Archivi: Talent

Tell me a bit about your background. 

Suhas Pala: I’m originally from India, born and raised in Hyderabad. I moved to Germany about six years ago for my master’s degree in advanced manufacturing with a specialization in sustainability management and LCA.  

I did my thesis and internship in the same field at a sustainability consultancy in Berlin. After that, I joined Quantis.

What drew you to a career in sustainability?

SP: What drew me to sustainability is, to some extent, my own personality. I always try to reuse, reduce and recycle. That’s how I’ve been since I was a child.

​What also drew me in is how sustainability relates to manufacturing and all industries. In mechanical engineering, we often design and produce things without knowing what will happen next — how products will be maintained or if they will or can be reused or recycled. While studying sustainability during my master’s, I realized that this is an important part of the cycle that we’re missing. I felt this was a good opportunity for me to align with my personal interests and provide value to businesses.​

I think Quantis is doing an amazing job here, engaging with big industry players across sectors and trying to have the greatest impact possible. It’s very much aligned with my values. I love it here.

I like my colleagues’ spirits too. We have a colleague here in Berlin who is very passionate about yoga, and she offers yoga classes twice a week after work. Having yoga at work after a long Monday is quite relieving and refreshing.

What are some things companies can do to facilitate the transformation of their businesses?

SP: Keep track of what you’re doing — if you don’t measure, you won’t be able to know how to address your impacts and dependencies. Track, measure, set ambitious goals and work with nature and not against it.  

Beyond identifying and understanding their environmental hotspots, companies need to take ambitious action towards lowering their footprint. There are creative solutions that can serve as a win-win for both nature and business (e.g., using recycled materials to lower production costs or placing organic goods at a premium price.) 

What has been your favorite project to date? 

SP: I was recently part of a project where we worked closely with the client to develop a methodology for a Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) compliant tool that calculates the environmental impact for the whole product portfolio at scale. We had to visit factories to collect primary data to model emission factors for some products and activities which was quite fun. This enables the client, who manufactures a huge number of products, to identify their hotpots and take action to lower their footprint. 

What are some things you’ve learned in your role as a sustainability consultant?

SP: I’ve learned how to make decisions and act quickly, as someone who used to get stuck in “analysis paralysis.” Sometimes perfection is the enemy. I’ve tried to overcome that and I’m currently on that journey. Quantis has helped me to develop these skills.  

I’ve also acquired a lot of technical skills here. I had some basics beforehand, through my academic knowledge and background. At Quantis, I learned how all this connects to the business. It’s a great learning curve. 

What advice would you give someone applying to Quantis? 

SP: You don’t have to have all the answers today. 

Initially, I was a bit overwhelmed being surrounded by all these experts. No matter how much you learn, you still keep learning and adapting. At some point, you have to realize that you can’t know everything — and you have to be okay with not knowing everything. Have confidence in yourself. Tackle one problem at a time.  

Any parting words?

SP: I previously worked in India for another consulting firm and it was very hierarchical there. At Quantis it’s relatively flat. While we have  a role architecture to allow for career progression, we still work with a collaborative culure. You’re valued and respected — and treated as an equal even as a junior. You can approach more senior consultants as your equals rather than feeling the need to artificially prove yourself to them.  

We also have offices across Europe, and I really like how open it is. If you’re visiting the city, you can just pop into the office and work from there. People in other offices are always welcoming and friendly. It’s the spirit at Quantis. So far, I’ve only seen the Berlin and Zurich offices, but I plan on visiting more of them so I can meet more Quantisians.

Tell me a bit about your background. 

Charlie Teisseire: I’m Charlie and I’m the Office Manager and Operations Coordinator for the German branch at Quantis. I’ve been with the company now for two and half years, and I’ve been acting as the Operations Coordinator for 18 months. 

I’m French and German, but I’ve mainly lived in foreign countries. I grew up in Turkey when I was young and then lived in the US for 10 years and then studied in Canada. I’ve been living in Germany, in Berlin, for about 7 years now. 

How did you find Quantis? 

CT: I found Quantis through online searches. I was looking for different office manager and executive assistant types of jobs. At first Quantis wasn’t my first choice, but throughout the interview process, I really appreciated the kind of conversations I was having; they were very honest and pragmatic, but also heartfelt and explorative. I felt like we were co-constructing my role at the company, it was a refreshingly collaborative experience. By the third interview, Quantis was my first choice. 

What does your average day look like? 

