Having experimented with all kinds of roles throughout a number of sectors, Rachel Madan, director of sustainability and influence at Luminous, loves her present gig consulting along with her purpose-driven purchasers.
Beforehand, she developed and led world company sustainability methods on the Worldwide Finance Company, created her personal social enterprise referred to as Greener Museums, suggested the likes of the Tate and Manchester’s Museum of Science and Business on sustainability and consulted for such organizations because the World Financial institution Group and the College of Rochester.
This variety of experiences formulates Madan’s distinctive promoting proposition, which she believes is essential for any firm and job seeker working in company sustainability. I not too long ago linked with Madan to be taught extra about her profession journey to this point.
Shannon Houde: Inform us just a little bit about what you do day-to-day.
Rachel Madan: Whereas Luminous is a strategic communications company primarily based in London, we additionally work with corporations within the U.S. and Europe. We assist companies to encourage others with who they’re, what they do and why it issues. And we now have totally different consulting affords that assist with that, and the one which I lead is sustainability and influence. Our mission is to assist good corporations be nice at sustainability.
I used to be recruited to create the operate and lead the workforce so it’s like I handle a startup in a means. Once I first began, the workforce was simply me, however now I’ve three individuals reporting to me and I am about to rent a fourth. And so, I do a little bit of all the things: enterprise improvement and advertising, mentoring and managing my workforce, working straight with purchasers, researching and creating new choices. And since we do sustainability, communications and technique, I do all of that, too. So, all the things from materiality assessments to serving to an organization develop their first sustainability technique or replace one, or create partaking communications that then inform their sustainability story.
Houde: I feel that is typically what lures individuals into consulting, the truth that it’s fairly various and multifaceted and that retains us challenged and motivated. So, inform us what you’re keen on probably the most about your work?
Madan: I like that it is totally different each day, and quick paced. I feel it is essential to attempt a lot of totally different roles in a lot of totally different sectors in your profession. I have been in lots of totally different ones. And I feel that, for me, consulting in comparison with being in a big firm as an inner particular person contributor, right here I haven’t got to attend for issues to occur. I bear in mind working at an establishment the place issues moved so slowly. I additionally love build up and mentoring my workforce and dealing with individuals throughout the enterprise. And I feel, whereas it isn’t for everyone, I actually like the scale of the corporate that I am at, which is about 65 individuals. There are sufficient individuals that you’ve some assist, but it surely’s not so many that you just get misplaced. I additionally actually love working with purchasers which are up for change and are occupied with what sustainability is.
Houde: And inform us just a little bit about what it is like working within the sustainability consulting sector the place the large 4 companies try to rent these large groups and be “within the recreation.” What do you consider this sort of surge that we’re seeing?
Madan: I am actually joyful to see the demand. I feel the demand for expertise is a response to demand for assist from corporations, which I feel is just a very good factor. When it comes to how we place ourselves in another way from the Large 4, I feel they’re doing one thing totally different to what we’re doing. We’re small and bespoke, and that’s one thing that we are able to provide to our purchasers. I am the director of my workforce, and I work with most of my purchasers. In the event that they go and work with a KPMG, a PWC or Deloitte, that is not occurring. With us, it isn’t simply the identical presentation however with a distinct consumer title on the deck. That’s one thing that in a aggressive market additionally applies for positioning your self when it comes to careers, i.e., it is actually essential to have the ability to clearly articulate your personal added worth and what differentiates you from everybody else.
One of many stuff you want to have the ability to do in a consulting atmosphere is discuss to lots of totally different stakeholders about lots of totally different points.
Houde: What ESG points are most corporations involved about?
Madan: For corporations that I am working with, local weather change is high of thoughts. We’re working with lots of corporations which are making an attempt to fulfill their regulatory necessities, notably round monetary reporting, so we’re seeing lots of corporations who’re making an attempt to return to grips with their Process Pressure on Local weather-related Monetary Disclosures (TCFD) reporting necessities.
Having these reporting frameworks legally required is definitely essential. For instance, there’s a brand new U.Ok. reporting requirement round variety at board and senior ranges. For a very long time, corporations had been capable of offer you this mealy-mouthed response of how there’s not sufficient individuals within the pipeline. And now they really must report on these numbers, after which clarify why their numbers are possibly inferior to we might assume they’re, that they need to be.
Houde: In addition to local weather too, what are you seeing when it comes to that “S” in ESG?
Madan: I am unsure that there is a consistency in strategy there. I feel that the problem is available in measurement. For environmental points, we now have goal information that tells us what’s materials and what is not. The problem with social influence is that we now have some issues which are straightforward to measure — for instance, variety metrics — but it surely does not essentially inform us what the influence of that’s. Or, for instance, how can we measure an inclusive enterprise? It’s an space ripe for analysis and development.
Houde: For others seeking to get into consulting or ESG extra usually, are there any certifications that you just see as important to a newcomer?
Madan: The problem and the chance of sustainability is that it is such a broad subject. I feel that the query round certification depends upon during which route you may wish to take your profession.
I am unsure that the talents we search as professionals are essentially on a school syllabus, so I will let you know what I am searching for proper now within the roles that I am hiring for. I’m searching for individuals who have GRI (World Reporting Initiative) expertise. You are able to do a certification on this; there are a selection of organizations together with GRI itself that run them. There’s additionally the Accountable Investing credential that is run via the CFA within the U.Ok. So, I really feel like these are useful. I feel in case you had been eager to focus extra on GHG emissions accounting, I might search for certifications and programs that can assist you get these abilities.
Houde: Lastly, any recommendation for making that leap from being a person contributor inside a much bigger firm right into a consulting firm?
Madan: One of many stuff you want to have the ability to do in a consulting atmosphere is discuss to lots of totally different stakeholders about lots of totally different points. You want to have the ability to analysis rapidly, perceive your viewers and assume forward of them. And, in fact, you will have to have the ability to give recommendation. It’s a must to actually know your stuff as a topic professional and become familiar in a short time with the totally different challenges that totally different sectors could be going through. That’s one of many issues that I like about it as a result of I get to be taught a ton about totally different corporations. I’m virtually at all times shocked about how related the challenges are throughout totally different sectors. After which each from time to time, you come throughout one thing and also you’re like, “Wow, I’ve by no means heard of that earlier than. Let’s dive in and determine this out.”
Shannon Houde is an ICF licensed profession and management coach who based Stroll of Life Teaching in 2009. Her life’s objective is to allow change leaders to show their ardour into motion and to reside into their potential — creating scalable social and environmental influence globally. To observe extra tales like these, be part of Shannon for Espresso & Join the place she interviews sustainability practitioners each month to be taught extra about what their “day within the life” entails.
