But rather than dwell on what the company is doing to be more sustainable, she’d rather talk about what often gets lost in the conversation about technology – which is the positive societal and environmental impact it can have. For instance, businesses that implement telepresence not only reduce emissions by cutting back on travel, they save money and boost their employees’ work/life balance. “There’s a huge societal impact,” notes Shiroishi. Like telepresence, many technological advances come with secondary—but not insignificant—sustainability benefits. “Products and services empower people to live better lives bringing them more opportunity, all while using fewer resources,” Shiroishi explains. She looks for the layer behind the layer.

In a way, Shiroishi, who graduated from college with plans to teach public school, has come full circle to that original plan with this current position. Much of what she does is attempt to inspire, innovate and educate — just without the books and midterms. There’s the tactical message she needs to get across to employees at AT&T, as well as the external message to consumers and stakeholders. Like a teacher, Shiroishi asks those around her to look for meaning and benefit behind or beyond the initial benefit. “It’s about painting the bigger picture,” she says.

Innovation leads to culture change and how society changes affects how a company operates — from what it sells to what its workforce expects, explains Shiroishi, adding: “As society changes, we have to change as a company or we become obsolete.”