The Boardroom Window

---

My Sustainable Encounter with Srishti Chhatwal

by Albert Schiller

Adapting Systems to Reality

Innovation often promises a brighter future, yet its path is rarely linear, demanding more than mere technical brilliance. How does unyielding personal resilience, honed by embracing human diversity, forge a blueprint for enduring impact? Srishti Chhatwal anchors her approach in a critical insight from her background in "inclusive education and special needs learning." Working with "children with special needs or neurodiverse learners," she observed: "Every system has to adapt to individual realities, and we forget that." This realization became the crucible through which she views sustainability. Her approach fundamentally challenges conventional, standardized solutions. Systems frequently falter when they demand human adaptation rather than adapting to human diversity, whether related to "climate, risk, or digital access."

This design imperative, rooted in logic, demands a constant probe: "Who's being left out?" Equity and inclusion are not afterthoughts; they are principles "to be designed with" from the outset. Conventional approaches "leave the extremes," prioritizing broad "masses." Sustainable progress necessitates addressing marginalized realities, supporting solutions that "merge with empathy and effective communication". Systemic strength resides in its most vulnerable points.

Unlearning for a Future Imperative

Sustainable impact demands an alchemy where analytical rigor coalesces with creative fluidity. How does one harness data without losing human nuance? Srishti views these forces as indispensable "co-pilots." "Data tells you where to fire it. Creativity at the same time helps us understand how to get people to act on it". This reveals a critical oversight in many data-driven approaches: mere factual presentation is insufficient. Impact requires actionable translation that connects with human behavior. The "magic," she asserts, "lies in the person as well who is interpreting the data," transforming raw metrics into resonant calls to action. Her interdisciplinary background informs this interpretive role. Drawing from psychology alongside data science and social impact, she gains insight into " the behavioral patterns or the changes behind insight and imagination".

This allows her to translate "complex matrix into visual maps" or "analogies", moving beyond raw metrics to relatable narratives. This fundamentally challenges narrowly quantitative methods prioritizing rigid objectives over understanding the human system. Her role as an incubating manager simplifies complex ESG frameworks. She asks "uncomfortable questions" like "What are you measuring? Who is excluded? What happens when you grow?". This proactive simplification integrates a diagnostic process. Srishti argues, "It's less about money than more about the mindset". Impact "would get just a double" if the diagnosis is skipped. Rigorous assessment drives more outcomes than compliance.

Balance, Data, Creativity, and Psychology

The second, and perhaps most common, strategic error is a catastrophic lack of focus. Ashwini brilliantly uses the Oscar-winning film as an analogy for this corporate chaos. "When organizations start with their sustainability journey," she says, "they are so lost with what is trending that their focus is almost everywhere, but not on what matters the most, which is the most material topics for them."

This is the "Everything Everywhere All at Once" trap. A company, wanting to appear proactive, might launch initiatives in water conservation, diversity hiring, and community volunteering simultaneously, without first analyzing where its most significant impacts truly lie. She provides a sharp example from the automotive sector, where "about 70% of your social and environmental impacts are in the value chain, not so much in the operations." A company that spends five years focusing on its office electricity usage while ignoring its suppliers is, as she notes, spending a "large amount of time and resources focusing on the wrong things."

Direct Engagement: The Heart of Sustainable Impact

Srishti Chhatwal's guidance culminates in a powerful imperative for direct engagement. "Sustainability isn't just about staying in the room", she asserts. "You have to step out. You have to be on the field and with the people". This is a methodological necessity. Her work-life balance embodies this, meticulously splitting time between boardrooms and days in the field. This rhythm "refuels" her and "keeps the child in me alive," embodying courage even after "very strong-headed practical meetings". Her primary motivation is "people". She is "moved within when... I see the impact or the change in people's lives firsthand".

This reveals a core conviction: purpose finds its highest form in serving humanity, driven by a "...responsibility to give back". This principle, learned from her grandfather, asserts: "It's your responsibility to give back to the people, not just take". "Small acts, when... multiplied by millions…, can transform the world". People "mirror each other," creating a "large wave of positive impact." Shared purpose defines enduring human achievement.

So what can we take from her approach?

Questions for Audience

1. Srishti’s work emphasizes that "every system has to adapt to individual realities." How can organizations apply this principle from inclusive education to their broader sustainability initiatives, especially in diverse contexts, to foster genuine adoption?

   
   

2. The blog highlights the blend of "data" and "creativity" as "co-pilots." What practical steps can professionals take to cultivate this interdisciplinary balance in their own work, translating analytical rigor into actionable, human-centered solutions?