Mar 16, 2020
For episode 96 we welcome the President of the Wildlife Habitat
Foundation, Margaret O’Gorman. O’Gorman operates at the
intersection of business and nature. As President of the Wildlife
Habitat Council (WHC), she helps companies find value in natural
resources conservation and mainstream biodiversity across
operations. She has worked with Toyota, Owens Corning,
Exelon, CRH Americas, General Motors and many more, and led the
design of WHC’s signature Conservation Certification(R)
recognition, a voluntary sustainability standard which defines
corporate conservation worldwide.
For 30 years The Wildlife Habitat Council has been promoting and
certifying habitat conservation and management on working lands
through partnerships and education. As the only international
conservation NGO focused exclusively on the private sector, WHC
provides a framework for voluntary conservation action on a wide
variety of corporate lands. Wildlife Habitat Council
corporate members represent some of the leading national and
multinational corporations seeking to support sustainable
ecosystems and the communities that surround them. These efforts
have resulted in more than 1,000 certified programs across 48
states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and 29 countries.
In our 45 minute discussion we learn more about the work of
Margaret and her WHC team. We hear about successful projects
already completed, and the vast opportunities that business has for
stabilizing the planet through a deeper commitment to mitigating
climate and investing in biodiversity. Margaret explains the
difference between a ‘Shareholder’ &
‘Stakeholder’ value creation; and what that means for the
future of investing-in, and operating the businesses providing our
goods and services. We also learn how O’Gorman’s recently
released book – Strategic Corporate Conservation
Planning: A Guide to Meaningful
Engagement – has been received by her peers and
followers.