Magnify Your Higher Ed Institution’s Sustainability Impact
Through Optimo’s bespoke operational improvement and change management services.
Tailored Support to Empower Sustainability Action in Higher Education
At Optimo, we understand the unique challenges higher education institutions face when implementing sustainability initiatives.
Universities are increasingly focused on amplifying their positive social and environmental impact, yet they often find themselves stalled by inefficient systems, lack of coordination, and projects prioritised according to whoever shouts loudest. Many have passionate people driving important projects, but these efforts can be fragmented, leading to missed opportunities for greater, measurable impact. Optimo specialises in helping higher education providers streamline their processes, integrate sustainability initiatives across departments, and create an organised and engaged sustainability task force.
Our approach ensures that your institution moves from isolated, siloed efforts to coordinated actions, resulting in tangible results and a stronger, more visible commitment to sustainability.
Gain Clarity and Actionable Steps
Implement your university or further education facility’s sustainability strategy in a clear, efficient, and measurable way through specific and relevant optimisation of your organisation’s operations.
We meet you wherever you are on your sustainability journey. Our team will help you to create criteria you can use to prioritise your sustainability initiatives and ensure that all systems and processes empower your people to drive positive change proactively.
Our experienced team provides realistic advice and hands-on support to execute operational efficiencies, change systems and processes, monitor and report progress to stakeholders, and any other optimisations required to execute the organisation’s sustainability plans effectively.
Make Progress Together at Pace
With the relevant systems and processes in place, sustainability becomes a collaborative activity, igniting the enthusiasm and energy of all departments to co-create greater impact.
We work with you to clear bottlenecks in your sustainability progress by leveraging available resources to build capacity, identifying the fastest route forward, and creating opportunities for all stakeholders to get involved.
From developing change agent networks and sustainability champions to providing staff training and project management support, we’ll help you find innovative ways to get things done.
Reassurance You’re Doing it Right
There’s no need to figure out sustainability strategy implementation and monitoring on your own or push your team beyond their capacity to squeeze great KPIs out of a single impact initiative.
We provide dedicated support for ongoing organisation-wide initiatives and bespoke short-term options like one-off training sessions, project management assistance, operational procedures analysis, and more.
We’re here to ensure you have all the help you need when you need it. With Optimo, you can drive your organisation’s sustainability journey forward while achieving the relevant milestones along the way.
We had such a productive and energising day working on our Sustainability Communications and Engagement Strategy facilitated by the brilliant Optimo team.
We spent some time thinking about our messaging and how we can tailor them to resonate with our diverse audiences. We also reviewed how we can be more efficient and strategic with our project management processes and got started on the review of our strategy.
Thanks Danielle and team Optimo for your guidance and support, we’re excited to continue embedding these insights!
Bec Bennett – Assistant Director of Sustainability, University of Salford
Let Optimo Help Your Team Do More with Less
To accelerate the impact of your sustainability initiatives, your organisation needs to operate at optimum efficiency. That means elevating your…
People
Universities and colleges are more than just campuses and buildings. They are created by people, for people.
For the individuals on your teams to activate your sustainability strategy, co-create solutions with students, and achieve social and environmental KPIs, they need the time and freedom to perform at their best at work.
We help you find ways to boost their productivity, increase their motivation, improve engagement, and sustain a positive culture as the organisation grows.
Processes
We understand that it can be challenging to implement sustainability programmes that rely on or encourage collaboration across siloed educational departments.
Our experts can guide you on applying relevant processes that improve cross-functionality, stimulate co-creation, maximise delivery, and save time and money wherever possible. We are on hand to support you in implementing any process changes that will bolster your sustainability team’s confidence and effectiveness.
Effective business processes mean less management and more positive impact.
Technology
Applying technology that supports your social, environmental, and governance aims, while also eliminating any that doesn’t, is another helpful way to drive efficiency.
We’ve helped educational organisations select, launch, and optimise tech packages and infrastructure that talk to each other. These systems enable their teams to save time, money, and stress in the long run.
With everything working as it should, you can concentrate your sustainability efforts where they’re needed most while tracking results to refine current actions and support future initiatives.
Information
Whether it’s stats for stakeholder engagement, tracking data on carbon emissions, or gauging the ROI on a behaviour change campaign, keeping tabs on key information is vital to internal decision-making and optimising all the elements needed for your sustainability strategy to succeed.
We work with your team to understand what information is most important before analysing your current systems to identify areas for improvement and – if needed – sourcing and implementing relevant new information architecture.
Danielle has been working with Leeds Trinity University on developing several substantial business case proposals. This has required working with colleagues from across the institution. Danielle has done this with significant skill keeping the projects to time and creating a shared sense of teamwork.
I fully recommend Optimo. I hope to carry on our work with them in the future.”
Professor Malcolm Todd, Deputy Vice-Chancellor – Leeds Trinity University
Don’t Just Listen To Us
Here are a few case studies that show how we’ve helped higher education organisations to plan and implement sustainability and operational initiatives.
Leeds Trinity University
Leeds Trinity University City Centre
Who We Are
Founded in 2019 by Danielle Heward, Optimo is a B-Corp-certified business improvement firm.
Our clients are at the centre of our universe. When we work with you your organisation’s goals and needs become our entire focus, and we do all we can to help you achieve your purpose.
A carefully selected network of collaborators compliments our small and dedicated team, all working together to move the needle on systems evolution.
We don’t fit the mould of traditional business management consultants – instead, we’re down-to-earth, pragmatic, heart-led human beings. Our people genuinely care about supporting your organisation in making the biggest possible positive impact on nature and society.
We’re also not sustainability consultants. However, all the business improvements and operational systems we suggest for our clients are chosen using a “lens” of responsibility. This ensures your general business operations consider people, the planet, and profit.