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 shoppers. 

Beforehand, she developed and led international 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 just lately linked with Madan to study extra about her profession journey thus far. 

Shannon Houde: Inform us somewhat 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 completely different consulting presents 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 perform and lead the staff so it’s like I handle a startup in a approach. Once I first began, the staff 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 the whole lot: enterprise growth and advertising, mentoring and managing my staff, working straight with shoppers, researching and creating new choices. And since we do sustainability, communications and technique, I do all of that, too. So, the whole lot 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 numerous and multifaceted and that retains us challenged and motivated. So, inform us what you’re keen on essentially the most about your work? 

Madan: I like that it is completely different each day, and quick paced. I feel it is essential to strive a lot of completely different roles in a lot of completely different sectors in your profession. I have been in a whole lot of completely different ones. And I feel that, for me, consulting in comparison with being in a big firm as an inside particular person contributor, right here I haven’t got to attend for issues to occur. I keep in mind working at an establishment the place issues moved so slowly. I additionally love build up and mentoring my staff 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 shoppers which are up for change and are occupied with what sustainability is. 

Houde: And inform us somewhat 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 sport.” What do you concentrate on this sort of surge that we’re seeing?

Madan: I am actually glad to see the demand. I feel the demand for expertise is a response to demand for assist from corporations, which I feel is barely a great factor. By way of how we place ourselves in a different way from the Large 4, I feel they’re doing one thing completely different to what we’re doing. We’re small and bespoke, and that’s one thing that we are able to supply to our shoppers. I am the director of my staff, and I work with most of my shoppers. In the event that they go and work with a KPMG, a PWC or Deloitte, that is not taking place. With us, it isn’t simply the identical presentation however with a special 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 individual 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 speak to a whole lot of completely different stakeholders about a whole lot of completely different points.

Houde: What ESG points are most corporations involved about? 

Madan: For corporations that I am working with, local weather change is prime of thoughts. We’re working with a whole lot of corporations which are attempting to satisfy their regulatory necessities, significantly round monetary reporting, so we’re seeing a whole lot of corporations who’re attempting to come back to grips with their Activity Power on Local weather-related Monetary Disclosures (TCFD) reporting necessities. 

Having these reporting frameworks legally required is definitely crucial. For instance, there’s a brand new U.Okay. reporting requirement round variety at board and senior ranges. For a very long time, corporations had been capable of provide you with this mealy-mouthed response of how there’s not sufficient individuals within the pipeline. And now they really need to report on these numbers, after which clarify why their numbers are perhaps inferior to we’d 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 knowledge that tells us what’s materials and what is not. The problem with social influence is that we now have some issues which are simple to measure — for instance, variety metrics — but it surely does not essentially inform us what the influence of that’s. Or, for instance, how will we measure an inclusive enterprise? It’s an space ripe for analysis and development. 

Houde: For others trying 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 area. I feel that the query round certification is determined by wherein course you may need 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 (International 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 by the CFA within the U.Okay. So, I really feel like these are useful. I feel if you happen to had been eager to focus extra on GHG emissions accounting, I’d search for certifications and programs that will help you get these expertise. 

Houde: Lastly, any recommendation for making that leap from being a person contributor inside an even 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 speak to a whole lot of completely different stakeholders about a whole lot of completely different points. You want to have the ability to analysis shortly, perceive your viewers and assume forward of them. And, after all, you’ve gotten to have the ability to give recommendation. It’s important to actually know your stuff as an issue professional and become familiar in a short time with the completely different challenges that completely different sectors may be dealing with. That’s one of many issues that I like about it as a result of I get to study a ton about completely different corporations. I’m nearly all the time stunned about how comparable the challenges are throughout completely different sectors. After which each infrequently, 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 function is to allow change leaders to show their ardour into motion and to dwell into their potential — creating scalable social and environmental influence globally. To observe extra tales like these, be a part of Shannon for Espresso & Join the place she interviews sustainability practitioners each month to study extra about what their “day within the life” includes.