From Corporate Strategy to Sustainable Consulting: A journey of passion!

I was filled with excitement and joy as I got the notification of getting enrolled in this course, Sustainable Investing Consulting Project. As I walked towards my first class, I introspected into my life and how that journey led me into this classroom. I am a numbers girl, I studied finance in my undergrad and went on to work in Pakistan’s largest FMCG as a corporate finance and strategy professional. While I enjoyed my career in finance, a big part of me longed to use my skills to create impact in lives of my own people. I inherited this longing from my father, a retired doctor, whose vision is to create a circular agriculture eco-system to serve the environment and locals. He introduced me to what we call Sustainable investing, and we got together to invest his retirement fund in our ancestorial village into sustainable farming techniques; use of solar panels for energy generation, recycling animal waste for fertilization and most importantly, poverty alleviation by providing livelihood to locals. My Dad’s vision, coupled with my passion to create change led me to SIPA and naturally got me interested into this course.

As I scrolled through the client list, it almost felt like a sign from the Universe when I noticed a Venture Capital that invests in Climate Tech driven by circular and regenerative principles in the consumer industry. It almost felt like this project was crafted for me. And the best part was, as I met my team, I realized how all of us were different pieces of a puzzle, that had come together for this project. I have perhaps never worked in a more diverse team, where we have a politician, an engineer, a VC enthusiast, and a corporate finance professional. Each of us brings a unique perspective to this project, given our varied experiences. During the last one month, we took time to understand the scope and the audience of our deliverables. Prior to our first client call, we were faced with some ambiguity, but as we discussed our questions with the client every week, we got a good grasp of what is expected out of us. 

And ever since then, we have delved into in-depth research into the Consumer industry and its scope 3 emissions. Our goal is to develop a business case for leaders in the consumer industry to approach mitigation of Scope 3 with an innovative strategy called “Insetting Consumer ClimateTech” as compared to the traditional offsetting approaches. This strategy is distinctive as it calls for technical interventions addressing emissions within the value chain of consumer industry businesses. So, in a crux, world’s largest industries should create change as part of their strategy, while strengthening core business. Our research will highlight how consumer ClimateTech presents an exceptional opportunity to transfer offsetting expenditure towards internal value chain investment. What excites me the most about this project is our opportunity to connect with some of the most innovative startups in this space, that are creating new solutions based on circular and regenerative principles for a greener tomorrow. I am eager to take back some of these learnings to my own circular agriculture eco-system and impact my local community.

Apart from our classroom discussions, I believe the two-day consulting workshop organized by SIRI, provided a great learning platform. Our trainers included a SIPA Alum and ex-McKinsey Consultant and another Associate at McKinsey, who introduced us to the tips and tricks of effective consulting. The workshop covered several crucial aspects of teamwork and client management. My greatest learning experience was a roleplay, where we were supposed to convince the VP of Strategy of our team’s competence and sign the project deal. With little background on the project and a newly formed, we had to be innovative and collaborate to win the project. It was an iterative process, where we failed the first time because we focused on what we did not know. On our second try, Professor suggested us to focus on being human rather than on being right. And to our utter surprise, starting the conversation on a humble note, changed the outcome despite us still lacking research on the topic. It was the highlight of my experience during the two-day workshop; it taught me that one should focus on our strengths rather than weaknesses and on any given day, a few nice words work like magic! 

As we move forward our NorthStar will be client satisfaction, but one motto that will lead me through this exciting journey will be, “Don’t forget to have some fun, learn new things and unlearn a few other!”