With over 11 years of international corporate sustainability, climate & ESG experience I work to create financial and non-financial value through ESG excellence.

I am a citizen of 🇺🇸 America, 🇨🇦 Canada and 🇫🇮 Finland with the right to work in these countries and the entire EU.

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Education

Harvard University, Cambridge MA, USA - 2010
Masters in Sustainability and Environmental Management

• With focus on international business sustainability and the unanticipated 
social/environmental impacts of ESG informed financial investments


• Research Internship: Water Resources and National Parks

Concordia University (2004)
Bachelor's in Psychology and Neuroscience

• Behavioral Neurobiology, Sensation and Perception, Abnormal Psychology

• Research Internships: Neural Pathways Group and Laboratory Technician

My work - In the News

(2021) Interview in the BBC
Personal accountability encourages positive social behaviour.
"Imagine living on a little island in the Baltic Sea 100 years ago. You took care of your neighbours and they took care of you, because there was no one else. Somehow the Ålanders haven't lost that kindness." Rather than an especially "cooperative" society, it's a "kind society aware of the strengths and failings of each other and accepting of each because we're all in this together."

(2019) On the Åland Islands of Finland I led a project to turn an empty historic building into a Pop-up Sustainable Small Business Center.

"New Business Concept Grows in Mariehamn" - Swedish text at Ålandstidningen

"Michael will gather Åland businesses under one roof" - Swedish text at Nya Åland

"He plans a Sustainability Center in the Stone Warehouse" - Swedish text at Nya Åland

(2017) Interview about building energy smart home with cross-laminated timber and solar PV.

"Education and Energy Smart when Taevs built home" - Swedish text at Solsvar

(2011) With the Patagonia volunteer team I helped clean-up a scenic rafting waterway - the Concord River.

"CORPORATE VOLUNTEERS... Patagonia Employees Make An Impact" - Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust

Professional Experience

Senior Sustainability Consultant, Freelance/Contract
Scandinavia/Nordic Markets, 2016 - Present (8 years)

I take on diverse contracts to improve the ESG of communities and companies with:

• custom sustainability programs and corporate responsibility strategies

• raw-data collection, processing, analysis and assurance

• carbon GHG auditing, net-zero target setting, climate neutrality certification

• regulatory reporting and voluntary disclosures (ISSB, SASB, GRI, CDP, TCFD, SBTi)

• public collaboration, stakeholder negotiations, material risk mitigation

Chief Sustainability Officer, PAF Government Gaming Operator
Finland, Sweden, Europe, 2011 - 2016 (5 years)

I created and operationalized a complete sustainability program from scratch with:

• annual turnover in excess of 100 million euro

• direct report to CFO with SME role to CEO and board of directors

• manager of Environmental and Community Responsibility unit with Environmental Site Leaders team and annual training for personnel growth

• enterprise wide deployment of climate strategy and environmental policy

• external stakeholder communications and engagement projects

• operational tasks to reduce energy use, GHG emissions and engage employees

• benchmark ESG KPIs; internally (corporate offices, data centers, online casino, physical casino), along value chain (Scope 3, international cruise ships, suppliers)

• develop business cases, create consensus for them, implement CapEx

Senior Sales Associate and Store Key-holder, Patagonia Inc.

Boston MA, USA 2010 - 2011 (1.5 years)

• worked to put myself through graduate school

• supervisor of daily operations, financial deposits and on-site security

• grant writer, public outreach projects and environmental volunteer

Site Director
Town of Westford, MA, USA 2006 - 2009 (3 years)

• founded Westford Outdoor Nature Program to enrich students STEM skills

• managed daily operations and program employees

• curriculum developer and funding grant application writer

• Westford Whale Project Leader

Skills in Action

• Global ESG excellence delivered to clients and partners as a Certified SASB FSA, Certified GRI Reporter, including Science Based Targets and TCFD Scenario Analysis

• Excellent English written and oral communication demonstrated as conference host SmartMarina 2021, copywriter/translator Sustainability Masterplan, Island of Kökar 2020, winner business pitch competition 2017, SME speaker JCI conference 2016

• Project Management in creation of Pop-up Sustainability Business Hub, ultra-low energy retrofit of corporate headquarters, build-out of 209 kWp solar energy plant (Certification as a Project Management Professional from PMI - 2022)

• Personnel leadership as CSO of Environmental Site Leaders team and as Site Director of STEM educational enrichment programs

• Office Productivity tools including MS Teams, Office365, Word, Excel, PowerPoint

• Data Science with capture, clean-up, management, analysis, presentation, assurance

• Special Tools Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Life-Cycle Analysis (LCA)

• Governance as board member of NGO Ålands Natur och Miljö 2017 - 2019, Conservation Commissioner, Westford MA 2007 - 2009

Plus

• PMP Project Management Professional Certification (2022)

• SASB FSA Certification (2022)

• Conference Host, SmartMarina (2021)

• Translator and Copywriter, Sustainability Masterplan, Island of Kökar (2020)

• Board Member, Ålands Natur och Miljö (2017 - 2019)

• Winner of Business Pitch Competition, ÅUAB (2017)

• Public Speaker, Junior Chamber International (2016)

• Contributor, Regional Sustainability Plan, Bärkraft Åland (2016)

• Certified GRI Reporter (2015)

• Certified FLIR Thermal Inspector (2014)

• Conservation Commissioner, Town of Westford (2007 - 2009)

• Mechanical Engineering Internship, Ford Motor Company
 (2000)

Academic Writings

Available at my Academia.edu Portfolio

• ‘Managing Municipal Open-spaces for Conservation, Education, and Recreation at East Boston Camps: Westford, M.A.’ Harvard University; Environmental Ethics and Land Management

• ‘Life Cycle Assessment of Catalytic and Non-Catalytic Wood Stoves’ Harvard University; LCA Case Studies

• ‘Renewable Energy: Bridging the Gap Between Energy Production and Energy Consumption' Harvard University; Environmental Management

• ‘Factors effecting the sustainability of marine invertebrate fisheries: An explanatory case study of the Caribbean Spiny Lobster fishery of the Miskito Coast and the Queen Conch fishery of the Caribbean.’ Harvard University; Masters Thesis

• 'Factors Affecting the Public Perception of Water Quality at Forge Pond Beach and the Relationship to True Water Quality' Harvard University

Thank you for your time today.

Email: michael.taevs@outlook.com

LinkedIn: Michael Taevs