Impact Hired Spotlight #5: Sotiria Anagnostou of STORE Capital

Sotiria Anagnostou is an ESG expert who takes a collaborative approach to organizational change to advance social and environmental impact.

The Impact Hired Spotlight series highlights the stories of impact professionals across industries to demonstrate how people got to where they are. Few folks in sustainability and ESG have linear paths, and through these stories we hope to inform and inspire impact job seekers as they navigate their own career journeys. In this edition, we hear from Sotiria Anagnostou, director of ESG, programs and reporting at STORE Capital.

Why did you pursue a career in impact?

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges that we face. When I was first introduced to global climate issues in the early 2000s, I knew right away that I wanted to be part of the solution. So, I pursued academic programs that would put me in the best possible place to build strategies to solve complex problems.

Can you talk about some of the challenges you have faced throughout your impact career getting to where you are now?

Working on  climate can be tough for a number of reasons. First, it can be emotionally draining. When you think about the extent of the problems and how complex the solutions are, it can be overwhelming. Additionally, it's politicized and there are a lot of misconceptions that climate change isn't happening or isn't caused by human activities. Even during my PhD, I regularly had people ask me "will you be able to get a job with that degree"?

Can you tell us a bit about the skills you use in your current impact job? Where did you learn them?

A lot of my work revolves around integrating sustainability throughout an organization. Being able to speak the language of teams throughout the business is essential. It took me a while to build some of these skills but I continually asked to be exposed to parts of the business that I was least familiar with. Supply chain was specifically an area that I knew very little about but wanted to learn more. I found ways to connect with the supply chain teams, took informational interviews with my co-workers and was open to learning about areas of the business I was unfamiliar with.  Being open and asking questions has brought about some of the biggest learnings for me.

What do you love most about working in an impact career? 

I love that I know I'm making a positive impact every day. My least favorite part is how slow progress feels sometimes. Some days the impact is very very small, but it's always moving in the right direction.

What advice would you give folks currently struggling to find their way in an impact career?

Impact jobs are growing and there will continue to be more and more impact roles in the future. Keep learning, growing and applying your skills and interests to the roles that you are excited about.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Eventually, all jobs will be impact jobs. No matter what you do, you can make an impact and you can apply a sustainable lens to your own work. Keep moving forward and don't let setbacks get you down.