Spotlight: ESG Sector Fundamentals are Stronger Than Ever
May 24, 2021 – Established in 2009 by Bernard van der Lande, Tula Executive Search specializes in recruiting for the advanced manufacturing, energy, and emerging technologies sectors. Tula’s consultants focus on manufacturing (automotive, aeronautics, packaging, machinery), energy (wind, solar), and life sciences. Tula Executive Search has experience in assessment for selection and development, leadership succession planning, executive coaching, job analysis, selection validation, employee surveys and team building.
Mr. van der Lande has extensive management experience in manufacturing, sales, finance, technology, and human resources. He recently sat down with Hunt Scanlon Media to discuss why the clean tech and sustainability sectors continue to thrive and how this has benefited the search firm.
Bernard, with many industries having struggled through the pandemic, why have the cleantech and sustainability sectors advanced so well?
The clean tech and sustainability sectors benefit from strong fundamentals that are uncorrelated with the negative economics of the COVID-19 crisis. If anything, the pandemic made clear the interconnectedness of our communities, and the impact of our behaviors on each other. Therefore, while companies have already been incorporating clean tech and sustainability themes into their operational goals for some time, our society more broadly – and its consumers – now clearly favor companies and brands that embody an ethos of responsible behaviors, which in turn support the sector’s continued growth.
How has your firm performed?
Our firm has been impacted like many others; we saw a slow down of hiring as businesses explored contingency plans and adopted a bit of a wait-and-see approach. We in turn used the opportunity to be thoughtful as well, and have arguably emerged stronger, with greater focus on innovation and connectivity. The Covid-19 crisis has stress-tested a lot of search firms, and we are no exception. I believe we passed, and that our legacy client base will grow with new clients that appreciate our forward-thinking and tireless reinvention.
How has the election of Joseph R. Biden helped advance the cleantech and sustainability sectors?
We are confident that the demand for renewables will get a strong boost from the new U.S. Administration. We particularly believe wind and solar energy will continue to grow. But we will also see the emergence of more clean tech roles or of more innovative competitors within traditional industries. The real estate sector is a great example: we are working on a unique search, looking for a real estate company that builds sustainable communities that are differentiated by their uses of solar and thermal heat.
