Mark Cannon

Part coach/consultant, part sabbatical, part personal creative exploration. I’ve used the last several years to explore other facets that I have to offer the world of work. I’ve grown as a person through stepping out of my comfort zone, learning new skills, honing existing strengths. Answering a call for help from the UK, a leading sustainability consultant asked if I would deliver an ISO 20121 Implementation course on behalf of the British Standards Institute. Although I wasn’t conversant with the Sustainability Management System for events, I was able to familiarise myself, localise the content and deliver the training, attracting a 10/10 review. Environmental professionals are values-driven and there are occasions when they need to take time to explore their life and career direction. That’s why I coached and mentored like-minded ‘green professionals’ to successful career change and life-goal achievement. I was asked to develop and deliver a career fulfilment workshop to help environmental professionals explore their motivations and make informed decisions about their career direction. I researched and built an interactive workshop around my ‘lifeblend’ approach that helped participants reflect and plan their next career moves. As a British ex-pat, I frequently hear familiar accents locally. I recognised the opportunity to work with that community to tell personal stories and highlight contributions to the local economy. Brits in Vancouver is a written and photographic project that delivers those stories. I developed the artistic concept, marketed to potential participants, conducted the portrait sessions, wrote and published the articles.