Mark Lee
Executive Director
“We are at a critical point in terms of sustainability leadership. Current efforts by incumbents – regardless how difficult – only incrementally advance what it means to be best-in-class, while the scale of change required means jumping to a new class altogether. We must re-invent the very ways that business is done and value measured.”
Based in San Francisco, Mark has 15+ years experience in key leadership positions in the sustainability field. Mark possesses expertise in sustainability strategy and implementation as well as the systems, governance, public policy, accountability and stakeholder engagement aspects of this agenda, plus extensive knowledge of climate change, economic development, value chains, and the linkages between sustainability and branding. Mark is accountable for SustainAbility’s global consulting strategy, and he directly advises leading companies including Bayer, BT, Ford, Gap, GSK, Kellogg’s, McDonald’s, Natura, Nestlé, Nike, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Shell and Starbucks. An exceptional consensus builder, Mark has led facilitation for numerous high-level, multi-sector stakeholder engagements. Mark is a valued partner to various public and non-profit organizations, a compelling presenter, and he regularly contributes articles and inputs informed by SustainAbility’s work to media.
Mark was previously Vice President at Business for Social Responsibility in San Francisco and Manager, CSR at Vancity Savings in Vancouver.
- Education
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- – University of British Columbia, BA Political Science/English
– Simon Fraser University, graduate studies in Community Economic Development
– The University of Cambridge’s Prince of Wales’ Business and the Environment Programme
– Haas Berkeley, Business Development Program
- – University of British Columbia, BA Political Science/English
- Personal Interests
- Family, friends, food and wine, media, great fiction and sports that take you up mountains (skiing and hiking)
- Languages
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- English
Mark on the web
Recent Thinking
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21st Century Sustainability Leadership
The leadership required to scale and accelerate deployment of solutions to our greatest sustainabili…
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@brainstormgreen
Mark Lee reflects on the highs and lows of the recent Fortune Brainstorm Green event.
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(Leadership) Change of Heart
Mark Lee on when leaders have a change of heart.
Mark Lee
- Mohammed Al-Shawaf
- Alicia Ayars
- Frances Buckingham
- Marion Chivot
- Lindsay Clinton
- John Elkington
- Jeff Erikson
- Chris Guenther
- Julia Harrison
- Amy Hawke
- Elliot Jackson
- Aaron Jaffe
- Geoff Kendall
- Geoff Lye
- Mark Lee
- Huw Maggs
- Heather Mak
- Helen Marsland
- Nadine Mendelbaum
- Michael Sadowski
- John Schaetzl
- Lorraine Smith
- Elvira Thissen
- Kyle Whitaker
- Rob Cameron

