By Rowan Putman
In the world of climate finance and sustainable development, it’s easy to feel pulled in a hundred different directions. The challenges are immense, the opportunities are vast, and every path seems urgent.
For a purpose-driven and values-based company like ours, the biggest risk isn’t a lack of passion, it’s where to place our focus , in what way and to what end. How do we ensure every action we take, every project we accept, and every hour our team spends is truly moving the needle on your most important goals?
Many organisations rely on a mission statement that, for all intents and purposes, ends up sitting on their website gathering dust. Without continued alignment, this can lead to chasing scattered opportunities or, conversely, sticking only to the ‘low-hanging fruit’ and failing to innovate.
We rely on a living strategic compass that guides everything we do at E Co. Here’s how it works and, more importantly, how we use it to turn our long-term vision of “a world sustainably transformed” into day-to-day action.
Defining our ‘North Star’
Before you can move forward, you must know exactly where you’re going and why. The first part of our compass defines this. It was co-created by our entire team, ensuring that our vision, purpose, and values are shared, understood, and owned by everyone.
Our core values: We start with who we are. For example, one of our core values is to deliver excellence. This means when we perform a Market Assessment for a new climate technology, we don’t just run data through a model. We build our analysis from the ground up, reflecting the unique risks and opportunities of that specific context so our clients can make decisions with confidence.
Our core purpose: Our purpose is “To build solid foundations for sustainable impact by supporting our clients toward systemic transformation”. This clarity is our most effective filter. It means while our team has extensive financial expertise, we would pass on a generic corporate finance project, so that we can keep our capacity free for a project that directly aligns with our mission, such as helping a Development Finance Institution (DFI) design a new fund for climate-resilient agriculture.
Our long-term vision: We set a bold, long-term destination. It is a picture of the future that inspires the whole team. It is a goal that, once achieved, will push us to ask, “What’s next?”
The path from vision to action
A brilliant destination is useless without a map. The second part of our compass is all about breaking down that ‘North Star’ goal into a clear, actionable plan. This is where the magic happens, cascading our vision from the future to the next 90 days.
This process looks like a funnel, bringing immense clarity at each stage:
The 3-Year picture: We paint a vivid, detailed picture of what success looks like in three years: What key services will we be known for? What kind of clients will we be working with? What will our team’s capabilities be? This makes the future goal feel much more achievable. It aims to put what we have to offer – our services, our technical, financial, cultural and local expertise – within an evolving market context.
The 1-Year plan: Based on that 3-year picture, we define our most important annual goals. They are set at the company-level for the organisation to get behind and guide the focus for the year. An example might be to support employees to deliver excellent work through a clear and structured approach. Underpinning this are key results that must be achieved. These are specific, measurable, and have clear ownership.
The 90-day focus: This is the most critical step. The annual plan is broken down into a handful of quarterly priorities, each owned by a leader. For example, a priority might be to expand the team to meet increasing demand for our services in the Infrastructure and Cities space. This goal is then cascaded by function leads to the relevant team members, allowing each person to define their specific contribution. This process ensures that everyone at E Co. understands the role they play in our collective success and has a direct stake in the results. It’s this 90-day focus that ensures we are constantly making tangible progress on what matters most.
Guided by our North Star: How our team brings the vision to life
The very definition of a team implies diverse people working in different roles toward the same objective. Though our specific 90-day focuses may vary across the team, our overall vision remains the same. This shared understanding allows us at E Co. to celebrate both empathy and diversity. We work side by side, valuing each individual’s contribution while appreciating the differences in how we all contribute to a world sustainably transformed. To paint a picture of this for you, below are some examples of how different members of our team sustainably transform the world in the day-to-day work that they do across our various service areas, sectors and clients:
Shaping the blueprint for a sustainable future
Transforming our world requires a shift in the very systems that govern our economies and societies. Our work in market assessment, strategy formulation, and policy development aims to tackle this head on and help our clients become leaders and pioneers. We help our clients understand the landscape, identify opportunities for systemic change, and create the strategic frameworks necessary to drive market transformation. It’s about looking beyond the immediate and designing for a fundamentally different future. As Aurelio Padovese one of our Consultants in the Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU) practice puts it, this involves bringing a deep and structural approach to the day to day work we do:
“Emphasising socio-environmental innovation, socio-bioeconomies and ‘structuralisms’ (agency capacity) in the proposals, products and blogs I have collaborated with…”
Empowering change-makers for a Just Transition
A key aspect of our vision is that the transition to a sustainable future must be just and inclusive. This principle is woven both through our agile approach to how we work with our clients, to our close engagement and consultation with local and indigenous populations, through to our training and capacity development work, where we empower public and private sector clients with the skills they need to lead the change. By supporting vulnerable countries and underrepresented regions, we help ensure that everyone has a seat at the table and the resources to participate in building a low-carbon, climate-resilient future. William Lynam, E Co.’s Forest sector lead sees this firsthand in his work:
“Working with governments, organisations, or community groups of vulnerable countries, it becomes apparent that they lack the capacity and resources to do what they need, let alone want to do, and helping them (through training, through increasing access to finance and other resources) really makes it feel like we’re at least taking steps to sustainably transform the world.”
