Vale - Maria Sillanp??

Today, I received the devastating news that my friend and mentor, Maria?Sillanp??, passed away on?5th December. My deepest sympathies are with Maria's family, friends and mentees across the globe. My heart is with you all at this difficult time.??

Maria was a Finnish feminist and a badass social justice warrior. ?Maria was kind, generous, had a gifted intellect and was very funny. Grassroots to C-Suite Maria was a professional mischief-maker and a respected, effective advocate. To me, Maria will always be a Rockstar.??

As a Body Shop customer in the '80s and '90s, I was already impacted by Maria's work when I joined AccountAbility in 2002 during her time on the Board. Maria wrote the rule book on stakeholder value when she published the?Body Shop’s first Values Report ,?The Stakeholder Corporation with David Wheeler, and collaborated with?Professor R. Edward Freeman . Maria's work fundamentally influenced my understanding of the possibility of business as a force for social good and my purpose.?

Maria became my manager when she took up the role of Managing Director at AccountAbility in 2004. When we worked with?Great Place to Work ?on the licensing agreement establishing the UK operation as a social enterprise, I remember Maria telling me when Body Shop scaled?licenses were handed out to anyone not wearing a bra! Her sense of humour was dry and hilarious.?We drew on Maria's Body Shop days experience when we spun?Great Place to Work UK ?out as a separate standalone social venture in 2006. There was no mention of bras in the agreement. ?

Maria held regular one-on-one meetings outside AccountAbility HQ next to the Packington Estate. Slowly and carefully, Maria would ceremoniously roll a cigarette before imparting words of wisdom. Her advice was always carefully considered, kind words, delivered with a wry smile and a laugh. During a busy, stressful, challenging time, Maria likened my role at Great Place to Work UK to leading through a snowstorm, cautioning me to watch out for snow blindness. I loved Maria and snow, so that piece of wisdom stuck, and I have since passed it on to other people leading social ventures through difficult times.??

We stayed connected through our relationships and networks when I returned to Australia from the UK in 2007. Maria was the supreme dot connector and worked with?Dr. Michael Burchell ?from?Great Place to Work ,?who started up Great Place to Work's operations in the Middle East. It was 2010, and I was in Dubai on a work trip for Oxfam Australia's Youth Partnerships Program. I was?heavily pregnant, and Maria was generous with her time - there is something special about friendships that stretch across different countries and continents.?

I last met Maria with colleagues and friends in Fitzroy, Naarm. It was a fun night with so many laughs, and time passed too quickly. That was the last time I saw Maria, but we remained in touch. Even though so many years had passed since we worked together at AccountAbility, she always enthusiastically agreed to be my referee - what a privilege to put her name on paper if ever I was asked.??

Maria was a field builder and trailblazer. Maria’s leadership has influenced?corporate responsibility ESG practices and disclosures that are now mainstream , the?BCorp ?movement and better lives for workers and communities impacted by business. ?

What a legacy Maria Silanpaa leaves behind, and how lucky I am to have been touched by it.?I will miss Maria deeply.?

When the problems are messy, and the work is hard, I will continue to draw strength from Maria's friendship and mentorship so generously imparted to me – and channel her spirit to get the job done. ?

Vale Maria?Sillanp??. ?

References?

Sillanp??, M. (1998). The Body Shop values report–towards integrated stakeholder auditing.?Journal of Business Ethics,?17, 1443-1456. ?

Wheeler, D., & Sillanp??, M. (1997). The stakeholder corporation: A blueprint for maximizing stakeholder value.