Meet the Speakers: Greig Brebner
Greig Brebner | Design Director, Blunt Umbrellas
Session: Day 1 | Putting a value on purpose: purpose by design
How did you get here?
My journey to get here started with a desire to create a 'best in class' product. Living in London I was inspired to make that product the humble umbrella. The decades long journey since has revealed what 'best in class' can really mean and it is has been a pleasure to discover that when a product is designed well and given the appropriate 'life support' it can be equally beneficial to both the consumer experience and the impact to the world around us.
How would you describe your relationship to purpose?
As with a powerful and clear vision, my purpose in being design lead is the source of energy that pulls me towards where I need to go. I am driven by solving design 'puzzles' knowing the more constraints there are to navigate the more special the outcome will be. Responsibility for our environment is a non-negotiable however we are in a phase as a human race where unfortunately the vast majority of our actions in business are more harmful than good. We have an immense amount work to do to solve this design puzzle and we must progress knowing that the special solutions do exist and we will discover them.
For those who don't know your organisation, can you give us the elevator pitch?
BLUNT is an organisation that creates, provides and services what we believe to be the world's best umbrellas. It is our ambition to become the worlds best umbrella brand.
What’s the biggest purpose/sustainability myth that needs busting?
That consumer attitude will provide enough energy to change a system. We have a consumer environment that is fueled by many significant aligned forces going in the wrong direction. To shift this we need to influence the system from within as well as externally. Like most western countries the NZ lens on the world is very much that of a consumer focused one with the creation of what we consume being defined in lands afar. We need to be more global and holistic in our awareness so we can form a strategy that leans into our unique creativity to help make sustainable change.
If you could sit down with one global leader to discuss the state of the world, who would it be and why?
Too hard to truly judge a global leader from afar and understand their agenda. I think most are so conflicted and even if they have good intentions they are always forced down paths of least resistance. My pick, even though not in office anymore, would be Barrack Obama. His perspective now he is not in the hot seat and experience would be incredibly enlightening. It appears to me that for significant and unique change to happen in the world, government leaders need to be lead on a path that is define by the energy only business can give. A path that is so enticing that it appeals to what good intentions there are in all parties concerned.
What is Aotearoa's purpose/sustainability superpower?
We are small, nimble and have the potential through our remoteness to see the world from a healthy perspective. Due to our scale we can only succeed when we appeal to niche global markets and this beautifully aligns with the top end of any large international market. We need to aim to be the best at whatever we do, and with that proudly demand a premium that can fuel healthy activities. Given our minimal resource we need alignment as much as possible. Defining an industry that we can 'ten fold' down on. One that appeals to our unique skills, abilities, resources, curiosity and pushes us to be the worlds best. Create a vision that drags everyone to a future we can be proud of.
What is a purpose/sustainability trend/word you love or hate right now?
I love the word responsibility because it appeals to humans looking inwards at what they can do rather than outwards at what isn't being done for them.
You're speaking at The Value of Purpose in May. Can you give us a sneak peek of what you'll be talking about?
I will be talking to my journey with creating a product from an idea on the street from the other side of the world, developing it in NZ and then taking the finished product back out to the world. I will speak to how my ambition to be the worlds best at something has enabled a long series of healthy actions that have made BLUNT into an iconic product/brand and by default the sustainable choice in umbrellas.
What are you most excited about for this conference?
I am excited that the focus of this conference is about how businesses can incorporate sustainable activities genuinely within their business models. For success every system needs all parts working in harmony with the appropriate energy applied to all areas. Tacking on a well intentioned initiative without considering the system as a whole will suffer in time and ultimately be rejected. I think the theme will appeal greatly to all business leaders who are tasked with making important decisions to create a sustainable future in every sense.
