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Name: Seema Arora
Job: Founder of CRIDEE
Origin: Delhi, India
HanaHaus Location: Palo Alto
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Dr. Seema Arora is a PhD economist and the nation’s leading expert on ESG issues. She has conducted pioneering research for over 20+ years. Her dissertation titled, “Voluntary Overcompliance with Environmental Standards: Theory and Empirical Evidence” showed that the environment could be a business opportunity and that business is an important part of solving environmental problems.
Subsequently and as early as 2000, before any institutional interest, she analyzed the impact of a company’s pro-active sustainability actions on the stock market performance. Using data from publicly traded companies, she found that while gains were elusive in the short run, companies that were pro-active in their sustainability actions also outperformed their counterparts in the long run. She is recognized for her thought leadership by top Fortune 500 C-leadership, including McKinsey and Unilever.
Dr. Arora obtained her PhD from the University of Southern California. She was a Gilbert White Fellow at Resources for the Future and served as a Consultant for World Bank. At the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University, she was an Assistant Professor where she co-developed and taught a cross-functional sustainability curriculum comprising of 4 courses to over 1200 MBA students. In addition, she is a Google Scholar with over 3000+ primary citations and over 50,000 secondary citations for her seminal contributions in the field of ESG. While holding visiting positions at Stanford University, she also served as Designate Expert on a fintech project with the Reserve Bank of India. She is a two-time recipient of National Science Foundation funding and lastly, is a founder of CRIDEE in Palo Alto.
What do you do in a nutshell? 🧐
“I help companies with strategy/partnerships/and aligning stakeholder and shareholder value. I have written extensively on how companies can find value in pursuing sustainability and ESG. Educated and trained 3000+ business students and executives around sustainability/ESG.”
How did you hear about HanaHaus? 👂
“I have actually been to both HanaHaus coworking space locations on accident. Both times I was looking for some coffee around Newport Beach and Palo Alto, and surprisingly HanaHaus was the place I stumbled upon. There’s something so interesting about the workspace — its vibe, environment, and even its restrooms.”
Why do you like working at HanaHaus? 🏠
“I love HanaHaus for the ability to spend productive time in a community setting. As an independent consultant, I can spend a few hours depending on my schedule in this incredible space and work/collaborate in a congenial setting with all the conveniences. The staff is always super welcoming!”
What is your go-to Blue Bottle Coffee order? ☕️
“Espresso.”
What is your favorite space in HanaHaus? 💛
“Open Seating High Chairs.”
Seema talking to an Ambassador at the Front Desk at HanaHaus Palo Alto coworking space and café.
Seema in the Veracruz workspace at HanaHaus Palo Alto coworking space and café.
In our blog series, Humans of HanaHaus, we present the folks that fill our workspace cafe with life: start-uppers, entrepreneurs, artists, founders, innovation managers, students, unicorns, venture capital investors and the people who make HanaHaus unique. We want to learn about their journeys. We ask them to speak about their current projects and how they leverage HanaHaus for their business.