Karien is a seasoned sustainability practitioner, a strategic thinker and an Africa enthusiast. She is an Associate Director in BDO's Risk Advisory Services and leads the firm's South African sustainability practice. Academically, Karien holds a Hons Degree in Sustainable Development and a Master's Degree in Development Practice. Her thesis considered responsible leadership and applying greenhouse gas target-setting methodologies in developing economies. For her sins, Springer subsequently published her thesis in the Sustainable Development Goals for Society book series.
Karien's expertise lies in sustainability risk assessment and strategy development, climate scenario and risk assessment, adaptation planning, and greenhouse gas inventory analysis.
During her career, Karien has worked across several sectors, including infrastructure and development, mining, and manufacturing. She has worked across Africa, in Peru and Papua New Guinea. She has assisted major companies in South Africa in developing strategic energy policies, climate scenarios and impact analyses, and setting science-based targets. In addition, she has led several national projects as part of South Africa’s commitment to the UNFCCC in terms of climate risk assessments, adaptation tracking and biennial reporting. Apart from leading the South African sustainability practice for BDO, Karien plays a leading role in the BDO global sustainability team to drive the development of climate services across the BDO network.
Karien believes sustainability is not about achieving an elusive "balance" between developmental objectives. To her, sustainability is about the interrelationships between developmental issues and how these relationships are recognised, nurtured, and enhanced or encouraged.