We are pleased to introduce our valued member, Christophe Girardier, Glimpact CEO and Co-founder.
Christophe Girardier is a seasoned entrepreneur, a founder of 3 companies in the field of strategic consulting, with a particular focus on leveraging new technology and information systems for data-driven decision making. Girardier is now the President and Co-founder of Glimpact, and its subsidiary Glimpact North America, the first digital platform to implement the new scientific doctrine of the Product/Organization Environmental Footprint (PEF/OEF) methods. The PEF/OEF method represents a paradigm shift in our understanding of the ecological crisis, by defining environmental footprint systemically and comprehensively, more than just carbon emissions alone, allowing us to understand fully what environmental impact is, and through this understanding work to reduce it meaningfully. Drawing on years of high level experience in the realm of international business and after working directly with the European Commission on the issue of environmental footprint measurement, Girardier now intends to contribute to the ecological transition of the current world through the mission of Glimpact, by making accessible to all major industrial players a means to measure their environmental impact, and identify the right action levers to reduce this.
We invite you to get to know Christophe through the Q&A below, where he shares insights into the values that drive him, the experiences that have shaped him, and the purposeful work he’s doing.
Who is someone that has made a big impact on your life – personal or professional? Why?
2 people come to mind when thinking of those who have greatly influenced my professional work.
The first is the philosopher Edgar Morin, who recently turned 104 years old. He has helped structure my training and learning through the marvelous concept of pensée complexe, or complex thought. This idea, in which there is no system or situation that is only based on one component, emphasizes the need to approach ideas globally, and in recognition of their complexity and interconnectedness. I consider Morin to be one of the greatest thinkers in the world, and his ideas of complex thought have been very structuring for my career.
The second is the General Secretary of the UN, António Guterres. The ongoing environmental crisis is an enormous issue; it is complex and systemic, encompassing more than just climate change. Guterres was the first major politician who publicly spoke about the true stakes of the environmental crisis, and he continues to do so, despite the political unpopularity of this fact. By having the political courage to speak up about what is right in the face of what is popular, Guterres is an inspiration.
These two people, in their careers and respective fields, have greatly influenced my professional career including the founding of Glimpact. Morin’s theories of complex thinking have helped me better understand the systemic nature of environmental crisis, and Guterres’ enormous courage has inspired me to actively contribute to the ecological transition.
What has been your biggest professional achievement?:
My greatest professional achievement so far has been, in coordination with my co-founder, the creation of the Glimpact team. This company has a wonderful, motivated team who are in the service of this important challenge that is making possible the ecological transition to a sustainable world.
What is the biggest career challenge you’ve had to overcome? :
The biggest challenge of my career has been to create the necessary conditions to assemble the Glimpact Team. Given the mission of Glimpact, to facilitate the ecological transition, it was of crucial importance that this team consist of people who understand this mission well and are motivated in solving the enormous issue of the environmental crisis.
I am happy to say that the formation of such a team has been achieved. This has been a collective achievement, and the end result is a young team which has the opportunity and ability to be worldwide leaders in the realm of environmental footprint and shape the future.
What do you love most about your job?:
First is creating the condition to allow for the personal development of Glimpact’s team. Glimpact has a young team, and to see young people who are dedicated to the facilitation of the ecological transition, and who have a high level of consideration and knowledge around ecological issues is inspiring to me.
The second is the capability of Glimpact customers to meaningfully act in the ecological transition of their respective industries. Glimpact gives our customers the tools to really understand their environmental footprint and helps them uncover the action leverage to reduce their impact but seeing them use this information and take concrete steps to reduce their environmental footprint is wonderful for me. Even more than this, and as has been the case for many of our long-time clients, is watching as environmental performance is placed at the heart of our clients’ economic models, seeing as sustainability becomes engrained in the business practices of major industrial players. Having a front-row seat as this process unfolds is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job.
What is a project you’re working on right now and why is it meaningful to you?
Currently, Glimpact is in the research and development phase of a project designed to effectively create the conditions necessary for the ecological transition of the agriculture and food industry. This involves the implementation of the European scientific framework that has been adopted by the EU through the Green Deal, which is the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) method for measuring environmental impact. This is a comprehensive framework which captures the full nature of the environmental crisis, looking at more than just climate change alone to consider 16 categories of impact including carbon emissions, various types of pollution, resource use, etc.
