Hello everyone, welcome to the first article in our Work for the Climate interview series. The purpose of this interview series is to highlight the stories of professionals who are driving positive impact from their everyday jobs. Or individuals who have left their corporate jobs to make a career in regeneration.
For the first edition of this series, meet Marco, the head of Enterprise Sales at Handprint. Marco was the head of Business Development at Cisco Systems but he decided to join Handprint due to his commitment to the goal of restoring the planet. In the discussion below, we asked Marco more about his background, why he is motivated for work for the climate and most importantly, what he does at Handprint to bring about the positive change we all need.
Marco, tell us about yourself.
I was born in the Netherlands but lived in Kenya and South Africa between ages 8 and 16. This experience gave me first-hand interaction with wildlife, on land and in the ocean. I love to travel, the remoter the location, the better. I’m also a nature lover and an active scuba diver interested in marine biodiversity protection and discovery. Since 2002, I have been in Asia, currently living in one of the last biodiversity hotspots in the world (Bali). I cannot think of a better place to be right now.
What inspired you to work for the climate and for Handprint as well?
The planet is changing fast to the detriment of humanity. We need to change the way we live if we want to stand a chance of reversing the change. Instead of competing with nature as we have done for long, we need to change the system to be in support of nature. Nature is our best friend and biggest healer. But sustainability is not enough. We need to restore what has been lost and reestablish a healthy balance that benefits us all.
Handprint enables every enterprise, big or small, and their customers, to restore nature through Handprint’s impact partner marketplace. Its SaaS platform enables transparency, NGO admin management automation and direct reporting solutions. With Handprint’s SaaS platform, enterprises can now align positive impact with key operational metrics in sales, customer satisfaction, employee engagement or brand identity. Improving enterprise performance becomes synonymous with being nature positive.
Handprint’s founders are recognized experts in this field which I think is super important when you work in regeneration. Last but not least, the Handprint team is amazing.
Want to see some of our team building exercises at Handprint? Watch the following videos below:
What is your experience of working in a startup environment compared to a corporate job? Any perks/challenges?
When working in a start-up you have more autonomy, you have to be a problem solver and a builder at the same time. Get used to wearing various hats on a daily basis, You have to be hungry and be able to deal with setbacks. The decisions you make have a direct impact on the company’s performance. The major challenge and I wish it was different is that when representing a large corporation you have instant name recognition so making Handprint a household name will take a bit longer.
What does your day look like in Handprint?
Running around like a headless chicken. No, seriously it’s mostly talking to potential clients, building proposals and contracts, searching for the right fit; type of clients, use cases etc. Other duties include strategy formulation, demand creation, sales performance improvement, performance management and most importantly closing deals.
What are your plans at Handprint as Head of Enterprise Sales?
Onboarding as many clients as possible in as short a time as possible. Building a well-managed enterprise sales department that increases Handprint’s growth both in terms of revenue and profitability.
Where do you see Handprint in 5 years?
Handprint will be the global Leader in providing regenerative impact solutions to any enterprise client.
There is clear evidence that the positive impact we provide to our clients has a significant positive impact on their business performance. Therefore, proving that businesses and nature can flourish together.
Looking for a career move in the new year? I hope that Marco’s story serves as an inspiration to you. There are a million and one career opportunities in the climate sphere needing someone to step up to the challenge. You can be that person. All you need is an honest dedication to positive impact and making the planet better. Job portals like ClimateBase, provide interested individuals with information on vacant openings in the climate space. You can also check https://handprint.tech/careers/ to see if you are a good fit for any of our current vacancies.
Everyone has a role to play in restoring the planet and the best part is that you don’t have to quit your job. You can work for the climate without a climate job. Your contribution could be in the form of joining work groups with like-minded people to advocate for climate-friendly corporate policies. Or in a managerial capacity, you can be a climate champion by communicating change or designing internal climate frameworks.
The Regeneration generation does not discriminate or exclude any helpful individual or action. We are all in this together.
To find out how Handprint can make your company more regenerative, book an intro call with our Enterprise Sales team (which Marco is a part of).
