Andreas runs start-up for a green transition

What does sustainability mean to you?
"It means many things, but above all, it means making a real difference where it is needed most. Sustainability is about perseverance and not giving up even when it doesn't feel like there is a way forward, because it will happen! Then you have to keep fighting, and over time turn challenges into lessons learnt. To keep going when it's hardest, then you will make a difference - for real."

You have received media attention for your aid work in Nepal, tell us about it!
"When I finished my Master's programme at the School, I had the opportunity to go to Nepal to help Nepalese entrepreneurs and villagers start their own micro-enterprises in poor villages. They would build new, safe houses at low cost and with local and environmentally friendly materials. The result was over 10,000 safe, low-cost houses and 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide saved compared to burnt bricks, the conventional building material in Nepal. I was supposed to be there for a year, but it turned out to be five years because it was so fun and meaningful!"

You now run the start-up Rivus Batteries, what inspired you to do this?
"When I moved back to Sweden from Nepal, I wanted to continue with something that was meaningful, and then I started looking at how I could contribute to the green transition. One important piece of the puzzle is cost-effective and environmentally friendly electricity storage. Because even though solar and wind power are the cheapest in most places, the sun doesn't always shine and the wind doesn't always blow. That's why most of our energy and electricity globally still comes from gas, oil and coal. To move away from this dependency, we need to enable large-scale, cheap and environmentally friendly electricity storage, which is what Rivus does."

As an operations manager, what do you do at work?
– ‘During a working week, there are many parts to get together, partly business development - both operational and strategic and business plans for the company - and partly sales and marketing, where I have contact with pilot customers and potential customers. Then there is a lot of contact with external owners and potential investors and working with applications to get grants. The grants are used to scale up our technology, and create Swedish jobs and export revenues.

How has your programme helped you in your professional life?
"The breadth of the programme has helped me to understand different perspectives in depth, which is necessary as the climate challenge, global poverty and inequality are complex problems. The programme gave me a better technical and deeper understanding of the climate challenge that often makes me feel like one of the more competent people in the field regardless of the context."

How do you see the need for sustainability skills in the labour market?
"The climate challenge and global inequality are undoubtedly the two greatest challenges of our generation. The challenges are great, but the opportunities are just as great - and the need for skills is growing by leaps and bounds! The statistics also show this. LinkedIn looked at millions of jobs started by LinkedIn members over the last five years to calculate a growth rate for each job title. For example, in the UK and Germany, Sustainability Manager was number one, and Sustainability Analyst was number two in Sweden." (Read more here, article in Swedish).

Do you have any tips or advice for anyone thinking about studying or working with sustainability?
"Go, just go! Dare to follow your inner voice and heart and ignore what others say or plan to do. You may not earn as much at first, but you will have a much more fun, challenging, educational career and more meaningful life."

More memories during the programme

My bachelor's thesis ended with an earthquake
"I received a grant from SIDA to write my bachelor's thesis in Nepal on the non-profit organisation Tuki Nepal Society's project to help women in poor villages increase their income. But a few weeks later, the biggest earthquake in over 80 years struck. The thesis was put on hold, but only for a short time. Our supervisor then challenged us to find an angle in what was starting to happen, and we ended up writing about how local businesses, mainly in trekking and tourism, used their social capital to enable international contacts to donate money and other materials to affected places."

Read Andreas' thesis
Article in Expressen (in Swedish)
 

Study abroad in Australia
"A highlight during my studies was when I did a six-month exchange programme to Griffith University Gold Coast Australia. It was a privileged opportunity to leave Sweden in January and go to Australia, and the exchange was a fantastic experience with great weather, new international friends, surfing, and road trips."

Samhällsvetenskapligt miljövetarprogram 

Read more about the programme (in Swedish)