Grace Olupinyo joined Mazzetti as a Decarbonization and Sustainability Specialist with over eight years of experience. She started her profession in her home country of Nigeria in a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) as an intern to assist in the nation’s issues of droughts and flooding. Through her experience, Grace learned the importance of adapting to change in the work of resiliency and sustainability. Her work has contributed to the decarbonization efforts within the oil and gas industry and certifying green businesses with the Green Business Bureau Certification Board.
Grace believes that effective communication stands as the quintessential trait of a leader. This entails not just dictating goals, but actively listening, considering diverse viewpoints, and seeking continual feedback to refine one’s leadership approach.Grace recalls a time early in her career when the word ‘sustainability’ was considered taboo. Though there are further improvements to be made, she has observed that more companies are aware of the importance of sustainability. Companies are being more transparent about their need to improve their decarbonization efforts and are voluntarily reporting their carbon footprint. Grace acknowledges the challenges companies face with incorporating decarbonization into business practices but also believes that with growth in this area of sustainability, there is a responsibility to drive improvement.
Since joining Mazzetti, Grace has noticed the increased diversity of employees in comparison with her experiences with previous organizations. She has observed that Mazzetti has attracted more diverse pools of talent, especially women. Grace would like to see Mazzetti lead the industry and continue the trend to hire more women and other diverse pools of talent.
For Grace, diversity, equity and inclusion means being accepted and included in an organization not just for your race, color or other potential biases. It means being accepted for who you are as a person. She believes in the importance of being an ally and respecting people for who they are and how they identify.
Grace admits that her passion for sustainability causes her to get engrossed in her work, but she believes in the importance of work/life balance. With the remote work environment, she has developed a system to maintain a sense of normalcy. Grace dresses up for work as if she is going into the office and sets a timer for her tasks.
Outside of work, Grace enjoys staying connected with family and friends. She enjoys walking, listening to music, taking Salsa and Bachata dance classes, and volunteering twice a month for a local food bank.