#101 From a Successful Corporate Career to a Purpose-Driven One!

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Welcome to the Proteus Leader Show. I'm your host, Marie-Olive, and today we have a truly special episode about leading with purpose. My guest is someone I've known for over a decade, since our time as classmates during Executive MBA. He's a dear friend of mine, David Parker has built an impressive career leveraging his deep expertise in the automotive industry to drive meaningful change. Now, as CEO of CleverCity, he's leading the charge in reducing urban traffic congestion and cutting carbon emissions with innovative smart parking solutions. David's journey is a great example of how leaders can transition from successful corporate journeys to purpose-driven leadership. making an impact not just on their companies, but on the world. David, welcome to the show.

Thanks, Marie. It's great to be here.

I'm delighted to have you. So you've had that remarkable career in the automotive and tech industries, scaling businesses globally. What inspired you to shift toward a more purpose-driven mission with Clevercity?

Yeah, it was quite the journey. And I'd say it was, I spent about 15 years in automotive digital marketing and was really lucky to be part of a very successful team that we built a leading company in the space. We were a unicorn. We had a really strong exit and I was able to bring my career global during that time. You and I did our executive MBA together. during that time. It gave me a really great global perspective. And it also, I think maybe around the time of the MBA, I really started thinking more about my broader impact. And it also reinforced my desire to do another startup and make another big impact in the world in the future. And then in 2018, there was the COP24 summit Mm-hmm. Which some of you probably know is the big climate conference. And just before that summit, they released the now sort of famous 1.5 degrees Celsius report. And that to me was a really huge wake-up call. I had always been really passionate about the climate and about the outdoors in general. I'm always spending time in the mountains. I'm personally experiencing when we see the effects of climate change. But this report was a huge wake-up call to, I think, the whole world to say we're really close to passing the point of no return and we really have to take action now.

There was a sense of urgency.

The urgency was really serious. I think during that time you and I were in an executive coaching relationship as well, and so we had already been spending some time on values and purpose and what are the different ways that I can make an impact. And with the release of that report, I really just like dove in. I got super hungry to just learn everything there is to know about what's driving climate change. And I looked at all sorts of different areas where I could have an impact. Agriculture is a huge problem. I went really deep on vertical farming. I looked at energy production and carbon capture. carbon offset businesses and transportation, like electric vehicles, eVTOLs.

You were not lazy with those.

All sorts of stuff.

I remember. You put your mind to it, it's like, oh, there are all those opportunities.

And it was amazing. At first you say like, well, climate change is this huge, huge issue. It just seems impossible to make an impact as any one person. But then when you dig into the As you keep going deeper, you find all these little areas that, like, each area is a really significant contributor, and then each area has so many problems that need to be solved. So it was really inspiring to just see, like, the multitude of opportunities there. And I think today, 5, 6 years later, there's very successful businesses in almost all of those areas. And I think there's still enormous opportunity. So as I was evaluating all that stuff, I also was evaluating where is the right place to do this. I'm a very structured person. So I did this very detailed analysis of all the different possible cities that we could live in and analyzed where they sit on the climate tech startup rankings and that sort of thing. Eventually narrowed it down to moving to Munich, which was a city we had lived in before, but really was at the top of many rankings in terms of how many climate tech startups are there and how people actually care about the environment. So we could find some like-minded people to do really great things.

Also not too far away from the mountains.

Also, yes, that was a key, the key filter criteria actually.

Yeah, but it's important when you look at criteria for career transition that it's not just a professional side, but personal side. It's thinking about where you want to live. And then where will be the professional opportunities, of course.

Yeah, and it's so interlinked. I mean, now in our remote world, it's maybe less linked, but still the personal relationships you build with people in your local community, I think, are really crucial in deciding how you're really going to be able to make an impact in what you do for a career.

So once you had the location, how did you kind of narrow it down to One industry?

So I knew it was going to be climate, but I still had like this super broad list. So I started networking within the community here in Munich, but I was still undecided if I was going to start my own company in one of these areas, or if I would end up finding a company where I felt like I could make a really big impact. And I kind of liked the second option because I was starting in such a new space that if there was already a company that had some traction and had done some of the initial work, then I could probably make a bigger-scale impact faster. And that was what was needed at the time. And so through all that networking, I met Thomas, the founder of Clever City, and we really built a great relationship. I was really inspired by his vision to Effectively transform the way cities move and do that by reducing congestion and emissions in urban centers. I learned a lot about the space that I had no idea was the case. The biggest surprise for me was there's this stat of about 30% of traffic in any downtown core is the result of parking search. Obviously, that changes wildly city to city, but depending on where you go, it's anywhere from like 10 to 50% or so. And if you think about cars are one of the only point sources of emissions in a city. So if you think about like air quality in a city, the cars are a They are the problem. So if you can reduce traffic, then you can have a massive impact on air quality in the city. And you can also have obviously a meaningful impact on overall carbon emissions. And if 30% of traffic is parking search and there's a way to solve parking search, then we can make a really meaningful impact. So that was really what inspired me to, to join the business. And that combined with, I was also obviously trying to make sure I could make a big impact on the business. So we were talking a lot about what the company needs and how it wants to grow and how my skills that I developed over the years could benefit the business. And it just seemed like there was a ton of alignment in all of those areas. And so we decided to have me join the team.

