© Carol Liffman 2019
Welcome to
LIFFMAN ADVISORY LLC
Sustainability |
Strategic Decisions, Risk Management, Stakeholder Engagement
Improving the capacity of communities everywhere to thrive in a clean, healthy environment is essential for the robust, shared future we all want.
Our roadmap to that future is laid out with the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Success depends on businesses, governments, and other public entities – organizations of all sizes – coming together to achieve them.
Bridging the technological and human concerns inherent in complex systems is at the heart of my approach. I draw on broad experience with creative problem-solving skills – from systems dynamics and design to decision quality and risk management to lean and operations science – always with an appreciation that acknowledging the voices of diverse stakeholders unlocks innovative solutions.
My interest lies in helping organizations define sustainability strategies aligned with their core purpose that help achieve outstanding environmental, social, and governance outcomes. I work with clients to develop their strategy through a series of virtual and in-person workshops. I incorporate best practices from decision quality, risk management, and stakeholder engagement to create a plan ready to be implemented with confidence.
I work independently with clients and also draw on expertise through two alliances: Plan C Advisors in San Fransico, California for Climate Action and Global Affairs Associates in Houston, Texas for general ESG concerns and training.
Let’s talk to plan a course for your team.
Carol Kazmer Liffman
MS, MBA, G Dipl SRS, SEA, SCR, PMP, RMP
SERVICES
My practice combines in-depth knowledge of sustainability frameworks and best practices with broad experience using decision quality, risk management, and stakeholder engagement among other techniques to develop actionable strategies and implementation plans.
About me
If a career in oil and gas seems like an unlikely background for a sustainability advocate, let me assure you that when I began studying geology as an undergraduate, the emerging Anthropocene carbon crisis was still hidden from nearly everyone, myself included. Instead, the mix of quantitative analytics and immersion in the natural world that geological fieldwork afforded was fascinating. As a born-and-bred city girl, no one was more surprised than me that I learned to love backpacking and viewing the Milky Way. Plus, I was paid to travel and do the kinds of things most people only see on a nature documentary!
Working on complex projects around the world in the energy sector helped me develop a broad skill set tied together by the management of risk and uncertainty. My early fieldwork focused on reducing technical uncertainty but also introduced me to the realities of life in remote areas of Latin America and Asia. Then, roles in strategy and finance honed my abilities in the scenario planning, critical thinking, and economic analyses needed for executive decision-making. As a project advisor for the past dozen years, I coached multidisciplinary teams to think together about the integrated systems that drive performance, balance technical and nontechnical opportunities and threats, and create effective action plans with speed and confidence. One constant is the changing interplay between technological and social elements over time. I observed firsthand how our projects and others from both the private and public sectors affected local communities.
A few years ago, the mounting evidence for climate change and new perspectives on corporate responsibility began leading me in a new direction. Then, a corporate downsizing presented an opportunity to pursue additional education and recast my expertise to address issues around the energy transition and sustainability in general. I look forward to helping organizations recognize new opportunities and create a thriving future for communities everywhere.