Mobilising finance and measuring what matters
None of this transformation is possible without the financial resources to power it. Our fund support services are critical to helping both private and public sector clients access and mobilise the finance needed to achieve their development objectives. Helping projects get funded is one part of that, however through our Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) and Impact Measurement and Management (IMM) expertise, we ensure that these investments deliver real, measurable, and lasting impact. This focus on mobilising finance and shifting perceptions is central for Zsofia Kovacs, our Principal consultant leading the Private Sector practice:
“Since joining E Co. my aim has been to support the private sector in designing climate finance projects, mobilising finance to fill the huge climate finance gaps. Also to do my share in contributing to changing their risks perceptions of climate projects.”
Living the Vision: A culture of sustainable action
Our commitment to a “world sustainably transformed” begins with us. We believe that the way we work should mirror the world we want to create. This means fostering an internal culture of sustainability, where efficiency and well-being are paramount. By optimising our own processes and supporting each other, we ensure our team has the energy and focus to dedicate to the complex, long-term challenges our clients face. This internal ecosystem is the foundation of our external impact. As Svitlana Valerko, our HR Administrator shares, even internal improvements are a direct contribution to the mission:
“I try to find ways to do my work in the most efficient way to save time and energy for our team to focus energy on important projects, which is a sustainable way to work; contributing to creating a positive work environment.”
The ripple effect: Ensuring every action counts
True transformation happens when we recognise that every action has a ripple effect. Our vision guides us to constantly consider the broader implications of our work – how a change in one area impacts another, and how individual recommendations contribute to the larger goal. This holistic perspective is embedded in everything we do, from evaluating market trends to measuring real-world impact. It is our way of ensuring that every piece of advice and every solution we design is a deliberate step towards a more sustainable and equitable world. In her description of how her day to day work adds to our overall goal, Celia Chameni, E Co.’s Business analyst, encapsulates this commitment to alignment perfectly:
” By evaluating market/client trends to guide inclusive solutions. In supporting teams in measuring and demonstrating real-world impact. By ensuring every recommendation aligns with our vision of a sustainable global transition”
Taken together, these perspectives show that our vision is not a distant ideal but a present-day reality that shapes our actions, culture, and the very fabric of our services. It is the compass that guides our strategy, the lens through which we measure our impact, and the principle that ensures every action we take – from improving our internal processes to advising on national policy – each is a deliberate step towards a more sustainable and equitable world. This deep integration of purpose into practice is the engine behind our work.
What this means for our clients
Why should you care about our internal planning document? Because this discipline is the foundation of how we deliver the impact we promise, how we serve our clients, how we empower our employees, ultimately how we hold ourselves accountable and practice what we preach.
Focus: You can be confident that your project aligns perfectly with our core mission. We are not a generalist consultancy; we are specialists fully dedicated to the work we do with you.
Accountability: Our structured approach to setting and tracking priorities means we deliver on our promises with clarity and consistency.
Impact: We bring this same ‘vision to action’ mindset to your challenges, helping you move from ambitious sustainability goals to measurable, real-world outcomes.
A clear vision, relentlessly executed, is the only way to tackle problems as complex as the climate crisis.
Take a look at your own team’s goals. Is there a clear, unbroken line connecting your ultimate vision to what everyone will be working on next week?
