Integrating his commitment to a sustainable and just transition, Thomas designs and facilitates large-scale systems change processes.
About
Thomas describes himself as an ‘evangelist for nature and the environment’, a green business pundit. Finding his calling in environmentalism in the late twentieth century he pursued the incremental transition into sustainable development in the twenty-first; and founded EARTH.INC as a response to the glaring divide between corporate interests, and the underpinning social-ecological systems.
Working with private and public sector clients, Thomas co-designs and co-creates interventions that tackle complex business problems at the interphase of environmental and social systems. Embedding a deeper understanding of the multiplicity and trans-disciplinary nature of emerging sustainability risk, where disruption and uncertainty characterises the new normal.
He has a specific interest in how the relationships between nature, society and the economy manifest as complex adaptive systems; and how embedding resilience thinking can increase the agility of organisations to respond to emergent environmental and social shocks.
He has extensive international project working experience in excess of 22 countries throughout Africa, Small Island Development States, and the Middle East, spanning a career of 27 years.
When not contemplating the ‘future of the planet’ he immerses himself in the wildness of nature, armed only with a camera, and leaving only footprints.
Background
- Policy development official and environmental planner, National Department of Environmental Affairs
- Technical Director, Environmental Services, Aurecon
- Sustainability Strategy Lead, EY
- Founder and Managing Director, EARTH.INC
- Project Lead for ENCORE South Africa, Natural Capital Finance Alliance (NCFA)
Education
- Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design, University of Pretoria
- PGD (Honours) in Sustainable Development (cum laude), Stellenbosch University
- Sustainability Leadership Executive Programme Alumni, Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership (CISL)
- Verified certificate in Planetary Boundary and Resilience Science at the SDG Academy / Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University
Articles and publications
- DEAT.1996. Conserva. ENPAT – an environmental management decision support system. Vol. 11 No.3. p.28. (Author)
- DEAT. 1997. Conserva. ENPAT- The book is available. Vol.12 No.3. p.28. (Author)
- Limpopo DFED. 2003. Limpopo State of the Environment Overview Report 2003. Limpopo Department of Finance and Economic Development. (Co-author)
- Mbombela LA. 2004. Mbombela State of the Environment Overview Report 2004. Mbombela Local Authority. (Author)
- Civil Engineering. August 2004. Roads and Sustainability. Vol.12 No.8. SAICE/SAISI, Midrand. (Author)
- DEA. 2010. Guideline 6: Environmental Management Frameworks in support of the Environmental Management Framework Regulations, 2010, Integrated Environmental Management Guideline Series, Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), Pretoria. (Author)
- EYe on Sustainability. 2013. Blue is the New Black: Focus on Water Risk. (Author)
- Engineering News. 2015. Industry lacks water security awareness, requires risk navigation.
- NCFA. 2021. ENCORE Biodiversity: How to guide. UNEP FI / Global Canopy (Editor)
- ASA. July 2021. Of Elephants and Economics. South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) (Author)
Books
- Du Plessis, L., Claassen, P., Van Rensburg, J., Van Riet, W., and Van Viegen, T.R. 1997. The Environmental Potential Atlas for South Africa. JL van Schaik Publishers, Pretoria. (Co-author)