Sofie, tell us about what you do today!
I'm working with sustainability data and encourage companies to measure data that really matter - helping them understand that ESG data is as important for the business as financial data. SustainLab, where I work, is a full-service sustainability solutions provider, and we offer a SaaS platform that supports data collection, calculations, compliance, and, of course, also generates insights on how businesses can take action for more sustainable operations. It's an exciting field to be in and the market is undergoing a fundamental shift at the moment, where it's becoming more and more important for companies to integrate sustainability issues into their overall business strategy. This shift has not least been pushed forward by the EU and legislations such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which came into effect in January of this year.
Having the experience from LUSEM gives me credibility and access to top management at my clients.
What has been most important in getting you to where you are now?
My eagerness to learn and continuously develop my skill set! It's obvious how much has already happened since I graduated in 2019, and companies are now struggling with things that we didn't even know existed when I was in my master’s. For example, the AI revolution has been leapfrogging in recent years, and the sustainability crisis has become worse faster than expected. Things like this require that we continue to learn and develop new skills regularly. In my case, I recently added a few academic courses related to sustainability, which has given me new tools to add to my business background from LUSEM, which has been invaluable to navigating the field I'm in now.
How did LUSEM prepare you for your working life?
I always introduce myself to new clients as having "one leg in business strategy and one leg in sustainability", trying hard to integrate those two perspectives to one another as that's when I believe real change can actually happen. Having the experience from LUSEM gives me credibility and access to top management at my clients, where I'm confident to speak their language and understand the business challenges they face. Without the strategic perspective, I think I would have a hard time translating all the sustainability frameworks into something that can actually be used as a competitive advantage for my clients.
What do you do in your free time?
I'm personally very engaged in sustainability and sometimes have a hard time finding the balance between what is work and what is not, but I'd say it's a blast to be working on something that feels so meaningful as this does for me. I'm reading a lot, as well as meeting inspiring people who share the mission to make the world a better place - which is also where I find my energy to continue. However, like everyone, I also need to rest sometimes, and that I preferably do with friends and family somewhere outside in nature.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
"You never know the value of your network until you need it". I have many times experienced how important it is to have a great network and I've been supported by many great people throughout my career.
The advice I would give is always to be kind to people around, as you never know who will be your next colleague, manager, ambassador, or even client.
Sometimes, it's been a former classmate, sometimes a teacher, and sometimes some "random" person I met at an event somewhere - and of course, I support others the other way around. The advice I would give is always to be kind to people around, as you never know who will be your next colleague, manager, ambassador, or even client. The network one can get from places like LUSEM is an amazing resource and I encourage everyone to think about it that way.
Tell us about your expectations for the future.
All the tings happening now, that transform business to take more responsibility for their actions, are really exciting and I can't wait until we can acctually evaluate businesses on sustainability performance in the same way as we today evaluate them financially. I'm very happy to be part of this transition!