Hélène Robert

In a nutshell, tell us about yourself.

Curious by nature and with a wide array of interests, I am privileged to have acquired a diverse background and experience in sustainable development from different parts of the world. I have experience working in Europe, Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, the Middle East in areas including sustainable tourism development and planning, CSR, social innovation, and solar energy for refugees. I’m passionate about social innovation and would like to see more and more women active in this domain.

When are you happiest?

I’m pretty happy when I do yoga or sport in general, or when in the mountains/nature/secluded coastlines, camping, wine & beer drinking, eating chocolate, cheese and ramen (preferably not all at once) in quality company. Learning about grass-root initiatives from around the world that make a positive impact on people and the planet definitely makes me happy also!

Which book has changed your life?

What springs to mind is actually poetry I studied in high school – Wilfred Own and Whiti Ihimaera. Wilfred Own wrote about the glorification of war, which made me seriously question my desire to attend the army at that time, and Whiti Ihimaera’s work opened my eyes to the struggles of the Māori people in my home land of Aoetearoa/New Zealand.

What’s the best holiday you’ve ever had?

It wasn’t technically a holiday but a trip to Jordan to investigate barriers to solar energy provision to Syrian refugee camps. I enjoy learning about different countries and their approach to development and how they tackle social and environmental issues.

What’s the best thing about your job?

What I like is the emphasis of striving to be the best we can be, as individuals and as a team – through a focus on professional and personal development so that we are at our best to come up with creative and innovative solutions to complex problems.

More from Hélène

Have you read Hélène’s article on attending the International Institute of Industrial Environmental Economics conference in Lund, Sweden 2019?