After completing my bachelor’s degree in 2001, I wasn’t sure which direction to take in my professional career. However, I soon started working as a consultant in the finance industry while teaching part-time in various academic institutions and volunteer organizations around Spain. I moved to Peru in 2009 to take up a role as compliance and operational risk manager for the internal treasury department at Banco de Crédito del Perú (BCP) before traveling to London to work as a strategy consultant for trading surveillance projects at GreySpark Partners in 2014.
2019 represented a seismic shift in my professional journey, leading me to leave the finance industry and start working as a management consultant for small and medium-sized enterprises all over Europe. I’m now an adjunct professor in the Bachelor in Environmental Sciences for Sustainability program at IE University, shaping the next wave of change-makers.
How would you describe the Bachelor in Environmental Sciences for Sustainability program to prospective students?
It’s more evident than ever that human activity is affecting the environment in numerous ways, such as the increase in average global temperatures, which leads to changes in weather patterns and devastating events like hurricanes, droughts and floods. This has far-reaching implications on natural ecosystems, affecting plant and animal life as well as human communities. It is crucial to take action to address global warming and limits its impacts to protect the environment and the well-being of all living things.
Environmental science is critical for addressing some of the most pressing global challenges we face today, including climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Bachelor in Environmental Sciences for Sustainability graduates will be capable of understanding how human activity impacts and transforms the environment, using this knowledge to develop sustainable solutions that can meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
What are the most important skills required to be a successful environmental scientist?
Environmental scientists must be able to analyze data from observation, experiments and simulations to identify patterns and trends in the natural environment and make informed decisions about addressing environmental problems. In addition to developing sustainable solutions, having critical thinking skills is essential for developing sustainable solutions. Last but not least, they need to be able to communicate complex concepts and implications to a variety of audiences, including policymakers, community members and industry leaders.
Why did you decide to become an adjunct professor at IE University?
IE University is a highly regarded institution that provides an excellent learning and teaching environment for both students and professors in Segovia and Madrid. The university’s commitment to innovation, entrepreneurship and diversity makes it an ideal place for professors who are passionate about their fields and want to make a real impact on future world leaders.
What advice would you give students interested in pursuing a career in sustainability or the environmental sciences?
Globalization, new industries, new technologies, artificial intelligence—the world is changing fast. Therefore, we need to understand the implications of all these changes for the environment and find ways to avoid or mitigate their negative impacts to preserve or improve human well-being. This makes the demand for skilled environmental scientists grow in both the public and private sectors as a result.