Growing up in Western Canada, Bradley Andrews, CEO of SLR, has always been close with nature. As a geophysicist, Bradley started his career in a traditional sense, in oil, gas and mining, to then transition to look for environmentally-friendly ways in which the world can get the energy and resources it needs to help communities. 

In recent years, Bradley has focused on the drive toward lower carbon and the complexities of the energy transition – from renewable electrons and batteries to critical minerals and sustainable fuels. 

This deep involvement in the mechanics of the transition made his move to SLR a natural progression. When the opportunity arose to lead a company of thousands of scientists and engineers who shared his passion for sustainability and the energy transition, Bradley saw an immediate alignment. 

Now, Bradley is at the helm of SLR, a premier sustainability consultancy built upon high performance and expertise. 

The firm has a deep technical core, powered by 4,000 scientists and engineers – ranging from specialists in the Chilean mountains to experts in Western Australian groundwater. This rigour is paired with a strategic advisory arm, where consultants work with boards and executives to frame complex problems and ensure they make the right decisions at the right times. 

These are both underpinned by a digital business, which leverages data and AI to provide the foresight and “decision-grade insights” required to move from climate ambition to physical execution.

The passion behind the mission

Over the course of Bradley’s career, he has led projects in 50 countries and has had residency on every continent. As a result, Bradley has gained a rare, panoramic view of the global energy, minerals, water and financial systems. 

He explains that what drew him into the sustainability industry was “the smart, passionate people who will find a solution for whatever challenge comes their way.” 

He says: “I think outside of the space industry, the sustainability industry – how to get resources and energy and how we make these projects happen when it comes to ingenuity and the science and engineering – is really second to none.”

“So, what draws me to the industry is the people who come from different backgrounds, with different perspectives and educations, all banding together to solve something that they couldn't solve on their own.”

This collecting effort to solve the world’s problems is the “juice” that brings Bradley “back to the work we do.”

Throughout his career, Bradley has been guided by the words of his grandfather. From a very young age, Bradley was told that his family knew he wasn’t “going to be a person who stayed at home.”

“They knew I was going to travel the world,” he shares. “I was a bit of an intrepid kid. That’s why my grandfather said to me: ‘Son, never forget where you're from. You're going to need it where you're going.’ And I’ve made sure that I’ve never forgotten.”

Throughout his career, Bradley admits to using this quote a lot, as he likens it to the sustainability industry. 

“Coal, oil and gas took hundreds of millions of people out of poverty in this world, and it allowed for fantastic advances in medicine,” he concludes. “It allowed us to live our lives longer and better than anyone could have imagined hundreds of years ago – so it’s important to remember that transition.”