop a sense of ownership for sustainability. I disseminate information and show people that regardless of their capacities (e.g. money, skillset, environment), it is always possible to take meaningful action, no matter how small.