This is great, and I think you're highlighting a very important point. It's kind of just 2 elements that you need to look at is what you're passionate about, you know, your criteria, but then also think about what are your strengths and experience that would add the most value. And here you came from the automotive industry.

Yeah.

So you know a lot about that, you know a lot about operations. We're looking for a CEO, I believe, at the Yeah, it was a COO role.

And so, you know, having built operational teams at massive scale and done that globally, and also my US experience was really helpful because one of the biggest market opportunities for CleverCity is the US. And so really understanding the US market was a key factor.

Yeah, being American too, you can talk, you can talk to the US.

I sound like I've I belong.

Yeah.

When we're on Zoom calls with clients in the US, they're always surprised to hear that I'm not sitting around the corner, but I'm actually in Munich.

Yes. Perfect. Thank you for telling this inspiring story. More and more people really want to make this type of transition, like feel purpose in their work and leverage their experience. So not to start from scratch. So I think you did exactly that. Now, looking back at the process, I guess, what are the key pieces of advice you'd like to give to those who are looking to make a similar transition?

So there were 2 parts of my kind of analysis process that I thought were really helpful as I reflected back on it. So one was this activity that actually you and I did together called the Wheel of Life.

Yes.

And it's this really awesome tool where you effectively, you lay out the things that you really care about. This is across your whole life, not just work. And then you sort of score yourself on how you're doing against where you want to be on each of those categories. And then you total up your score and then you say like, 5 years from now, where do I want to be on all these categories? And the hard part Which of course she didn't tell me until we were doing round 2. So spoiler alert. The hard part is the total needs to be the same. So you can't just manufacture double the amount of time or energy in your life. You need to say like, how am I going to reallocate my time over the next 5 years? And so that was super helpful. And then the other thing that was helpful was a little bit of what I talked about earlier where I like really After I had found one thing that I was passionate about, climate, like really going deep on that and trying to analyze like all the different ways in which I could make an impact and then start to look for opportunities in each of those areas that actually fit my skills. And at first it was really daunting because when I first read about climate, I was like, well, I'm not a climate scientist. I don't have a PhD in climate engineering or anything. And so there are a lot of kind of natural, immediate things that didn't make sense for me to focus on. But it turns out there's an enormous amount of value that almost anyone can add to a space as big as that. You just have to find the right niche.

Yes. And I would say also through that step that you described where you did the research, you started talking to people in the industry, you also developed that expertise. You became articulate in talking about those issues and maybe more knowledgeable in what you were passionate about than the average person. So you also built that experience. What do you think?

Yeah, you're right. It was a massive learning phase, right? So our customers When I was in the auto space, our customers were mostly car dealerships or car manufacturers. And today our customers at CleverCity are cities, shopping malls, and airports, and effectively anyone who has lots of parking. But those types of entities think in a very different way, and the whole way you present and the factors that they really care about are so different. I'm sure I Totally flubbed my first few city pitches because I just wasn't speaking the right language. But I think spending a lot of time at industry events and spending a lot of time with people that have been in the industry for a long time, it was helpful to just kind of like show up like a sponge and absorb as much industry jargon and understand how people really think and feel. To be able to connect with them effectively.

Yes, I think the underlying takeaway is also you took your time in order to do that process. A lot of time people want to do shifts like this too quickly, and it's difficult because you have that learning phase, as you said. So how long did it take for you to actually activate that transition?

I, I knew I was going to do a transition probably in 2017. And it was October 2019 when I joined Clever City. I think that 2018 and much of 2019 were all about like actively exploring and deciding what to do, and then mid-2019 I had agreed to join Clever City, and then we were finally able to make the—

Move.

Which happened in October. But yeah, it took some time. But also I had a 15-year career in the first industry. And so to take some months or a year to really make the right decision on the next 15 or 20 years, I think worthwhile.

Perfect segue, because I'm curious to hear about now the journey at CleverCity. You're no more the COO, I believe you're the CEO now. So tell us a little bit about how you made that successful transition because you didn't just make a transition. You're just going from strength to strength in this market.

It's been a wild ride. I've been now at CleverCity for over 5 years. And I think when I joined, we were effectively, we were looking for our product market fit. We had a really strong product, but we didn't yet know how do we best position it? You know, how do we prove the value? Like what is the value that the customer cares about? All those things needed to be figured out. So I dove in and also COVID happened and parking in COVID was not a good combination.

