On November 28th, ILead is hosting a Leadership Lab called Industry Panel: What Skills Matter? Over the course of November, we will feature interviews from the four panelists. This week we will hear from Sandra Odendahl – former Senior Director Social Innovation at RBC and Board of Advisor for ILead.
Who or what inspires you?
I am inspired by people who speak truth to power, and are willing to stand up for what is true and just. Not surprisingly, perhaps, top of my list of inspirational people is Nelson Mandela. I am also inspired by women who won’t sit down and shut up in the face of opposition. For example, I was inspired by Wendy Davis, the Texas state Senator who stood on her feet for just under 13 hours in an attempt to stop a draconian anti-abortion bill in the summer of 2013. Rosa Parks and Viola Desmond [In 1946, Desmond refused to leave a whites only section of a movie theatre in New Glasgow. She was dragged out by police and thrown in jail overnight] stood up to racism. And of course Malala is an inspiring young woman who wouldn’t do what she was told (by the Taliban, anyway).
What do you look forward to every morning when you wake up to go to work?
I look forward to being part of something bigger than myself, which is making meaningful change in the world. Corny, but true. I have been privileged to work in a field (sustainability and social impact) where my work is fully aligned with my values, and where I can feel I am making a positive and lasting difference to communities. And I get paid for it!
What was your journey like to get where you are?
- After I got my undergrad degree in Chemical Engineering, I realized that I wanted to use engineering to address pollution and environmental impacts of industry. So I did my Masters thesis on how to reduce chlorinated organic material when bleaching pulp.
- I had some work published in a science journal while still in grad school and got hired out of school to work for Noranda – a big Canadian resource company. I worked for them for 2 years then moved to Toronto (For a boy, I admit it, no idea where he is today) to work at an environmental consulting firm.
- Consulting was a great experience, lots of international travel, managing projects, learning how to think on my feet, lots of writing and presenting. I really got to round out my skills. I was living in Vancouver, working for the consulting firm and managing the Environmental Impact Assessment for what was believed to be the world’s biggest Gold Mine – Bre-X, when the whole project fell apart. It turned out to be the biggest fraud ever.
- My consulting work switched to less exciting projects so I reached out to a mining finance executive at RBC to find out whether there were any roles in banking for someone with my skills. I joined the bank as a resource sector analyst, working for the guy who is now RBC’s CEO, Dave McKay. When he hired me he indicated that there were MBA grads everywhere at the bank, but not enough people who had actual experience in the sectors we covered.
- 2 years later, I was promoted to head up RBC’s Environmental Risk department, one of the first such units on Bay Street.
- I moved to CIBC for a promotion to a senior director role in environmental risk, and then in 2007 was recruited back to RBC to help a VP establish a corporate responsibility department, including environmental affairs, donations, and CSR reporting, at RBC.
- I expanded the environmental affairs unit to cover broader sustainability mandate and in 2012 was also given the task of creating and launching a social finance initiative. I created a $10 million investment fund with RBC money, and we are investing in early stage companies with a social purpose.
- Last year, I was given an exciting new mandate to focus on social innovation at RBC. However, this year the role was changed significantly, so I decided to do a career reboot, and try something new. I am in the process of figuring out exactly what that will be!
What is one thing that you’re really into outside of work? Or a little known interesting fact about you?
I love cooking, good food, and fine dining. And, perhaps to counter the potential negative impacts of that, I am also pretty keen on fitness. I am a long-time recreational runner, and have been doing Karate for 3 years. I joined a Karate dojo as a way to do an activity with my teenage son. I am currently working on my brown belt, which is two steps below a black belt. Some people find that interesting, my kids find it scary.
What’s an area you have struggled with in your professional development since completing undergrad? What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as a professional and leader?
I wish I had more formal training in project management. Those skills are useful at all levels of a career (and might even help with home-based projects). I have sort of learned as I went along, so I am not terrible, but I definitely could have used more tools on this front.
Join us on November 28th at 6 pm in GB202 for the Leadership Lab on Industry Panel: What Skills Matter?
-Namya Syal