Maija Peltola – International corporate responsibility and sustainable development expert

Maija Peltola says that her first deep-dive into “ecotourism” – as it was then called – was almost 20 years ago when she studied tourism and the concept of nature in a small lobster raising community in the Mexican Caribbean on its way to becoming one of the top destinations in the country. 

The research, which resulted in her university thesis, required living six months in a fisherman’s hut, a period during which I learnt not only about the wide gap between international policies and the everyday challenges of common people, but also about the principles of destination management and tourism flows. 

“Back then, climate change had not yet reached headlines but plastic and waste problems, as well as real estate development in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, dominated discussions.”

After her “first career” in international development and finances, Maija is using her professional expertise for the benefit of the global travel and hospitality industries.

“My expertise in these areas results from over 15 years at the intersection of the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. I have worked in development and climate change programs as United Nations staff, held top management positions in global non-profits and headed my own consulting company Camaleonte.”

Maija has also served as board member of certification-driven Fair Trade and as vice president of the Finnish Association for Environmental Management. 

“I am widely knowledgeable about the international frameworks in corporate responsibility and sustainable development and what is even more important, I understand what it takes to put these frameworks into practice, from reducing single-use plastics to responsible sourcing and combating human trafficking and modern slavery.”

Maija has traveled in roughly half of the countries of the world – including places such as Greenland, the DRC and French Polynesia – and she has worked in almost 30 of them. 

“I’m passionate about making travel and hospitality sustainable so that our kids can experience the same joy I have been able to encounter.”

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