Sebastian Buck

Business adviser, Business leader, Designer, Explorer, Marketer, Photographer

Tl,dr: Trained as a strategist, by nature an optimist; that’s channeled through photography, writing and future design. I’m a co-founder and partner at Enso, where we help companies design positive futures. Longer story: I grew up in a small village in Southern England, and life was about exploring in nature. My dad ran a small business, so I developed the sense that business is how interesting, creative, fun things happened. I studied economics, law, corporate finance, and my first job was in a Boston-based strategy consultancy, helping companies start and scale new ventures. I was based in Boston, London, Tokyo, and then LA, where I fell in love with California’s climate and optimism. Here, I found the world of social innovation, which I saw (and continue to see) as the most exciting space in business: solving globally important challenges as a path to success, rather than a distraction. I joined GOOD Magazine, then co-founded a spin-off agency, GOOD/Corps (2009), where we helped Pepsi develop the Pepsi Refresh Project; we grew from there to other great partners, like Starbucks, Google and the Gates Foundation. I co-founded Enso in 2012, to continue the work of helping companies align business success and social impact. Google became our first client and a tremendously supportive partner, asking us to work on a host of fascinating things; that work led to more amazing, ambitious, mission-oriented partners looking to do optimistic, positive things in the world. I’m interested in a few continuing themes. The most pervasive is fostering optimism as the precursor to progress, in my own life and in the world. Another is how companies can build shared missions rather than solo missions, particularly through the power of story and shared narratives. Another is building belonging, within companies, communities and countries — and with nature — which I see as a root-source solution for most of what ails us. Outside of Enso, I’m involved in a few things: I somewhat-often write for Fast Company, I’m a Gates Foundation Goalkeeper, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and a board member of Sun Valley Writers’ Conference.

Optimism. Belonging. Business success aligning with shared success.

Let's design the future we want.

Design, Social innovation, Strategy