CT: I have multiple roles, and so as an office manager I do administrative tasks, event planning and coordination and act as a host for our branch.  

My role as an Operations Coordinator is something completely different. It depends on what’s going on at the time and no day is alike, which I really appreciate. On the Operations team, we focus on staffing projects, optimizing workloads, and reporting on how the business is running. Once we sell a project, we match them to right Quantisian based on expertise and interest, sometimes it feels like playing Tetris. Consultants learn a lot through the projects they work on, and so the right staffing opportunities help them reach their career goals. The business insights portion of operations focuses more on how efficiently our projects are running- this touches on resourcing, but also the tools and the knowledge that we have at hand.

As we’re a small branch, I’m still able to have regular 1:1 with our consultants, where we check in on how things are running. I’m now finding that the informal social interactions we have during these meetings are almost as important. We offer each other support and advice, and these qualitative exchanges are a welcome change from the numbers and spreadsheets I am usually focused on.  

If you had to give your younger self either professional or personal advice, what would it be and why? 

CT: That’s a big question. If I had advice to give to myself, it would be to be more confident in my career development. It’s something that took me awhile to recognize, before coming to Quantis. I’m very dedicated and loyal, but at the same time I’m hungry for new responsibilities and need to be stimulated with new challenges.  

Previously, I sometimes wasn’t given that extra challenge and found myself coasting. I’d tell myself to be more recognizing of the value of my time. I’ve found myself searching for ways to evolve at companies that wouldn’t allow me to.  

That’s a good segue to Quantis because I found quite the opposite here, so much so that it was almost a bit destabilizing. Within six months of working at Quantis, my Line Managers were encouraging me to contribute more and grow within the branch, after many conversations, I eventually landed the operations role. It was encouraging and something I continue to appreciate at Quantis. There was no time to coast. 

In your own words, what do you think defines the Quantis Spirit? 

CT: I think there’s a general overarching benevolence, likely because we work in sustainability. This brings a certain optimism and drive to make a positive impact, and although it may sound cliché, is truly part of Quantis’s ethos. When you look at our manifesto and the company’s mission, you’ll see that. 

Collaboration is one of our pillars: generally, we’re good at finding our common goals or obstacles and pooling our expertise and know-how to address them. At the Berlin branch, we’ve been faced with ups and downs in the past years but there’s a sense of resiliency and growth that comes from the change, which is something I appreciate.

I find that Quantisians are passionate and curious, both at and outside of work.

What makes you passionate? 

CT: The people around me. I appreciate the instant reward of knowing that the people around me are doing well and feel empowered. I’ve leaned into the human aspects of my job, making sure everyone has what they need and feel they have the right outlets to communicate. This also means recognizing when things are difficult and having honest, solutions-oriented conversations.  

Tell me a bit about your background. 

Vaiva Vazgileviciute: I spent my whole life in Lithuania until I finished school and decided to study in the UK. I studied aerospace and aerothermal engineering at Cambridge University. After completing my studies, I switched fields. 

I worked at a sustainability consultancy in London for a few years and spent a total of nine years living in the UK. I then moved to Berlin, working briefly on an in-house sustainability team, before joining Quantis. I’ve been here for five years now.

What moment made you want to switch to a career in sustainability? 

VV: I initially studied aerospace and aerothermal engineering because I wanted to be an astronaut. When I was 9, I told my mom I would study at Cambridge, and when I was 13, I told her I would be an astronaut. When I was 16, I said I would learn Spanish. I ended up studying aerospace engineering at Cambridge and took Spanish in the language department. 

In my fourth year, during my master’s project on making aircraft “greener” – reducing fuel burn and emissions – I realized the importance of sustainability work. It clicked that sustainable transformation was critical and I decided to go in that direction. I joined a sustainability consultancy in London and continued from there. 

What do you do at Quantis, and how does your team contribute to sustainable business transformation? 

VV: At Quantis, I’m a Senior Sustainability Expert. I work on a range of topics and have been in this field for 10 years. Over those years, I’ve worked in various sectors and types of sustainability work.  

Currently, I focus on corporate carbon footprints, product footprints, setting science-based targets, helping companies with supply chain strategies and creating reduction roadmaps. I work across different sectors, but recently mostly in food and beverage, fashion, and metals and mining. I’m also a member of our climate community of expertise, guiding the Quantis team on scientific issues and methodologies. 

What makes your day at work, and what’s your favorite part about working at Quantis? 

