The Green Guru Podcast

In recent years, the issue of climate change has transcended the borders of policy debates and has entered the boardrooms of financial institutions across the world. Companies are starting to understand the environmental and social risks that affect their businesses directly or indirectly. Meet our Green Guru, Mr Sandeep Bhattacharya, India project manager at Climate Bonds Initiative. Sandeep has more than 20 years of experience in the financial industry with his long stints with reputed firms across India and Malaysia. Sandeep now works to build the sustainable finance ecosystem in India collaborating with financial institutions, consultancy firms, educational institutions, philanthropies and corporates. So he is placed in a unique position to give us a 360-degree view of the sustainable finance job market in India for early-career professionals and give us a broad sense of where is it heading in the coming years.  Apply for free mentorship with Sandeep. Limited Slots. https://forms.gle/EdkyrC44c1isbKdn9

60% of the buildings in India that will exist in 2040 have not yet been constructed (IEA, 2021). Meet our Green Guru, Mr. Anuj Gupta. Deputy Manager at Design2Occupancy, a leading consultancy firm providing a spectrum of services in the green building domain in India and abroad. Anuj is also a co-founder at D2O Learning which helps learners explore green jobs in the sustainability industry. Besides this, he has many credentials added to his name such as the LEED® Green Associate, IGBC AP, ECBC Expert, EDGE Expert, and in  2021, he has become the Climate Ambassador at Global Youth Climate Network as well. In this episode, we will learn from him how to build and leverage your network to make a successful career in green buildings space.  Some important questions answered: (01:20) Introduction (08:40) What is a green building? (12:10) Tips for modern hiring (16:10) Which degrees have coursework relevant to green buildings assessment? (17:25) What skill sets are required to work in green buildings consulting? (19:00) Which credentials/certifications are important to gain knowledge about the sector and where to start? (23:00) Importance of volunteering with professional institutions (27:45) What are the expected future trends in the green buildings market?  (31:00) What is D2O Learning? How to apply to be a D2O Scholar? Apply for free mentorship with Anuj Gupta. Limited Slots.  https://forms.gle/EdkyrC44c1isbKdn9

Meet our Green Guru for this week, Pratap Raju, Founding Partner at the Climate Collective Foundation and Country Head for New Energy Nexus India. Pratap started off his journey as a banker on wall street post his degree at Harvard but is now one of the leaders of the climate tech entrepreneurship ecosystem in India. He has built new ventures from scratch - not once or twice but multiple times in a wide array of sectors. He has had an IT startup, been a Bollywood producer-writer and also a successful renewable energy developer. Now, Climate Collective, the largest climate tech accelerator in South Asia, coaches hundreds of start-ups every year, leading their way to sustainability through innovation. Some Important questions answered in this episode: (00:50) Introduction (03:16) How does a banker on the wall street decide to do a masters in development? (07:15) How to decide if you should a start-up or do a job? (11:24) How does the diversity of life experiences help you build a venture? (20:42) Tell us about how you conceived Climate Collective? (27: 10) Can you describe in simple terms what is an accelerator? (34:03) What are the job opportunities in the startup support ecosystem? What skills are most sought after? Apply for free mentorship with Pratap Raju. Limited Slots. https://forms.gle/EdkyrC44c1isbKdn9

Welcome to Season 2 of the Green Guru Podcast.  Meet our Green Guru for this week, Divya Sharma, Executive Director at Climate Group- India office, one of the most respected thought leaders in sustainable urban development and climate resilience space.   Divya comes with a doctorate in urban climate resilience and a Master’s in urban development planning. She has extensively worked with national, state and municipal governments in India and abroad; regional, national and international development agencies and research community.  We will explore how she navigated various career roles, her maternity transition, her move from a smaller city like Bhopal to Delhi and international travels for work. In this conversation we will get to know her ‘life mantras’ and her advice to young women wanting to be leaders like her! Important Questions from the Episode (01:36) Introduction (06:30) Importance of a mentor in making a career choice (15:20) How to navigate the challenges of maternity transition? (20:41) Should you do a PhD or get equivalent industry experience? (28:51) What is the importance of networking, especially for women in sustainability? (33:21) What are the fundamental differences between research and consulting fields? (45:00) How to decide which role to opt for? What are some of the questions you should ask yourself before deciding between academics, research, consulting or non-profit? (52:45) What does Climate Group do in brief? (56:30) What are the job opportunities in the sector? Apply for free mentorship from Divya. Limited Slots. https://forms.gle/EdkyrC44c1isbKdn9

Meet our Green Guru for this week, Ramnath Chandrasekhar, a conservation educator, nature photographer and a documentary filmmaker. He speaks about how his passion for visual storytelling has taken a shape of environmental education for the youth. We discuss the art of photography and making a career in it through consistent hard work, planning, trust-building, collaboration, upskilling and the right guidance from a mentor. He will answer some rapid-fire questions and have fun! Apply for free mentorship from our guests. Limited Slots. https://forms.gle/EdkyrC44c1isbKdn9