Dr Jessica van Jaarsveld: Culture | Sustainability

Jessica van Jaarsveld is an Environmental ethics expert and keynote speaker helping organisations embed sustainability as a core cultural value for lasting impact.

Dr Jessica van Jaarsveld Culture | Sustainability

Quick Facts:

Highlights:
  • PhD in Environmental Ethics with 10+ years of research and advocacy
  • Founder of EcoValues Advisory, focused on sustainability culture change
  • Delivered keynotes and workshops worldwide on ethics, values, and wellbeing
  • Recognised thought leader with multiple academic and professional publications
  • Trusted advisor helping companies shift from sustainability compliance to commitment

Formats: Keynote speaker (45–60 minutes), Interactive workshops, Corporate wellbeing sessions

Audience: Corporate leaders, sustainability professionals, HR and culture managers, employee engagement teams

Outcomes:
  1. Clarity on the personal and organisational “why” behind sustainability.
  2. Tools to embed environmental responsibility into workplace culture.
  3. Inspiration to drive authentic, values-based change across teams.
Reviews: (1 reviews)
5/5
  • Travels from: Johannesburg

Talent Services

Keynote Topics:

This keynote delves into the personal and organisational motivations behind sustainability efforts, empowering attendees to understand their role in fostering a sustainable future.

Focusing on reconnecting individuals with nature, this session offers a fresh perspective on enhancing employee wellbeing.

Designed to embed sustainability into corporate culture, these sessions encourage employees to internalise and champion environmental values.

Talent Short Bio

Dr. Jessica van Jaarsveld is the founder of EcoValues Advisory and a global authority on environmental ethics with a PhD in the field. For over a decade, she has researched and advocated for the intrinsic value of nature, translating academic insights into practical strategies for corporate sustainability.

Through her keynotes, workshops, and advisory work, Jessica empowers businesses to move beyond compliance and towards authentic commitment, ensuring sustainability becomes a shared organisational priority. She has published widely, spoken on international stages, and collaborated with leaders to embed values-driven environmental responsibility into company cultures.

Jessica van Jaarsveld is an environmental philosopher with a PhD in Environmental Ethics who has spent the past decade exploring one key question: why do people care about nature and why don’t they?

That question now shapes everything she does. Jessica works with leaders, teams, and organisations to help shift sustainability from a box-ticking exercise to a meaningful cultural commitment. Her approach doesn’t focus on checklists or outputs, but on mindset and values. Through thought-provoking sessions, she helps audiences move beyond surface-level solutions to understand why it all matters.

Her journey began in academia, where she lectured and researched environmental ethics. Her work also delves into Indigenous African philosophy, especially the concept of Ukama a sister philosophy to Ubuntu that sees humans as deeply connected to nature. Jessica van Jaarsveld has presented at global philosophy conferences and published widely, including an upcoming article in the African Journal of Business Ethics special edition on sustainability.

While rooted in philosophy, her insights are anything but abstract. She brings ideas to life in a way that’s deeply relatable, drawing on hands-on experience from volunteering on organic farms in Ireland to working in the ancient rainforests of Madagascar and the Karoo desert.

Blending storytelling with rich but accessible insight, Jessica van Jaarsveld’s keynotes help audiences see their work and the planet in a new light. Described as “informative and inspiring in equal measure,” her talks reignite a sense of purpose. Because real change, she believes, always begins in the roots.

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Talent FAQ's

A: Flagship keynotes include “Find Your ‘Why’ of Sustainability” and “Putting Down Roots,” alongside customisable workshops.

A: Yes, Dr. Jess facilitates workshops designed to embed sustainability values into company culture.

A: Visit sasbestspeakers.com/jess-profile to enquire about booking.

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