Lawry's Story

Lawry Trevor-Deutsch MSc MBA

President, Strathmere Associates International Limited, Ottawa Canada

My involvement with LEAD came about quite accidentally as many good things do. In June 2007 I had been tasked by the World Bank to undertake a scoping study on training in Leadership in Sustainable Development. It quickly became clear that LEAD was a major player in this field and as part of my research I spoke directly with Edward Kellow, head of training for LEAD. I was immediately impressed with LEAD’s approach, scope and particularly the strong emphasis on the development of a LEAD network of practitioners.

I run a small consulting practice in Ottawa which specializes in business and economic development. We have undertaken a wide variety of projects in developing, emerging and developed economies and even with our 18+ years experience, sustainable development has never been more than of passing interest to our clients. However, it was clear to me that our skills base in this area was woefully inadequate and that this was really an area that we needed to concentrate more on – not to become experts in the field overnight, but to be able to incorporate Sustainable Development principles in our work. My personal goal therefore was two fold. First, to get a better grounding in sustainable development and second, to tie into a community of practice that would allow me draw state of the art information while at the same time, contributing my own knowledge and experience when needed by others.

Strength in Diversity

The Canadian Cohort 12 consists of a very broad base of disciplines; from environmentalists to anti-poverty activists to government to business (small and large). Our initial training week in Toronto brought in speakers from all these groups and even consultants (and/or lobbyists) for major power generators and the fossil fuel industries. Discussions within the cohort and with speakers were heated as positions were firmly laid out but I observed something remarkable that week. Although there was not much movement in our fundamentals, the dialogue was good and the result was at least some understanding and appreciation of other positions. This makes us all better at what we do. As all the Toronto speakers were LEAD Fellows, it confirmed to me that LEAD was all about high quality training and communications, which distinguishes itself from other organizations which are primarily focused on advocacy.

International Training

The international training session in Indonesia can only be described as an extraordinary experience. I have been on many international conferences, workshops and training sessions but the LEAD training session keeps your mind challenged all the time – and always with the approach of hands on learning, creativity and exchange of ideas. How better to learn about the economics of geothermal power than to go to a volcanic-based power generation plant. This was also where I could see how my skills could be put to use in taking sustainable development project and improving on it. I came back from the international session very pumped up and ready to apply what I had learned.

Colleagues and Friends for Life

When you work hard and play hard with people, they quickly become your friends. I remain in regular contact with many of the good people I met in Canada and Indonesia as well as the people at LEAD. I know that we can rely on each other for both personal and professional support – so no question that my goals were met.

I look forward to finishing my Fellowship and becoming part of a truly remarkable organization.