Beyond Peak Oil: Evolutionary Risk Management

We live in an era of peak everything. Climate change and natural resource scarcity present an unprecedented challenge to the global economy, and to entrepreneurs trying to raise capital. The volatile costs of energy, waste and natural resources will forever transform baseline business metrics, and create a more complex risk management matrix for every organization, from the largest corporation, to the smallest start-up company. Venture capital and angel investors are already starting to carefully consider these issues when evaluating even the smallest investment opportunity.

This new environment creates optimal conditions for entrepreneurs, especially for those with evolutionary business strategies that are responsive to this new environment.

Anita M. Burke, President, Catalyst Institute

Innovation in key sectors – health, food, energy, transportation, housing and transformative IT – is core to the retooling of America’s economy, which will focus on building a strong economic response to the evolving global risks.

As investors choose where to deploy money for the best return, how do they reduce the exposure to this new risk matrix while maximizing the return on not only financial capital, but human, social and natural capital as well?

Anita M. Burke, former international executive for Shell International’s sustainability, climate change and energy scenario portfolios, will share her thoughts on the kind of transformations necessary to create investment strategies and business models that will thrive in this increasingly chaotic world.

About Anita M. Burke

Anita M. Burke is the founder and president of the Catalyst Institute which is dedicated to the creation and continued development of sustainable businesses through innovation, teaching and coaching. Anita is recognized as a leader in helping organizations define and manage their evolutionary risk management brought upon as a result of the impacts on our ecosystem and financial system..
Ms. Burke currently is a board advisor to a number of start-up companies both in Colorado and in China. Anita also advises several US based energy companies on building long term sustainable business practices.

Ms. Burke has worked in helping organizations design, develop and implement sustainable businesses for over twenty five years. Anita spent seven years working at Shell International and its subsidiaries. Her projects there included advising and designing implementation programs for the CEO and senior leadership team on:

• Climate Change
• Sustainable Development Public Policy
• Stakeholder Engagement Strategy
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Sustainable Development and Corporate Responsibility Key Performance
• Indicators

• Compliance strategies for carbon costing in capital investment reviews and strategic forecasting processes.

Anita has been a lecturer at Beijing University, and the University of California Santa Barbara. She has also teamed with the Rocky Mountain Institute to design and implement a sustainable development program for Anglo American’s South African enterprises.

Anita is a global traveler, and recently moved to Colorado from Vancouver. She enjoys spending time with her family, and is passionate about wild places and adventure sports.