Roman is AT&T’s Director – Environmental & Social Innovation Global Environmental Sustainability

Roman, are you originally from Texas?

I am a native Texan. I grew up in a small Central Texas rural town named Marlin, TX. I then went to Baylor University for my undergrad.

How long have you been involved in sustainability?

As a career, I have now been in the sustainability practice for almost 14 years. I began my career in sustainability in early 2009 at AT&T when the firm appointed its first chief sustainability officer, Charlene Lake.

How long have you worked at AT&T? 

I am nearing a 26-year career at AT&T. I have had a host of roles at AT&T that have included the Finance, Service Management, and State/Federal Regulatory divisions.

What are your overall responsibilities?

I am responsible for developing and integrating environmentally sustainable business practices throughout our consumer and retail markets; contributing to initiative development and execution; developing and communicating AT&T’s positions; coordinating business operations engagement and communications; and managing stakeholder relationships that drive societal and business value around environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.

Can you speak to AT&T’s approach to sustainability?

At AT&T, we believe we can play a role in creating a better, more environmentally sustainable future. Through our network and technology solutions, we are working to address climate change and prepare for its impacts. Yes, this is good for the planet, but it is also good for our business and stakeholders.

AT&T has a three-pronged strategy for addressing climate change:

  • Mitigating our own environmental impacts, with a goal to be carbon neutral across our operations by 2035.
  • Using our products and services to help others reduce their emissions. That includes a goal to enable our business customers to reduce 1 gigaton (one billion metric tons) of emissions by 2035.
  • Building resilience against climate-related extreme weather events because our customers and our communities depend on us and the connectivity we provide.

Why were you initially interested in working with Soli?

Soli offered a unique approach to engaging with consumers in our industry. Research continues to indicate that consumers want to turn their climate intention into action. However, most companies are not making it convenient for that to take place. Soli offered us a first-in-industry customized approach to engaging the consumer on carbon neutral devices.

What has been the most interesting part of working with Soli so far?

Soli is an expert in this space. Soli also understands our business and industry. It has been very interesting to learn from Soli and be guided as an organization to understand both the opportunities and hazards in the marketplace of carbon offsets.

Anything else you would like to tell us?

I am very appreciative for the Soli team on this project. This team was not only proficient and professional, they were just great to work with on a personal level.

Thank you.