Quiet.

Yeah, parking was decimated, right? Nobody needed to park. Everyone was staying at home. So we had customers that literally lost 95% of their revenue overnight and also parking activity overnight. And we had cities that literally lost 100% of their revenue because they decided to make parking free for a time of lockdown. So there are all these really challenging moments that happened over, it was right after I joined the company, but it was a great way to learn about how the industry thinks and ticks. And so we really just dove in and said like, we have to solve product market fit. We have to really prove our value, figure out what our value is, prove our value, build case studies that showcase that. We had to bridge the divide. So there's the innovator's dilemma.

Oh yeah.

The chasm. But yeah, so there's this whole concept of crossing the chasm. So we were at this stage pre-chasm where we had some customers that had adopted us super early. And, you know, we had to really understand why did they care about it? What made them tick? Why did they see the value? What value were we generating? And then work with them to tell their story so that others that were on the other side of the chasm could realize that this was not just something that could add value, but something that they could trust that would be a safe decision. You're a city, you don't want to make too many risky bets. And so now, 5 years later, we've proven enormous value to cities, both in economic terms and also in climate terms and traffic terms and quality of life terms. And so we're able to really help any city to see the real ROI that they can generate on a variety of dimensions, not just financial.

I love that. My takeaway is that you focused on the product. The product had to solve the problem for the cities. You needed to be able to show numbers backing that up, case studies, and that really built the foundation for your success.

Yeah, exactly. To generalize a little bit, it's important to remember that when you're doing something purpose-driven, that people don't make decisions just because it's the right thing to do.

For the planet.

Right. If anyone's going to make a decision just because it's the right thing to do, it is a city. But even cities don't have large pools of money sitting around waiting to do the right thing. And so it was really important for us as a business to be able to demonstrate how our solution can pay for itself and how by deploying something that can pay for itself, you can realize really massive benefits that drive you in the direction of the big goals that you've identified for yourself, like carbon reduction or traffic congestion. improvement or improved safety on streets.

Thank you for that, David. Now, we love leaving our listeners with some practical tips. I think you gave a number of them along the way, but maybe if you can give a quick recap with kind of maybe the top 3 things that listeners will want to lead with more purpose in their careers. What can they do from now?

Step 1, which For me was sort of solved by this 1.5 degrees Celsius report. But step one is figure out what you're actually really passionate about. It was one thing to say like, I want more purpose, but it's another to say like, here's the thing that really drives me. And I think for a lot of people, myself included, it wasn't clear or it isn't clear exactly what that is. So I was lucky, I think, that that report came out when it did. And it was at the right moment to say, oh wow, climate is an area that I could focus. But there's so many other areas, and everyone's background and interests is going to probably lead them toward a different one, whether it's healthcare or climate or something else.

Yeah.

And then I think once you've found the area, for me it was about being really diligent and going deep on that general purpose to see, like, what are all the areas of impact that could happen, and then trying to like map those up against your skills to say, what's something that I can actually make a big difference in without having to spend 10 years and get a new PhD or something like that?

Awesome.

There's nothing wrong with that, but hey, I wanted to move faster. So, you know, you could take 10 years and get a new PhD.

Yeah, awesome. So step 1 is really answering the question of What problem in the world you really want to solve, you know, what keeps you up at night. And for you, that was that 1.5 degrees Celsius. And then the second is do the work, get support, talk to people, do your research, all of that. And it's, and it can take significant time.

I think a year is probably a reasonable time period. I found it very helpful to have your support during the time, like executive coaching support. And I also found that Wheel of Life tool to be very useful, really, I guess, at the beginning of the process to see where do I really want to invest my energy over the next 5 or 10 years.

Yeah, it was a way to build your vision with realistic data points, acknowledging that there's a constraint around time.

We did one other exercise that I found was really helpful, which was the— I think we framed it in the terms of if If I'm doing a TED Talk in 5 or 10 years, what would be the topic of the talk?

Yes. Envision that moment. And I think you've had a few opportunities and this podcast is just one of them that you've been sharing your vision as a CEO.

Yeah. It's wild how much we've been able to accomplish in the last 5 or 6 years. Yes.

David, this has been an incredibly insightful conversation and Your journey from corporate leadership to impact-driven innovation is inspiring for me, for all of us. And I know our listeners will take away valuable insights on leading with purpose. So for those who want to learn more about Clever City and the incredible work David is doing, be sure to check them out. And for more resources on leadership and transformation, visit produce-international.com. Thank you for tuning in, and until next time, here's to creating the purpose-driven leadership you truly want.

Thanks, Marie. It's been a real pleasure.

Thank you.

We hope you're feeling better equipped to create the career, the business, and the life you want. To find out more about how we support our clients in leadership, learning, and change, visit us at proteus-international.com. Have an excellent day, and thanks for listening.