Chief Sustainability Officer

Name: Carmen Sprus
Age: 33 
Degree: MA in Management & Economics, UZH & Fudan, BA in VWL UZH
Profession: Sustainability Solution Lead EMEIA
Employer: Ernst & Young

Describe your job in one sentence.

I advise EY's largest clients on strategic sustainability issues at EMEIA level.

What are the three main tasks in your job?

Developing sustainability solutions, meeting (potential) customers, leading teams.

What do you think is the best / most exciting thing about this job?

In my day-to-day work, I act as if I were self-employed, but with the opportunities of a large corporation. I enjoy the responsibility and the creative freedom that makes my work very varied.

What is the biggest challenge in this job?

Setting boundaries and saying no - especially when it comes to exciting new tasks.

What does it take to enter this profession or to be successful in it?

Internships in consulting and working as a student trainee, economic studies or basic economic knowledge, proactivity, customer-orientated thinking, not afraid of new and challenging tasks.

What promotion/further development opportunities are there?

Over time, it helps if you specialise in a sector and/or subject area in order to advance. But overall, the great thing about consulting is that you can always progress as long as you continue to develop personally and professionally and enjoy your work.

What would you have liked to have known about this profession as a graduate?

That the culture of a company is more important than the specialisation or the actual tasks. With the right corporate culture, a graduate can also develop within a company in the area that suits him/her.

What advice do you have for students who are interested in this job?

Gain professional experience at an early stage through working student positions or internships, social commitment in which you manage and initiate projects yourself, and familiarise yourself with the different corporate cultures within the consulting industry at an early stage.

In terms of your career, is there anything you would do differently looking back? Why?

I had always ruled out counselling, even though the career field suited my personality and my needs very well. An internship would probably have revealed this early on. My interest in business administration topics was not very strong during my studies, so I decided to study economics in the Bachelor's program and Management & Economics in the Master's program. However, the degree program and the topics are very far removed from what you do professionally. Over time, I realised that although the economics subjects fascinate me personally, the career opportunities are less suited to me.

Is there anything else you would like to pass on to current students?

Use the time during your studies to familiarise yourself with as many industries and professional fields as possible.

As of March 2024