Mercuria CSR Report 2020 - Flipbook - Page 41
Environmental:
Q7 | As an industry insider, how worried are you
personally about climate change?
Of course I am very focused on climate change. Even
if the impact isn’t personally huge, the global political
risk associated with climate change is enormous. For
years, the Pentagon has listed climate change as a top
strategic risk to national security because of climate
refugees. As sea levels rise and storms get more
intense, people will move to safer spots. That is going
to cause conflicts. So this is a real life issue, and one
that we will have to address. And the good news is that
there are thousands of opportunities worth trillions of
dollars that will help incentivize folks like the team at
Broad Reach to address this issue.
Q8 | What role do you see Broad Reach playing in the
global fight to combat climate change?
We are creating an energy services company that
is focused on chemical storage that supports the
energy transition. Our mission is to provide solutions
across the US grid in the right form for each market.
Without storage, it is hard to imagine a full transition to
renewable generation, so we see ourselves as playing
a very real role in this process.
Q10 | How would you describe the culture at Broad
Reach? What core values do you believe are key to the
success of your leadership team?
There is a huge emphasis on ownership- if you do well
at Broad Reach it’s because you take your job on as an
owner. You are not a clerk with a defined role; we are all
part of a team with a common goal and those who do
well are those that really buy into this. What I always
like to say is: “If you aren’t going to drive the change
then who is?”
Q11 | How do you promote diversity and inclusion
across the Broad Reach platform?
The energy industry has traditionally been male driven
and specifically white-male driven. Now any investor
will know there is strength in diversity, which is why you
build a portfolio. And you see it as a manager when you
allow for collective versus top-down decision making.
It may take longer, and people may perceive it as more
costly but the end result is better – it leads to stronger,
more robust output so this is where it’s absolutely
necessary to bring in a diversity of viewpoint. And with
us it specifically starts with our hiring process. When
we have a staffing vacancy to fill, looking first to recruit
from an underrepresented group is one of, if not the,
top consideration.
Social:
Q9 | Shifting to social aspects: talk to us about building
a cohesive team during a pandemic.
Mission binds us all and we are unified on that. It sort
of does the recruiting for us. What we try to do is to
articulate that we are making a difference, and that
draws a certain type of person. It’s hard; it means long
hours; it means you miss birthdays, soccer games,
but we know that every project that we bring online is
making a difference, and consequently, we are making
a difference. So those who are looking to be a part of
that naturally have a certain set of values/principles.
As a small company that is growing, there is also a
level of self-selection there.
41
