"I want to contribute toward a safer, healthier, and greener world for everyone"

Name: Ian Benedict Mia
Study program: Sustainability Management
Homeplace: Philippines

What is your background?

I have a dual bachelor’s degree in BS Business Management and BA Psychology from De La Salle University – Manila. After finishing my dual degree, I worked as a junior research fellow in a research center at the same university, performing a variety of research and project management roles. Under research, I interviewed social entrepreneurs in the Philippines for research projects related to sustainable business and entrepreneurship. Several of the research projects I co-authored were published in academic journals and other publications. Under project management, I coordinated various events in the research center, the most notable of which was an annual business and management research conference in the Philippines.

During my free time, I worked on various non-profit and consulting work related to sustainability, one of which was co-organizing a two-year community development program in a low-income area in Pasig, Metro Manila. I mainly used my weekends to do my non-profit and consulting work, and I cherish them fondly to this day.

Why did you choose ASEAN Sustainability Management?

I chose the ASEAN Master in Sustainability Management initially because it was referred to me by the research director at my work. The research director knew that I had been interested in sustainability for a long time. It was also timely because I had been searching for various sustainability master’s programs both locally and internationally. When I researched the program further, I realized that it could be a platform for me to enter the field and become a sustainability professional. With that, I decided that it was time for me to upgrade my career by getting into this program.

My deeper motivation for joining the program is the urgency of the climate crisis and various other sustainability issues. Today, we are seeing more careers that are designed with sustainability in mind. I want to be a part of that movement and contribute toward a safer, healthier, and greener world for everyone. It will not be easy, and it is usually easier said than done, but like what my friends and I usually say, the little steps we make today can have a bigger impact tomorrow.

You have already taken two semesters at the Gadjah Mada University in Indonesia. How did you like the experience?

I enjoyed the experience because I got exposed to the perspectives of professors and guest lecturers both from Gadjah Mada University and the University of Agder. For me, it was a good opportunity to develop my analytical skills by balancing and being critical of perspectives from both eastern and western education. Furthermore, my classmates and I come from different Southeast Asian countries, which helped contribute to the richness and diversity of discussions during class sessions. I personally liked the moments when we shared the sustainability experiences from each of our countries. It goes to show that we are all experiencing similar issues and have to work collaboratively to find solutions. Finally, I also enjoyed the beautiful campus of Gadjah Mada University, which is filled with greenery and wide-open spaces for the students to explore.

This study program is very unique. Which part do you feel you benefit from the most?

Gaining an active professional network from both Southeast Asia and Europe is one of the best benefits of this program. We are able to share best practices and lessons learned from each region, as well as potentially find career opportunities that are aligned with our long-term career interests.

The other main benefit is that this program uses a practical approach and deviates from the ivory tower approach in academia. The main goal is to not just understand sustainability management in a theoretical manner but also ideate actual solutions to address the most pressing sustainability issues and challenges of our time. For me, the practicality aspect is what makes this program stand out from other MBA programs.

In which company have you done your internship in Norway? What have you done during the internship?

I will begin my internship with Scatec ASA, an Oslo-headquartered renewable energy solutions provider in emerging markets, in October 2022. I will be working specifically with the Scatec ASA Manila team in the Philippines on their offshore wind energy venture. The roles I will perform include working with the business development team on how to effectively penetrate the offshore wind energy market in the Philippines. I will also be working with the environmental and social manager to identify the environmental risks and mitigation strategies for offshore wind energy in the country.

How would you like to use the knowledge and experience through the programme for your master’s thesis?

Since my master’s thesis is focused on the environmental risks and mitigation strategies for offshore wind energy development in the Philippines, I will be using mostly the lessons learned from the following classes: Business Ethics, Energy Resource Management, Marine Resource and Coastal Management, and Research Methodology. Beyond this, the program has also given me a good foundational understanding of sustainability management which I will now apply to my master’s thesis. For example, we were taught the importance of institutional economics and the role of different stakeholders in contributing towards sustainable economic development in Southeast Asia. This is primarily the approach I will take for my master’s thesis, considering that offshore wind energy development is at an early stage in the Philippines and that it needs the collaboration of different sectors to become successful.

What is your plan after receiving both an MBA degree and a master’s degree?

After receiving my MBA and master’s degrees, I plan to work either in the ESG, supply chain, or renewable energy sectors. I feel that these are the primary sectors that will be revolutionized in the coming years. The private sector has also been investing massive amounts of money towards sustainability initiatives, and these three sectors are at the heart of those investments.

In ESG, there is an active global community of sustainability reporting practitioners who are constantly discussing ways to harmonize and standardize reporting frameworks. In the supply chain, more and more companies are becoming concerned with the sustainability conditions of their entire operations and value chain. In renewable energy, many countries have been announcing their plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with the installation of renewable energy projects as one of the key initiatives. With these trends, there are plenty of career opportunities in these sectors but a shortage of talent — of which I can help fill. With these, I plan to jumpstart my professional sustainability career after this program.