VV: One key thing is that the people at Quantis really believe in the cause. It’s not just another job, and our people genuinely believe in the importance of our work. This shows through everything from our science-based approach to the clever and curious people here.  

I appreciate the mix of projects that leverage my expertise in different ways, from those that are comfortably within my skill set to those that push me to grow. My interactions with colleagues and collective belief in our mission are very fulfilling. 

What is your favorite memory at Quantis? 

VV: I’d say the interactions at our global retreats. Since I’ve been at Quantis for five years, I’ve been to two global retreats. It’s great to see everyone and share the passion for sustainable transformation. One thing about Quantis is that we don’t do greenwashing. We genuinely aim to do things properly, based on the current science.

What opportunities at Quantis do you think have boosted your career growth?

VV: At Quantis, with the variety of projects, you have to constantly learn because no project is the same. Learning is what makes me thrive. Going deep into topics and becoming an expert is rewarding. Working across different sectors and areas of sustainability means I’m always learning. 

Any parting words? 

VV: Being at a company like Quantis, where everyone is passionate about sustainability, can feel like a bubble. You start to think that everyone is as passionate as we are, but then you go out into the world and realize that’s not the case. Some people don’t see the urgency and importance of sustainability, and there’s a lot of work to be done. I hope our passion translates to a broader reach, because we don’t have much time to lose.

Tell us a bit about your background and career path.

Rebekah Lees: I’ve had a bit of an unorthodox career path, which certainly didn’t start off in sustainability. After studying for a degree in French and business, and a year working in an oil refinery in northern France, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my career and my life. I joined one of the “Big Four” management consultancies, figuring that it would expose me to lots of different types of companies, industries and roles, and then eventually I’d be able to work out what I wanted to do.

At this point, sustainability wasn’t on my mind; it was such a small niche area of my firm’s business. Instead, I was restructuring banks through change management and organizational design. I did that for about six or seven years, and it ultimately helped me realize that I wanted to do something that interested me more!.

I’ve always had an affinity for language and words. I switched career paths at that point and found myself in the somewhat more glamorous world of PR. I managed to persuade a global communications and PR agency in London to give me a job, even though I had zero PR experience. The agency worked on a lot of global sustainability-related campaigns, including the launch of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

While working there, I stumbled into sustainability. It was actually a happy accident; I ended up stepping into the lead role on a project at the last minute. It was a campaign by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to raise awareness of the circular economy through the launch of a circular plastics initiative. From there, I was hooked and continued to seek out sustainability-related projects. I spent the next seven years working on big, creative sustainability communications campaigns, raising awareness for all sorts of sustainability-related issues, from renewable energy to green impact investing.

How did you hear about Quantis?

RL: After seven years at the agency, I wanted to find a job where I could solely work on sustainability-related topics and get more under the skin of some of the issues. That’s essentially what led me to Quantis.

I made the move from London to Switzerland. I took six months off, and I went skiing for a season. Something clicked for me when I read the job description at Quantis. I thought it described my experience and what I wanted to do perfectly, and here I am. That was just over two years ago.

What’s your favorite thing about working at Quantis?

RL: The people. It is such a cliché, but in this case it’s true and is something that’s really important to me. You spend a large part of your life working, so I find the dynamic with your colleagues and the people that you’re surrounded by on a daily basis to be so important. Quantisians (as we’re affectionately known) have a genuine passion for sustainability and a depth of knowledge that’s so inspiring. There’s also the propensity for kindness that you don’t always get in organizations. It’s something I absolutely value about Quantis.

On the work side of things, I appreciate the opportunity to work on genuinely transformative work. One of the first projects I started working on at Quantis — and have been working on ever since — is the EcoBeautyScore. It’s an industry-transforming initiative aimed at communicating the environmental impact of everyday products to consumers. Through a label displayed on cosmetics and personal care products, we aim to help consumers understand a product’s environmental impact and make conscious purchasing decisions. For example, when they’re choosing between two shampoos, and one scores an A whereas the other scores a B, they’re hopefully going to choose the less impactful one. It’s really exciting, the idea that whenever these labels appear on a product, I know I’ve played a small part in bringing it to a huge industry and to consumers globally.

What role do communications and engagement play in sustainable business transformation? Why do you think it’s often not prioritized the way it should be?

