Practitioner Spotlight--Angie Dickson

Name:

Angie Dickson

Office:

Home-based in Minnesota

Practice Area:

Multi-disciplinary account leadership

Areas of expertise:

Solving EHS&S problems for technology and retail clients

About Me in 140 Characters:

I have three kids, one who is about to go off to college, a teenager, and a second grader. I love the outdoors, hiking, traveling, and I’m probably most happy with my family in a far-flung place with a unique culture. I also love gardening and reading science fiction books.

Favorite Thing about Being an Account Leader:

My favorite thing is I get to provide strategic and tactical support to some amazing companies. I genuinely contribute to their success in EHS compliance and adoption of health, safety, and environmental programs and policies. I make them safer, healthier, more productive places to work. As an account leader, I get to do different things every day and make a difference in the world.

What is a key ingredient for success as an Account Leader?

I think one of the key ingredients that makes Antea Group unique is as an account leader I am expected to act with integrity to maintain the core values of our company at all times. I need to be trustworthy, act as a partner with the companies and people that I work with, and I also need to be a reliable team member. Not any one of us can solve all of the problems on our own – when we approach the client it’s as the account team. I need every person on the team to be successful – I need the trust of both our team and our client. We need to have each other’s backs to provide an outstanding customer experience. When we are using our skills, the client has a better customer experience.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

The diverse companies that we work for. I have the opportunity to look across their global EHS needs and not only assist them to be more efficient and successful at meeting their goals, but I also get to work with an amazing international team through the Inogen Environmental Alliance that can solve almost any EHS or sustainability problem around the world. Whether it’s medical policy needs in Italy, fire safety training in the UK, or health and safety management in Japan, I have this amazing group of colleagues around the world who are at my fingertips to answer questions. This challenges me to think outside of the box – what might be a solution in Africa might not be a solution in Cleveland.

If someone at a party asks what you do, how do you respond?

I say “I get paid to talk to people. It’s a fantastic job” Then I follow up by explaining that the reality is that I work for an environmental health and safety and sustainability consulting company – what I get to do is talk with people at amazing world-changing companies. My job is to understand their problems, goals, and aspirations as individuals and as a company, and tie all of these aspects into a solution using our fantastic network of resources around the world.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I always knew I was going to attend business school. But what I didn’t know is that I was going to use my business degree to do all sorts of cool things. I’ve managed an estate in Jamaica with orchids and cattle, I’ve done social work, I’ve done health and human services, and now I do health and safety and sustainability. I didn’t know what exactly I wanted to be when I grew up, and now I’ve used my degree to explore lots of different ways to further my career. I use my international experience to work with teams around the globe and the creative solution-finding skills to work answer big questions for tech companies.

What was your first job?

Right out of college I started as a Peace Corps volunteer, doing small business advising for women’s groups in Kenya. A few amazing things happened: I learned Swahili and learned how to be more open-minded about cultural differences. I had to adapt to find ways to help women earn income and run small businesses to help them live their lives and pay school fees for their kids. And despite all of my fancy Western skills, all of those women gave way more back to me than I ever gave to them.

What is your most treasured possession?

My family. They are a pain in the butt, but I do really like them. One of the things I think is special about Antea Group is that they encourage a healthy work-life balance, and being able to have a career that I feel really good about and contributing to but also being able to be there for my family is great. 

Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter, The New Leaf. Our goal is to keep you updated, educated and even a bit entertained as it relates to all things EHS and sustainability.