On 1 November 2021, the VELUX Group welcomed Jamie Rusby as the new Group Sustainability Director. In the time since he came on board, Jamie has been working to continue to build the foundation for sustainability in VELUX. In the following interview, we take a deeper dive into who Jamie is, and what his plans are for helping us deliver on our ambitious Sustainability Strategy 2030.
What made you want to work for VELUX?
I’ve always loved the product and its ability to open up a space and make the best use of the buildings we have. My very first interaction with VELUX was when I was a kid actually, when I moved up from a draughty bedroom in a house outside Oxford, England, to a warm attic space with a VELUX window and lots of daylight and fresh air. And when my own family expanded two years ago, we did exactly the same thing and created a new space for our eldest son in our family home.
Ten years ago, I was able to learn more about VELUX working as a consultant, and was struck by the strong company values, down to earth culture and the benefits of the ownership structure and long-term thinking. And now it is a super exciting time to be joining as we embark on a new strategy period, with strong ambitions – not least in the area of sustainability. We are starting out on a journey to not only transform VELUX but to be part of driving wider change in our sector and beyond. What could be more exciting?
What drew you to work with sustainability?
You can actually trace it right back to my upbringing in that draughty house in the English countryside. I am from a family of six, and with two working parents I was left to explore nature with my brothers - the fields and forests were our playground. My parents practiced “sustainable living” long before it was fashionable - we were brought up as vegetarian, grew a lot of our own food. We had what we needed, but not a lot of extra stuff.
After completing my studies, it was a natural choice to work with environmental issues. I started off in environmental journalism, but soon recognised the important role of business – as both part of the problem, but also as a key part of the solution. Looking back, the only thing I’ve actually wanted to do is move us as a society towards a more sustainable path, and I see businesses as a catalyst for that change.
Our purpose is to create wellbeing for people and planet by transforming spaces using daylight and fresh air. So if that’s why we exist as a company, then it makes sense for us to grow and continue bringing more benefits to more people, and to do so within the limits of the planet.
Jamie Rusby, Group Sustainability Director
We have strong ambitions for growth – doesn’t that conflict with our commitment to sustainability?
The economic growth of the last decades has brought incredible progress – and VELUX has been part of that. But at the same time, that economic model is putting the planet we rely on under immense pressure. And not all parts of society have benefited equally from economic growth.
The evidence is clearer than ever that business as usual is no longer an option. Today’s profits must come from finding solutions to the world’s problems rather than contributing to them. That includes being led by what the science demands, and in the area of climate, that means halving our carbon footprint by 2030, regardless of how much we grow. That is a huge challenge which will bring positive change to VELUX, and also to companies and sectors across our value chain.
As for the bigger question around whether it makes sense to grow… our purpose is to create wellbeing for people and planet by transforming spaces using daylight and fresh air. So if that’s why we exist as a company, then it makes sense for us to grow and continue bringing more benefits to more people, and to do so within the limits of the planet.
What are your next steps?
I’ve had a great couple of months talking to colleagues around VELUX to understand where we are today and where to go next. I would say we have the right preconditions to take the next big step: we’ve prioritised sustainability in our corporate strategy, we have clear ownership of our goals in the functions and many engaged and highly competent people in the functions working to make them happen.
One of my first tasks is to strengthen the central resources for sustainability. Right now, I’m working to understand what we need from a central perspective and recruit a small team to steer and guide the organisation to keep us on track on what we have promised, to develop our ambitions and commitments and our actions to drive change externally.
Is sustainability relevant for everyone in VELUX?
This does affect everyone. Everyone can contribute. The sustainability strategy will affect the way we design our products and the materials we use, where and who we buy from, who we recruit and our work environment and how we engage with customers and people in their homes. It is a wide and ambitious agenda – so talk to your team and manager about how your function contributes and how to get involved!