Jo Iberg (she/her) reflects on her first year in a newly created role, and the foundations that have been set.

“Sustainability is not just one role or one team. It’s about everyone engaging and collaborating for success, and this is what I am finding at IDP.

I started at IDP just over a year ago, in a newly created role. Everyone has made me feel incredibly welcome personally, but there’s also a real sense of value and appreciation for the role, and the experience I can bring. Even from really early on, people across the organisation would approach me to share their ideas and how I could support their teams’ sustainability agenda.

One the things that attracted me to the role, was that there was some scope to shape what I was doing and bring my thoughts and ideas. The scope of the role has since grown, and my expectations have shifted as I have got to know how IDP works. I’ve found that my natural tendency to plan and adapt has helped me manage the team’s workplan and set us up for success.

I’ve also found building a network inside IDP has been useful in establishing myself and the work I do. I recommend finding someone who can introduce you to people and who you can ask who you should be talking to. Or just try it yourself! If you’re unsure of anything, ask someone. Try talking with people rather than cold emailing, so you can build genuine rapport although this is harder with people working in different global locations with different working hours. Having a network outside of IDP is also useful, for example with other people in the industry or your field or profession, find places where you can share ideas or test a concept.

While my first few months at IDP was positive, it wasn’t without the usual hiccups as I got to know a new industry and began to build relationships. My advice to people to help make a smooth transition is, don’t assume that people know what you know and don’t be afraid to be upfront and say you’re still learning too. It is easy to forget that IDP operates in such a niche market, and it can be difficult to explain what we do.

It’s been pleasing to bring the Global Leadership Team and the Corporate Responsibility Committee on the journey to lay the foundations over the last 12 months and setting our new strategy. The committee members, in particular, have been excellent sounding boards and I am growing my relationships with each member.

But there is more hard work ahead of us. Sustainability is not just the role of one person or one team. It’s about a collaboration across and between teams to bring about change.

The leadership team and the Corporate Responsibility Committee are very engaged, they get the what and the why. We’ve had robust discussions around outcome and focus and they understand the degree of complexity that is needed to be navigated to be successful. But key stakeholders are busy people running a large global organisation, who are being asked to do work that they haven’t done before. I find being able to quickly communicate a project or initiative and breaking up the work in manageable components has helped to prevent overwhelm.

The IDP value that resonates most for me is Expertise. It’s the value that I see played out the most. There are so many people at IDP that have been here for a long time – they know the industry, our customers, and our operations deeply – they really are our experts. And then new roles like mine are bringing different expertise into the business, as IDP grows and matures. It’s pleasing to see IDP invest in these roles, bringing new ideas and ways of working.

My key message is that sustainability is not just one person. To be successful, we need to continue to be collaborative and be willing to try new ideas. I have definitely found that here at IDP.”

Thank you, Jo, for your reflections and advice. #ItsUpToMe to be the best I can be, to live the IDP values, and to make people welcome.