Meet The Team: David Emery

It takes a highly talented and diverse team to be able to deliver everything we do across our consultancy, Sustainability Tool, and the Supply Chain Sustainability School – and so, we wanted to introduce you to the people behind the scenes who inspire sustainable business every day. 

Introducing our Offsite and Digital Construction Consultant, David Emery. 

Welcome, Dave! Tell us your story – how did you end up joining Action Sustainability?

My relationship with Action Sustainability began a few years ago when they became a client of my own company, but that relationship changed in 2021 when I joined the team as a full-time employee. The huge decision to close my business and work solely with Action Sustainability has proven to be a wise one. I enjoy working with a great team of people in a company with an outstanding reputation in its field.

Tell us about a normal day at work for you?

Although AS is based in London and our clients are all over the country, I mostly work from home in the Midlands. I work on the Supply Chain Sustainability School side of the business where I have several areas of responsibility, including Partner Relations, where – like several of my colleagues – I stay in regular contact with ‘my’ Partners (clients) to make sure that they are making best use of the School’s facilities in terms of learning opportunities, workshops etc. as well answering any of their queries.

I am also responsible for creating and updating the School‘s content for offsite and digital construction and delivering that content in the form of webinars, workshops, conferences, etc. Finally, I am responsible for the activities of our Wales leadership group, alongside my colleague Rosie. In fact, anything and everything I do is only a small part of a huge team effort.

What makes Action Sustainability a unique employer?

AS is a company with extraordinary ambitions, which has the tools and talent to transform the built environment industry. Not only is the business model quite unlike anything I have ever seen during my many years in the sector, but the company also has the ability to recruit and – more importantly – to develop talent in a way that is unmatched in my experience.

What do you admire most about working here?

I admire the ethics of the business, whether that be through it’s strategies for improving Sustainability or its pastoral approach towards its staff. Everyone in the team has the opportunity to enjoy a variety of experiences and we are all encouraged to develop ourselves continuously and are supported when we do so.

For example, I recently began studying for a Master’s degree with the full support and encouragement of the company, despite my advanced age. I won’t say exactly how old I am, but in my wallet my Student ID Card is next to my Senior Railcard!

What inspired you to pursue a career in sustainability?

I have always believed that the construction industry at its best is capable of delivering the most incredible results in conditions of great adversity. But for a long time it has also been one of the most wasteful and inefficient industries. For the last 20 years I have been preaching to the industry – via countless workshops, training sessions and other events – about achieving greater efficiency through digital and offsite construction. My role with AS allows me to use all my knowledge and past experience in a positive and meaningful way to make a real difference.