RL: It plays a critical role in sustainable business transformation. At the end of the day, businesses are made up of people, and it’s these people who need to understand the change that’s required and what their role is in making that happen. Without that understanding, nothing will happen and nothing will change. So, I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that sustainable business transformation simply wouldn’t happen without communications.

But communication isn’t always done in the right way. We can’t simply tell people what is happening, because that doesn’t necessarily change behaviors. We need to draw on people’s imaginations, so storytelling is hugely important. In order to take the steps necessary to tackle the climate crisis, we need to be able to tell stories of a future that people can imagine themselves living in. We need to be telling stories that really motivate people, rather than scaremongering.

Outside of the office, what are your passions?

RL: I live in the mountains here in Switzerland, so skiing is a big part of my winter life, both alpine and ski touring. In the summer, I love cycling, both road biking and mountain biking.

On the less active side, I suppose I could call it one of my “sustainability sins,” I’d have to say my shopping habit. However, this has become more sustainable. I now like to source great second-hand finds — there are so many stores now that have brilliant second-hand clothes or furniture. For me, that’s also a bit of a hobby — scouting for second-hand gems and selling my own items that I no longer wear or use. I’m trying to embody the circular economy (laughs).

What’s a fun fact that nobody knows about you?

RL: I have a mild obsession with the National Geographic documentary, “Air Crash Investigation.” I just find planes fascinating, and I enjoy the forensic process that the show goes through unpicking a historical aviation incident, exploring what went wrong, why and how it can be avoided in the future. I’ve watched almost every episode, so much so, I probably now have an encyclopedic knowledge of what can go wrong in an airplane!

Often, the documentary will reveal that the root cause of a plane crash in some part can be attributed to a breakdown in communication. The show highlights the importance of effective communication and this really resonates — not just in terms of preventing aviation disasters (!) but as a key piece to the puzzle of helping to mitigate environmental catastrophe as well.

What was your dream job growing up, and why? Are there any links to what you do now?

Alice Geronzi: My father’s an architect and he has a background in drawing and coloring technical drawings. He did that for a long time before becoming an architect. Our house and his office are still covered with drawings and art materials. He loved to take me to his office and let me play with stencils and watercolors, so I always wanted to be an architect.

I remember being a kid and sketching houses as he would, and he taught me how to make technical drawings of doors and windows.

I think there is a lot of overlap with my role at Quantis. Marketers don’t necessarily have a graphic design background, so I think that was something that helped me earn my role here. When you have a nice presentation, you’re halfway there in order to convince a client.

At Quantis, I work on our visual identity. Our Global Marketing Operations Lead Thibault Compagnon is the main point of reference, but I also give input on presentations, social media posts and webpages. I also sometimes view my role as being the brand police.

What drew you to sustainability, and how did you find Quantis?

AG: Honestly, Quantis was what drew me to sustainability. Climate change is in front of everyone’s eyes; you can’t not see it. It’s really important for me to do something with a greater purpose, especially in marketing.

I couldn’t see myself marketing something that I don’t really believe in. When I was looking for companies that would serve that greater purpose, Quantis really struck me with its visual identity and honest communications. It’s very original, especially for a B2B company. It’s very clear on what needs to be done while still being playful. Quantis is daring, bold and playful.

Of course, sustainability is something that I care about, but I also think Quantis really made it an important thing for me. Everyone here is not only very knowledgeable but also quite good at communicating about sustainability, and they’re happy to explain everything to me.

What does your average day look like?

AG: My role is basically to support our marketing team. I try to understand how to best support them with what they’re doing, enabling them to be consistent and deliver the Quantis message in the most effective way.

Since we work all over the globe, I act as a bridge between branches to keep us connected and on the same page at all times. If I find an idea from one branch that would work well with another, I’ll contact the appropriate marketing lead to decide whether or not to use it.

There’s a big visual aspect to my role as well, maintaining our visual identity and creating new assets. There is also a technical aspect to marketing operations. I update our website, finding ways to make it faster and more effective. It’s nice to have a balance between creative and technical work.

Outside of the office, what are you passionate about?

AG: I’d say two things. The first would be art. I go to a lot of museums and artist talks.

I also really enjoy music. I have very eclectic tastes — my playlist literally goes from religious music from the 1600s to very heavy electronic music to Britney Spears. I think I can find a lot of commonalities between different types of music. On top of listening to music and going to concerts, I’m also a singer and make music.

What’s a fun fact that nobody knows about you?

