KAREN FORMOSA | KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Karen Formosa is a leading voice in practical, human‑centered sustainability for small and medium‑sized enterprises.
As the founder of PracticalSustainability, she has become known for translating complex sustainability, ESG, and circularity concepts into clear, actionable frameworks that real businesses can use - without jargon, overwhelm, or corporate‑level budgets. Her work is grounded in one mission: to make sustainability achievable, measurable, and genuinely useful for internal leaders and the everyday business owner.
Her early lived experience became the foundation of her philosophy: most people — and most small businesses — are already more sustainable than they realise; they just need the language, structure, and confidence to see it.
Before founding PracticalSustainability, Karen built a successful career in investment operations, working with financial systems, reconciliations, and market structures. A simple question from an investor — “Do you offer sustainable investment options?” — sparked a turning point.
Realising how unclear and inconsistent sustainability terminology was, she pursued her studies in environmental management, ESG reporting, and has successfully finished her extensive training in carbon and water literacy literacy, which she is now working on, to deliver to internal leaders and small businesses.
Today, Karen works with SMEs, sustainability managers, and professionals who have had sustainability “added to their role” without training. She helps them map what they’re already doing, identify what matters most in their context, and build sustainability into their everyday operations. The modules, frameworks and roadmaps have become trusted tools for businesses seeking clarity and momentum.
Karen is also an active contributor to the global sustainability community. She has been invited as a guest speaker on multiple podcasts and webinars, contributed to an EU‑funded interview broadcast across Cyprus and film festivals, and serves as a Sustainability Ambassador with Global Goals Connections. Moreover, through the #OpenDoorClimate initiative, she mentors individuals transitioning into sustainability careers, offering honest guidance and practical support she wishes she had during her own pivot.
Her talks are known for being warm, grounded, and deeply relatable - blending lived experience, practical frameworks, and real SME case studies. Whether speaking to business owners, practitioners, or community groups, Karen brings a rare combination of clarity, empathy, and strategic insight.
She shows audiences that sustainability isn’t a corporate exercise — it’s a practice rooted in everyday decisions, relationships, and resourcefulness.
Karen’s work continues to expand through workshops, toolkits, articles, and community learning initiatives. She is committed to widening access to sustainability knowledge and empowering internal leaders and SMEs — the backbone of the global economy — to lead with purpose, resilience, and confidence.
WHY HIRE KAREN FORMOSA?
Booking Karen brings audiences a speaker who is both deeply knowledgeable and refreshingly human. She specialises in helping SMEs cut through complexity and take meaningful action — not through expensive interventions, but through practical steps that build momentum and measurable results.
Karen’s sessions are ideal for:
- SME conferences and business networks
- Sustainability and circular economy events
- Entrepreneurship and innovation forums
- Local authority and community programmes
- Universities and business schools
Her speaking style is warm, clear, and empowering. She offers real‑world examples, relatable stories, and frameworks that audiences can apply immediately.
The cost of hiring depends on your event format, location, duration and any travel requirements. For an accurate and tailored quote, please get in touch.