Last November, the AGSM Social Impact Club put together a presentation dedicated to Careers in Sustainability, with the participation of three panel guest speakers who shared their views and experiences from this field: Lisa Tarry from Turning Green Career Consultancy, Anya Solovieva from ICAP and Ben Waters from Sungevity Australia.

Although pursuing a career focused on sustainability or green initiatives can be challenging depending on our location in the global map, this field is no longer limited to governments, multinational agencies or NGO’s. Sustainability extends through every industry today and will remain a topic at the front of organisational thought in the near future.

For MBA students, it is important to understand how consumers are now more informed
about their products and brands. Consumers are now even more alert to considering the
extent of manufacturers’ practices and the responsibility shown by these organisations
to the environment, community and society as a whole.

Companies understand this consumer behaviour and have adapted their practices to
become better citizens of the world, with GE, Johnson & Johnson and 3M just to name
a few. Even financial institutions such as HSBC are using World Bank guidelines to ensure
that their clients are socially and environmentally responsible.

If you are reading this article and are considering a career in this field, here are some tips that our guest speakers shared with us about how to do it:

1. Think ahead into the future and do not limit your reasoning to the status quo.

2. Network, network and network. Do not underestimate the power of networking inside and outside of your organisation. Tell the world that you are interested in
this field.

3. Persevere, go for it with a passion.

- Jose Ignacio Miranda