Margo Rukashaza, a graduate from the December 2022 cohort, shared insights from her project on Environmental Social Governance (ESG). With a background in Six Sigma, organizational change leadership, and diverse experience in sectors like finance, engineering, and operations, Margo connected her passion for social impact with her professional expertise. Her work at PACCAR, a company in truck manufacturing, finance, and property, provided the perfect backdrop for exploring ESG issues.
Deeply committed to mentoring disadvantaged youth, Margo’s passion for helping others stems from her own experiences growing up in a war-torn country.
A Company’s Impact on Society, Governance, and the Environment
Margo highlighted the generational divide in attitudes toward ESG, with younger generations, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, pushing for businesses to align with environmental and social values. ESG is no longer just about environmental sustainability; it’s a comprehensive framework that examines a company’s impact on society, governance, and the environment. Companies must now demonstrate their commitment to ESG, particularly in Europe and increasingly in the U.S.
Focusing on human rights, Margo stressed the importance of fair labor practices, health and safety, and transparency in supply chains. Her work at PACCAR involved creating self-assessment tools to help the company evaluate its progress in meeting ESG standards.
An Essential Element
Margo’s project also reflected her belief that ESG is an essential element of modern corporate strategy. Drawing from her background in organizational change leadership and sustainability, she emphasized the need for businesses to adopt a holistic approach to ESG reporting—not just as a regulatory requirement, but as a genuine effort to understand their impact on the environment, society, and governance.
Margo urged businesses to take responsibility and lead the way in sustainability and social equity, highlighting the importance of aligning with the values of younger generations and meeting growing investor demand for transparency.
Sustainability and Support
Margo’s project was greatly influenced by the support she received from various sources. Margo’s primary stakeholder was the director of sustainability, and she described her stakeholder as an invaluable guide, bringing expertise in sustainability to the table while helping her navigate challenges. However, the stakeholder’s role wasn’t to do the work for Margo but to offer advice and expertise when needed. Margo emphasized how helpful it was to have someone with deep knowledge of sustainability, especially someone with experience across different industries.
This partnership worked well because Margo contributed her knowledge of the company’s history, while the stakeholder provided technical sustainability insights. Margo acted as the communicator, bridging the company’s culture with evolving sustainability expectations, while her stakeholder offered expertise. Whenever Margo faced challenges, she turned to her stakeholder for guidance. She also acknowledged the important role of her instructor, Frank DiMarino, in keeping her project’s scope manageable, especially when it started to grow beyond the project’s timeline.
Structuring the Project
In addition to professional support, Margo also drew on personal insights, particularly from her family. Discussions with younger family members, who were passionate about environmental and social issues, helped refine her ideas. These personal exchanges provided her with a broader perspective on the social dimensions of ESG and helped shape her project.
Margo approached the project in a highly structured way, thriving on clear outlines and roadmaps. Knowing her deliverables and working backward from her goal allowed her to stay focused. The regular check-ins in the capstone program helped keep her on track and ensured the project remained within scope. With guidance from her stakeholder, input from her family, and her own structured approach, Margo successfully navigated the complexities of her project.
The Growing Need for Compliance
Margo also addressed the growing need for compliance in industries with emerging technologies, such as autonomous vehicles. She highlighted that despite concerns about automation, the compliance field continues to expand, creating new job opportunities.
Her project focused on tracking new sustainability metrics, a shift that demands professionals to measure environmental and social impacts. She applied sustainability frameworks to help the company track progress.
Margo also emphasized transparency with investors and customers, noting that many companies fail to communicate their ESG efforts, which can harm trust. Her project developed a tool to help bridge this gap and proactively manage compliance.
Ultimately, Margo’s project aimed to shift the company culture to include environmental and social responsibility alongside financial goals. She stressed that leadership support and continuous collaboration are key to driving sustainability initiatives.
