OW Spotlight Dr Greg Dickens

Can you please tell us a bit more about yourself and what you do? 

I’m a science nerd and a competitive son-of-a-gun, I trained as a veterinary surgeon at Cambridge in order to work in conservation medicine, did that for a while in the central African rainforest, took a detour into (and then out of) professional sport, and then came to rest in a science and sustainability consultancy.  

My day-to-day work is in examining the processes of major multinationals, including P&G, J&J, The North Face, etc., working out where they could make things better, faster, stronger and less damaging to the environment. It involves a lot of Post-its, coffee and reading scientific papers in ways that their authors probably didn’t intend. 

At the weekends, I run a small conservation charity called Bug Spaces, dedicated to setting up new nature reserves and convincing land-owners (including home-owners) to leave some wild habitat ‘around the edges’. We’re just working on a new two-hectare reserve in Cambridge. 

I also take photos of bugs. Like … as a hobby. It’s very on-brand. My insta is *incredible*.  

 

What inspired you to work in sustainability? 

That question’s backward: Everyone starts out understanding that sustainability is the most important thing in the world. Every toddler wants to plant trees or clean up the ocean. Then, somewhere in late childhood, parents/friends/media tell them they should want money or fame instead and they go off and become bankers. I just missed that memo.  

 

What is your career highlight so far? 

It’s a tie.  

1 – Spending time learning various monkey languages (not spoken, obviously, but they do have distinct body languages) to work out which monkey groups at my sanctuary were cohesive enough for release into a rainforest reserve. That was very interesting, and ultimately very successful. (N.B. If you don’t know what the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is, and how it might apply here – look it up.)  

2 – Breaking ground on my first big nature reserve.  

 

What would you say are ‘must-have’ life skills/traits for young people today? 

Immunity to the sunk-cost fallacy: The world (inc. job market, inc. dating market, inc. just about everything) is going to change faster than ever. Making choices based on what you’ve invested in the past is not going to serve you well. Making choices based on where you find yourself at this very instant will bring you more success and more happiness. This is doubly true for people getting into sustainability or conservation careers. 

 

What is the best piece of advice you have been given? 

On my 18th birthday, my father sat me down and dished out two pieces of manly wisdom:

1 – Always have a glass of water with it. The ‘it’ in this aphorism can be anything: a spicy curry; a sporting attempt; a first date; a piece of bad news; a job interview. Whatever. A glass of water isn’t just hydration, it’s also an enforced pause to think.

2 – Never take anything too seriously. The ‘too’ is the keyword here. Take serious things seriously. However, don’t assume that things are serious and don’t treat things that aren’t important as if they are. This has saved me a huge amount of time, effort and stress. 

 

Do you have a fond memory from your time at Wellington that you would like to share or a particular teacher that stood out? 

Mark Smiley (with whom I have tried, and failed, to get in touch over the years) was the Biology teacher who A, inspired me to compete in the science internationally, and B, helped me believe that it was okay for poor kids (even those at a school full of more affluent backgrounds) to stand out. I’ve spent my entire life trying to do the right thing and not caring if I stand out as a result. Thanks Mark!

Featured in the 2024 – 2025 Yearbook.