Why I did the EY Masters in Sustainability program – and what I learned from it

With a predicted 66% increase in green jobs by 2030, sustainability is a prime example of the opportunity for both employees and employers to commit to lifelong learning.

When I was asked to become EY’s Global Deputy Vice Chair for Sustainability over a year ago, I knew I had the skills to do the role. My professional background is in risk management and consumer protection in banking, however. So, I also recognized that I had a knowledge gap when it came to having a detailed understanding of the sustainability space, including the well-known “alphabet soup” that is green terminology.

Fortunately, at around the same time, EY announced the launch of a Masters in Sustainability program. I saw the masters as a great opportunity for me to get smarter on the topic of sustainability while acting as a champion for the program and encouraging others to enroll.

Now, many months later, I’m thrilled to have graduated from the program, which is run in collaboration with Hult Business School. Speaking from my own experience, I know the course offers a fantastic grounding in sustainability education to people within EY services. The curriculum covers a swathe of relevant topics from ethical behavior and impact entrepreneurship through to the circular economy, sustainable finance, and the role of the low-carbon economy in addressing climate change. 

A fantastic learning experience

The EY Masters in Sustainability blends web-based learning (where you learn virtually and independently) with synchronous learning (when you work virtually, but as part of a team) and workshops that are facilitated by professors. My fellow students in the initial cohort were 18 of my EY colleagues – all talented people from across generations and dimensions of EY services, working in different locations globally, and at different stages in their careers, ranging from senior associate up to partner.

During the course, we had to step out of our EY roles, which was good learning for everyone – but especially for me. As sustainability features prominently in my day job, I had to make sure I was listening, not just telling. I was also conscious that I’m a senior leader, so I never wanted to feel that I was not playing my part in our team assignments.

I particularly loved collaborating with my fellow students on our end-of-course presentation. The presentation showcased how we could use a technology platform, EY’s convening powers, and our deeply skilled professionals to help impact entrepreneurs scale their businesses by becoming corporate-ready. I am proud of how we all worked together and how we contributed different experiences, perspectives and strengths.

Key takeaways

On a personal level, studying for the master’s degree felt like a real investment in myself. But I won’t lie – the EY Masters in Sustainability program is hard work. It took me a year and a half to complete, and I put in five to 10 hours a week (mostly at the weekends) on top of a demanding day job. It was also humbling to be graded again. But it was so worthwhile.

How did I benefit from doing the course? I’ve become a lot sharper on a broad range of key sustainability topics. In particular, I have a deeper understanding of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and how they underpin a wide range of economic, environmental and social priorities.

I also have a greater awareness of the principal issues in relation to climate change, the key terminology used to describe the global shift toward renewable energy, and the evolving role of business in sustainability.

One of my key takeaways from the course was that the stakeholder landscape is complex. Business leaders must be able to respond to a complex array of stakeholders with differing perspectives, while addressing near-term challenges such as inflation, the conflict in Ukraine, divided political environments and geopolitics. These near-term challenges greatly increase the complexity involved with addressing sustainability issues that took decades to cause and will take decades to address.

Also, I discovered that while a focus on ESG may be controversial in some markets, a focus on capturing economic growth by leading the transition is not controversial. We can already see progress in the rapidly expanding market for electric vehicles, the shift away from plastic packaging, and the move toward products designed from conception to reduce waste.

The value of lifelong learning

As a result of the course, I realized that we must all commit to continuous learning to acquire the skills needed to tackle the sustainability challenges we face. Innovation is happening fast. If we allow ourselves to become complacent, we will fall behind the curve and we will not be well positioned to be a part of the solution.

This message also came over very clearly in recent research published by the EY organization and JA Worldwide, How can we empower the next generations to build a more sustainable future? The research highlights that Gen Z and Gen Alpha are better educated on sustainability and environmental issues than any generation before them, yet they still yearn for more learning and volunteering opportunities, through their employers and academic institutions. 

Technology is transforming how we learn and is a powerful enabler of lifelong learning. It allows us to take advantage of opportunities to pursue high-quality education, in our own time and at our own pace.

I feel very proud to work for an organization that is committed to helping its people reskill and upskill and acquire the knowledge and experience that will enable them to futureproof their careers. Congratulations to my fellow cohort members for being pioneers in our new program. I hope that if we all share our own experiences of doing the EY Masters in Sustainability, we will inspire others to keep learning.   

Find out more about EY Masters in Sustainability here.

The views reflected in this article are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms.