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Annabelle Perry, Senior Consultant in the Energy Transition team and recent Master's graduate in Sustainability, shares how she’s taken her learning at EY to the next level with the Hult International Business School. Read Annabelle's story below.
The EY Master's in Sustainability by Hult builds on EY Badges, through which EY people earn digital credentials through applied learning. Using the EY Badges as a base, the programme has been designed to enhance understanding of environmental, governance and economic risks, and the opportunities that sustainability presents. Annabelle has recently completed the programme and gives five reasons why it's helped her.
1. Broaden your horizons – and your network
EY is a global professional services firm – specialist learning is a great way to meet people with similar passions from places and teams outside of your daily role. I was working alongside people who grew up in India, Japan, Brazil, and Canada, based in offices all over the world. Even though we came from different backgrounds, we all had the same goal and it was great to have a study group to go through the learning with.
2. Shape your career – and build your personal brand
Sustainability is the key challenge. What started as a side-of-desk interest has opened a lot of doors for me. There continues to be engagement from across the business on Sustainability related matters and that momentum is growing.
Having the opportunity to undertake the EY Master's in Sustainability has made me very proud to work at EY. It’s an incredible opportunity and more people should do it.
3. Tackle real-world problems
We applied our Master's theory using a real-world sustainability problem in our 'long term value' team assignment, linked to wider sustainable development goals. It made us consider the ripple effect on people and profit.
Sustainable clothing is an increasing issue which is impacting the environment so we designed a buy-back programme for a global retailer. In exchange for a voucher to spend in-store, customers could return clothing which could then be resold in discount shops or recycled. A portion of additional resale profit could then be invested in improving the conditions in factories and upskilling workers. We also suggested increasing their wages to make up for any hours that might be cut from making fewer clothes.
It was a lot to think about – but it takes all the principles of circularity and everyone still wins. I loved working with my team to develop and solve it.
4. Flex it around your life
When I heard about the EY Master's in Sustainability, I really wanted to go for it, but I had some concerns about how to fit it into my schedule. After completing the required 15 EY Badges, I then had weekly lectures with Hult including pre-reading and follow-up work. This could’ve felt like a full-time side job but my internal and client teams were so supportive – they helped me protect my time and commitments.
5. It’s free
I really wanted to do a Master's degree in Sustainability, but I didn’t want to get burdened with any more debt. Now I’ve completed one and not paid a penny! I’ve gained so much more than a degree. By sharing my learning journey with others, I cemented myself as a go-to person in my business area for sustainability matters. It’s helped me build my own personal brand and network with people globally.
Summary
Annabelle Perry, Senior Consultant in the Energy Transition team and recent Master's graduate in Sustainability, shares how she’s taken her learning at EY to the next level with the Hult International Business School.