AG: I’m very open about everything, so this is a tough question. It still relates to music, but one of the reasons I moved to Berlin is because I love techno music. It’s not something that comes out quickly when I speak with people, even if my passion for music does. I usually say that I love classical music and religious music. I make classical music, specifically from the Baroque era.

I love the contrast between Baroque music and heavy electronic music, as they’re very different. When people get to know me, they know that I sing in churches and for weddings, but they don’t see the edgier side at first.

How would you describe the Quantis Spirit?

AG: One of the things that really struck me about Quantis was how genuine and direct people are. My first Quantis Germany retreat was just a couple of weeks after I started, and I remember watching people voice their ideas for how our company could continuously improve. They came together to try and find concrete solutions and create action plans, which were actually implemented afterward. It’s great to see everyone coming together and problem-solving. Everyone genuinely cares about each other, and you can talk to your managers if there’s something worrying you.

The thing that I love the most is the integrity of Quantis. Sustainability can be complex and difficult to communicate about. The people here have such integrity by being very open with their decisions. We’re not just here to pay the bills, we want to make a real impact.

How did you start out at Quantis, and what do you do today?

Laura Peano: I started at Quantis in 2009, so it’s been a long journey. It was not even Quantis at the time, it was Ecointesys. I started as an LCA analyst, but I was also involved in project management and was able to work on a lot of different projects which allowed me to explore my interests.

One day, someone asked if I would like to work on a plastics project. I didn’t know a lot about the subject at the time, but I thought, “Why not?” I then started working solely on plastic packaging, plastic pollution and projects related to plastic. I became really passionate about this topic, and after 13 years at Quantis, I’m now the global plastics lead.

What has kept you here at Quantis?

LP: The people I’m working with. I’ve met amazing colleagues who believe in what they do and willing to learn day by day, available to help and committed. Many of them are more than colleagues, they’re friends.

How are you and your team contributing to sustainable business transformation?

LP: The plastic team helps our clients decrease the impacts of their products and packaging.

The main questions that we receive from our clients are, “How can we stop using plastic? Should we be doing this? How can you help us?” The goal is to work with our clients to reduce their plastic use while avoiding trade-offs. We don’t want to unintentionally increase their carbon footprint while decreasing their plastic use, for example.

We have always had a holistic review of impacts, and we try to find the most “environmentally friendly” materials in the country where a company sells its products. Of course, there are many factors to consider, but I always say that the ultimate goal is not just to avoid using plastic but to use the best materials for your purpose.

For example, there’s a big trend around bioplastics, but they are not always the best option. Our goal is to make our clients aware that just because “bio” is in the name and they seem “green,” it’s not always the best material for their company. In some cases, bioplastics can be even more impactful than regular plastic. In particular, bioplastics can have an impact on biodiversity and nature because they sometimes rely on crops such as corn and sugarcane.

What does your average day look like?

LP: What I like about Quantis is that every day is different. I could not do the same thing every day. Typically though, I support our strategists in selling projects and the operational teams in delivering projects. I spend most of my time brainstorming with strategists about how to answer clients’ questions or helping the project team figure out how to solve client issues. I’m always strategizing about ways for us to be more efficient and I often speak directly with clients to better understand their needs.

I spend a lot of my time talking with people. Sometimes, at the end of the day, I realize that I have been talking for eight hours, jumping from one project to another. I like being able to hop from topic to topic, helping my colleagues and supporting them.

What’s the most unexpected opportunity you’ve found at Quantis?

LP: Honestly, it’s the fact that I’m seen as an expert on plastic and packaging — I never expected that to happen. When I started at Quantis, I was very focused on crops, such as coffee, and business development. When you work on food projects, the focus is rarely on packaging; you’re typically focusing on crops.

But I remember when I discovered that most of our packaging is not recyclable — which was a huge surprise — it made me realize that I wanted to dig deeper into this topic because of its complexity.

If you could share a piece of professional or personal advice with your younger self, what would it be and why?

LP: I would say to have confidence in myself — to believe that you can do what you set your mind to.

At the beginning of my career , it was very common to participate in meetings where I was the only woman. No one really wanted to listen to me because they thought that I didn’t have enough expertise. It’s difficult to lead meetings when you’re not only a woman, but also the youngest in the room. In the beginning, I thought that maybe I shouldn’t be in that room because I wasn’t the right person to tell them what they should do. Fifteen years later, I know that I’m the right person to be in that room, that I’m an expert.

Believe that everything is possible if you are really passionate about what you do.

