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https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2023/12/126_364410.html?utm_source=na
Deloitte's Global GreenSpace Tech Lead Andrea Culligan speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at Lotte Hotel Seoul, Nov. 2. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
Deloitte's green-tech solution founder aims to accelerate net-zero pathways
By Anna J. Park
Deloitte globally launched GreenSpace Tech, a climate technology ecosystem initiative, in January this year, aiming to facilitate decarbonization and sustainability through its extensive global network of climate technology specialists and innovators. Since its launch, it is now operating in 23 countries, including the U.S., U.K., Australia and Korea, providing robust solutions and tailored insights to over 40 business projects so far.
What is notable about the initiative is that it was developed and led by a spirit of strong entrepreneurship; it enables companies with sustainability goals to collaborate with climate tech innovators, gain insights on how these technologies can provide impact and fast-track their decarbonization agenda.
Spearheading the initiative is Andrea Culligan, now GreenSpace Tech's global leader and partner at Deloitte Australia. As a seasoned entrepreneur with over 20 years of successful experience, she founded the corporate venture with a vision to accelerate net-zero pathways.
"GreenSpace Tech was about bringing together the insights and access to the entire climate tech ecosystem," Culligan told The Korea Times in a one-on-one interview held during her visit to Seoul in November.
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Culligan explained that the initiative is based on a three-pronged structure. Firstly, it brings together a global research and intelligence team that comprises over 350 experts across the full range of decarbonization systems. The second part is drawing together climate technology innovator ecosystem access into one global pool.
"We have ecosystem managers in each of the primary regions around the world, building deep relationships within the climate tech ecosystems with venture capitals (VCs), private equity funds, scaling technologies and different types of accelerators," Culligan highlighted.
The third part is a sophisticated AI-enabled platform that integrates a myriad of insights: "So everything from understanding VC funding, technology readiness levels, locations, partnerships, government programs, tax incentivization structures, all related to those particular technologies all into one platform. These three things together — research and intelligence, ecosystem access and a dynamic global view — create an incredible unique differentiation that enables our clients the ability to make quicker decisions for today that will also impact tomorrow," she said.
Based on the closely knit network of intelligence and innovators, GreenSpace Tech not only provides tailored company-specific insights but also significantly accelerates the decision-making process, reducing what would usually take months to only several weeks.
Deloitte's Global GreenSpace Tech Lead Andrea Culligan speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at Lotte Hotel Seoul, Nov. 2. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
With regard to carbon-reduction initiatives in Korea, Culligan said the country is poised to grow into a leader in the global energy transition, given its wide interest in renewable power sources, carbon capture technologies and a strong market with electric vehicles (EVs).
"Korea has an incredible opportunity to lead especially around the green transition with battery technology, EVs, semiconductors, all of which are geopolitically challenged in a number of areas. But the down and upstream of those industries is hugely impactful, and what an opportunity for industries to really take advantage of," Culligan said, adding that Korean companies can make significant strides towards net zero by collaborating with international partners.
Long-term vision of achieving sustainable future
Culligan called for a heightened awareness of the net-zero initiatives, expressing concerns that the current environmental volatility is likely to increase further, and there might be no going back in the future.
"We focus predominantly on climate sustainability, but the impact of climate on health, communities, individuals and productivity will be so profound," she said.
She envisions Deloitte's GreenSpace Tech could contribute to bringing tangible future changes to the environment by accelerating the insights and investments that are relevant to energy transition.
"I would love to see emission reduction be accelerated through the rapid uptake of technologies like carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) of today, but also looking at technologies being built for the future. It's key that organizations have longer-term strategies and work together to make decisions for today that also impact tomorrow. If anything, that is the biggest need regardless of industry or sector, this is a system and it is a system of finance, industry, public sector and innovators. In order for each country to meet their targets and goals, each of these areas must work together," she stressed.
Deloitte's Global GreenSpace Tech Lead Andrea Culligan speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at Lotte Hotel Seoul, Nov. 2. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
Pursuing life purpose to make positive impact on world
Some might wonder why she decided to devote her entrepreneurial energy to climate change initiatives in the corporate venture, leaving behind two decades of successful entrepreneurship; since the early 2000s, Culligan has founded seven businesses in diverse fields, ranging from digital tech and communication to brand development. She was also awarded numerous honors for her ventures, including Telstra Young Businesswoman of the Year and Telstra Small Business of the Year in 2009 along with Dynamic Business Entrepreneur of the Year in 2011.
After a robust entrepreneurial career, Culligan said a two-year break from 2014 to 2016 made her reconsider the purpose of her life. During that time, she traveled around Canada for months living in the most remote places she could find, while intensively reading some 60 books and taking time for deep introspection to figure out what was truly important.
She went on to explore other parts of the world, including Cambodia, India, Vietnam, and the West Coast of the U.S. During this time, she realized she wanted to focus her entrepreneurial spirit and capability on scaling ideas that matter. Culligan says that Deloitte offers her "an incredible platform that facilitates meaningful contribution and scale in expediting the decarbonization goals of the world."
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Lastly, she encourages people to consider careers that may not necessarily appear to be within their range of technical capabilities.
"You don't have to be a scientist to work in solving climate change; you don't have to be an engineer to be involved in some form or another with climate technology," Culligan said. "This ecosystem of the climate crisis requires people from all areas of skills — we need storytellers, artists, economists, accountants — whatever it might be. I encourage people not to let that restrain their thinking in what could be possible if that is an area that they wanted to explore because it is all entirely possible."