Featured on the 2023 edition of GreenBiz’s 30 under 30 list is Leeds School of Business alum and Sustainability Manager for The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated, Lauren Morrell Kotze. GreenBiz, a prominent media and events platform that emphasizes the intersection between sustainability and business, generates this yearly list to recognize the world’s brightest sustainability leaders and business minds. Kotze, co-founder of the CESR’s Fellows Program and recipient of the SRE (Social Responsibility and Ethics) Certificate during her time at Leeds, has been recognized for her social and environmental impact as part of the sustainability team at The Cheesecake Factory.
We recently had the opportunity to chat with Kotze following her GreenBiz honoree achievement, where she shared what this award means to her, how her time at Leeds helped her in securing a career, and her thoughts on sustainable operation in a modern business environment.
CESR: Could you speak a bit more about the 2023 GreenBiz 30 under 30 honor that you recently received? What does it mean for you and your career?
Lauren Kotze: GreenBiz is an important organization in the corporate sustainability community in terms of its role as a convener for this community, and they have issued the 30 under 30 award for the last eight years. I was inspired to apply when I saw a colleague recognized on the 30 under 30 list the previous year. It suddenly felt more achievable. When you can see a friend represented on this sort of list rather than just a random face, big things suddenly feel more achievable.
As for what it means to me, it is definitely something I am honored to receive. It is especially fulfilling that my childhood passion has not only become a career but that my achievements in this field are seen as significant and worthy of recognition.
"I always reminded myself not to settle - you have to believe that out there, there’s an internship or opportunity that will excite you and challenge you."
-says Lauren Kotze
CESR: As a Leeds School of Business alum, how did your time at the business school help in establishing foundations for your career? What effect did receiving the SRE (Social Responsibility Enterprise) Certificate have on your career as well?
Lauren Kotze: I came to Leeds already passionate about finding a career in the intersection of business and the environment, though I wasn’t sure exactly what that would mean. At that time, outside of the SRE program, my Leeds peers were understandably not focused on this niche nexus. Honestly, it made things a bit lonely, but at the same time, being in a rigorous academic environment focused on business allowed me to learn the language and rhetoric of business and start to understand what might motivate a corporation to take various actions. I have since been able to leverage this business acumen to create cases that justified why environmental systems needed to be protected as a part of basic business operations.
When I was a student, the SRE certificate program was an intellectual oasis. I’ll never forget the bookshelf in the back of the CESR office… I asked if I could borrow a few books, and I ended up taking an entire shelf back to my apartment! CESR classes and extracurricular opportunities gave me the confidence that I was combining sustainability and business thinking in a way that made sense, that others agreed with, and that had real traction; as well as a community of people who were thinking the same way and were exploring similar things; with whom I could learn and grow.
CESR: From your undergraduate experiences dealing with sustainability, you were able to land a position with The Cheesecake Factory. What recommendations do you have for students looking for internships that are the right fit and will help them in the long term?
Lauren Kotze: My advice is do not settle. Even back when I was scrambling to find even one or two opportunities that were loosely related to what I wanted to do, I always reminded myself not to settle - you have to believe that out there, there’s an internship or opportunity that will excite you and challenge you. That compass of not settling will push you to find an opportunity that is aligned with your passions. In a world where there are so many opportunities, you must have high standards for yourself in terms of what you are willing to spend your time on. Make the most of your experiences and do not waste your time. Of course, do not leave yourself without any internship at all. Aim to find something that you truly love, and if you stumble along the way, hopefully, it was a learning experience and maybe an opportunity to identify a skill set or job responsibility that you would rather never have to do again – that’s important insight too!
"The word “balance” assumes that sustainability programs are a net cost. Some may be, but if you’re creative, many can and should be profitable."
-says Lauren Kotze
CESR: What has been your favorite aspect of working with a corporation like The Cheesecake Factory?
Lauren Kotze: My favorite aspect of working at The Cheesecake Factory is the variety of my job. This is a space that is constantly evolving, and working with a company that has such a mature and comprehensive approach to sustainability, I have the opportunity to learn something new every day. Within the same day, it’s not uncommon that I will spend time exploring new procurement opportunities for clean energy, working with our supply partners to implement integrated pest management, creating a new staff training program for our restaurants, or working with our facilities teams to collect and analyze data to ensure we are making progress towards our climate goals.
For each project, there is a whole new lexicon to learn, group of stakeholders to understand, and business objectives to balance. I enjoy the challenge of going from knowing very little about a particular topic to becoming as much of a subject matter expert as I can be in a short amount of time. Sometimes that short learning curve is stressful, but it also allows us to build business solutions in real time. Some companies have team members focus on a singular area - climate, sustainable sourcing, reporting, energy management, and so on. I enjoy that as part of the larger sustainability team at The Cheesecake Factory, I get to do a little bit of everything.
CESR: How do you find the balance between sustainability and profitability in your work?
Lauren Kotze: The word “balance” assumes that sustainability programs are a net cost. Some may be, but if you’re creative, many can and should be profitable. Try to balance having financially profitable projects that build up budget (or a case for a budget) to fund projects that are high value in other ways. Look for projects that bring significant value to the company. It’s not a new concept for a department to create value that isn’t directly tied to revenue; whether that’s brand value, new market access, operational insights, risk mitigation, stakeholder engagement, the opportunities within the overlapping Venn diagram of “good for the world” and “good for the company” are endless.
"If you get a 'no' in any scenario, it just means you need to get more creative. Sustainability is changing every day and with that, so are the qualifications for a viable program."
-says Lauren Kotze
CESR: What have been some of the coolest projects you have worked on as a sustainability consultant?
Lauren Kotze: I enjoyed working on Petcurean’s (premium pet food brand) sustainability governance model. I assisted with the design and implementation of a framework for integrating sustainability into their day-to-day operations. (Fun fact: several of the ideas I offered throughout that engagement, I learned through CESR curriculum). I enjoy finding ways we can structure a sustainability program to make it seamlessly integrated into the company's daily operations, rather than being something you have to opt into and climb uphill for. These projects are incredibly fulfilling – and even fun - because the impact carries on forever simply as the baseline model for that business.
CESR: What is some advice that you would give students who hope to be sustainable business leaders such as yourself?
Lauren Kotze: If you get a “no” in any scenario, it just means you need to get more creative. Sustainability is changing every day and with that, so are the qualifications for a viable program. Continue to explore the changing factors while also learning more about the metrics on which your program is judged. Continue to evolve your ask until it is the ideal solution for the business. Any “no” you get is just an invitation to get a little more creative to eventually get to a “yes”.
As Kotze touches on, achieving sustainable business practices is a complex, ever-changing process that does not occur overnight or in a vacuum. The projects that Kotze has had the opportunity to work on as a part of the larger sustainability team at The Cheesecake Factory continue to advance the organization’s efforts to create a more sustainable operation that gives equal merit to business outcomes and environmental sustainability.
Learn more about the SRE Program here, and read other sustainability stories on the CESR Blog.