2: Pursuing Distinction

Growing up in the Philippines, Janice Lao lived in a society where family and community ties are crucial. Early on she witnessed the critical role business plays in a society's social fabric and, simultaneously, dispiriting inequality. As a child she had a paralyzing fear of math, but that did not dissuade her from figuring out how to overcome it. Furthermore, her Jesuit education taught her the value of social justice and a determination to help others by fixing intractable problems. As an adult, she developed a methodology for STEM education, focusing on it as a lifestyle that could spark creativity. She also developed a mathematical and economic model for the aviation industry's carbon-neutral strategy, as well as standard-setting sustainability solutions for carbon trading, biodiversity, textile upcycling, and even refugee hiring practices. Today she is a leading Environmental Scientist and Development Economist serving as ESG Director for a large consumer products company and has been recognized for her achievements, including being awarded the Edie Sustainability Leader of the Year Award in 2019, becoming the first Asian and youngest recipient. Her work has made her a distinctive voice in today's sustainability movement and a role model for leveraging one's work and determination into a force for good that benefits society. When talking to audiences her approach is more of an invitation to join an effort to do right rather than a lecture on what we're doing wrong. As she says, “I don't want you to feel guilty. I DO want you to feel empowered….”²