One of Glimpact’s customers, Puratos, a worldwide leader in bakery and patisserie products, is joining this effort to deploy the PEF method, using Glimpact technology, throughout the full supply chain of the agriculture and food industry. The goal of this initiative is to deploy Glimpact technology in such a way that it can be adopted throughout the entire agri-food industry supply chain, from farms to fisheries to factories, to accurately measure and reveal clearly the environmental impact of agriculture practices at all levels.
The agri-food industry is one of the largest contributors to the environmental crisis, but this means there is an enormous opportunity to advance the ecological transition forward through this industry. By deploying Glimpact across the full agri-food supply chain and revealing to all players the action levers for impact reduction, there would be enormous environmental implications on a global scale, and it is very meaningful to me that Glimpact is at the heart of this matter.
How do you define success?:
Success, of course, means achieving your ambition, but for me, more important than this is the driving purpose behind the ambition itself. Achieving an objective in and of itself is not success if the objective does not help people. It is for this reason that I don’t consider personal wealth to be a sign of success.
I am glad to be at the head of this young company called Glimpact, because it is the mission and ambition of this company to be at the heart of the ecological transition and create the conditions necessary for the survival of humanity, one of the biggest challenges we have ever faced.
It is also one of my greatest frustrations to see clearly that humanity is in danger, and simultaneously that so little action is taken to resolve this. This past January, devastating forest fires swept through California, a significant expression of what could be the direct effects of the environmental crisis. Very shortly thereafter, the newly elected US president took office, and he repeated his longstanding view that he did not care about the environment. It is in the face of this apathy that I often think of an inspiring interview with Nelson Mandela.
At the end of Mandela’s life, he was asked if he believed that he achieved his goals. His response? Yes and no. Yes, because Apartheid had ended, but no because the suffering in South Africa persists. He achieved one goal but failed in the most important objective. Despite this, Mandela said he will go to eternity with a broad smile on his face, because even though he failed, he did his best. To me, this is what success looks like.
When did you first know you wanted to pursue a career in this field?:
I remember this very precisely. My background before founding Glimpact was in strategic consulting. While in this line of work, I was offered a marvelous opportunity: a professional organization who gathers retailers and other major players contacted me to lead an initiative to create a consensus among the industry for understanding environmental footprint of products. Although at the time environmental issues were not my focus, I accepted this mission.
Early on, I took contact with the European Commission for assistance in this project, and found out they were undertaking a similar initiative called “Single Market for Green Products”, which had the objective of answering 2 questions: what is environmental footprint and how do we measure it?
I was invited as a member of the steering committee for this EC initiative, and it is this work that ignited my passion for solving the environmental crisis. The Single Market for Green Products Initiative, which was at the origin of the development of the PEF/OEF method for measuring environmental footprint, was where I realized and understood the systemic nature of the environmental crisis, and simultaneously the enormous effort that needs not be made to solve this.
Through discussion with my co-founder, Mike Ooms, who also participated in the Single Market for Green Products Initiative, I understood that the scientific asset of the PEF/OEF method could only be useful if it was made accessible through innovative technology.
My participation in this initiative and these corresponding realizations around the real stakes of the environmental crisis and what can be done to stop this is what led to my decision to change the trajectory of my career and dedicate it to the enormous challenge of solving the environmental crisis, and of course, the founding of Glimpact.
What methods do you use to stay motivated and focused?
It is the knowledge of Glimpact’s mission and purpose that keeps me focused and motivated. Every morning, I wake up and see all the constraints and challenges that a young company like Glimpact faces, but I remember that the mission of Glimpact is greater than us. It is a question of the continuation of humanity, something that is no small matter. This mission has become central to my career, and now that I understand fully the real stakes of the environmental crisis, I have strong motivation.
Thank you, Christophe, for generously sharing your journey of embracing new markets and personal growth with the FACC-NY community. Connect with Christophe on LinkedIn to learn more about his experiences!
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