Be curious. Never stop learning. This is what allows us to best help and support our clients.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Annabelle Mercer: I’m a sustainability expert on our Strategy and Transformation team, with about six years of experience in sustainable business strategy. I started at Quantis when I was in grad school at Duke, getting my master’s in environmental management. Since joining Quantis, I’ve had a few different roles, from interning on our Innovation team to leading the Climate Strategy team in the US.

After spending a few years with Quantis, I actually ended up taking an in-house role at a cosmetics company, which was a great learning experience. I spent about a year there, but ultimately decided to come back to the consulting world and rejoined Quantis.

What brought you back to Quantis?

AM: There were two things, really: the people and the impact we have.
We have such an inspiring, supportive, collaborative group of people here. Personally, it’s really important for me to feel connected to the people I work with, and Quantis has this very unique culture that stems from sharing a common vision and passion for sustainability. It’s why we’re all here. We’ve dedicated our careers to this. It’s really powerful to be a part of a team that cares so deeply.

The other thing about Quantis that brought me back is the positive impact we make. When you’re here, you’re at the forefront of the sustainability industry. My teammates are leading scientists, experts and thought leaders on some of the most cutting-edge sustainability topics. With my team, I can really make a meaningful difference and feel like I’m contributing to creating a more sustainable world.

What do you do now at Quantis?

AM: As a member of the Strategy and Transformation team, I work with our client partners to design strategies to address climate and nature-related impacts. We’re really all about helping our partners transform their businesses to align with planetary boundaries.

The concept of aligning with planetary boundaries can be a little bit vague and daunting, and it can come to life in a bunch of different ways. I might be working with a food company to set its ambition on water, or helping a cosmetics company rethink how it designs its product portfolio for sustainability. The work I do now is very diverse, which makes it all the more exciting.

How would you define sustainable transformation, and what do you think is the most important element to driving it?

AM: I think it’s about fundamentally changing how we do business. It’s transitioning from business models that are extractive and rooted in overconsumption to ones that are restorative and regenerative. This means integrating sustainability into every element of a company, from procurement and product design to the core business strategy.

It’s an exciting space to be in because there isn’t a simple one-size-fits-all solution for how to achieve sustainable transformation. That journey is going to look different for every company. It’s a unique opportunity for innovation and creative thinking.

I think that the most important element to driving sustainable transformation is to have the openness and willingness to try new ways of doing things and to take risks and learn as you go. The sustainability field is always evolving and changing, and it’s accelerating really rapidly. We’re all learning as we go and trying new things.

What’s been your most exciting project to date?

AM: It’s hard to pick just one! I feel like every project is so different and comes with its own unique challenges. In general, I get most excited about the projects where we’re building something from scratch.

For example, back in 2019, we had a food company come to us and they were really eager to work on sustainability but were feeling very lost about how to get started. Our team worked with them over the course of a year and a half to understand their environmental hotspots, set their targets and design a strategy and action plan. Now they have a really robust program in place, with a full sustainability team of talented and knowledgeable people. For that project in particular, it was so powerful and fulfilling to see that transformation happen. They went from learning the basics of sustainability to asking really advanced questions and pushing the needle for their whole industry.

What was your dream job growing up, and is there any connection to what you do today?

AM: Growing up, I was always outside and just loved being in nature. I really wanted to do wildlife conservation and be out in the field doing research.

That’s actually how I started my career. I was working with a couple of different zoos doing research, and I learned a ton. It was really exciting and cool being face-to-face with the animals that I cared so much about protecting.

Ultimately, I decided I wanted to find a way to contribute to that mission of conservation without having to be in a lab coat. What I do now is still very much rooted in that goal of protecting wildlife, but it’s now from the angle of transforming business practices to minimize their impact on nature.

I realized that one of the biggest levers we have to conserve nature and protect the planet is to address corporate impacts. They have such a massive influence, and there’s a huge opportunity for transformation. I shifted my career to focus on the area where I felt like I could make the biggest difference.

What motivates you, both in and out of the office?

AM: It comes down to making a positive impact on the environment. I know that sounds so cliché, and it’s probably what every single person at Quantis would say, but it’s really core to who I am. I feel this strong sense of purpose and fulfillment.

When I see the work I do making a difference, like a press release for a client setting their net-zero targets or a really popular brand releasing a new product that I know my team worked on, it’s just so rewarding. I love when I see the work that we do as consultants, which is often behind the scenes, become public and out in the world and truly making a difference.