Ryan is an HBA1 student with a background in Financial Economics, and has worked for Deloitte Canada as well as starting his own financial literacy camp. This summer Ryan will work for KPMG’s Management Consulting division as an intern for the Operations Consulting team, where he hopes to assist with government clients and vaccine rollout. Ryan recently published GE: Amping Up Energy Storage as the cover article for the Ivey Business Review, and is involved in the LEADER Project, the Social Impact Club, the Ivey Community Consulting Project, and the HBAA as VP Ivey Connects. Ryan has previously worked with the original Broadway cast of Hamilton, and loves to cook, read, and travel. 

What is your personal definition of sustainability? 

Sustainability, quite literally, is the ability to sustain. However, for me, sustainability is a mindset that defies the idea of a zero-sum game. Disruptive technologies and case studies are emerging that exemplify win-win scenarios; that you can have your cake and eat it too. As energy costs for solar and wind plummet, and as many governments and businesses globally strive for net-zero by 2050 or sooner, policies for sustainable energy, circular supply chains, and environmental tech are more important than ever. The outdated mindset of trading profits for sustainability, or treating sustainability as a CSR cost center, is due for a change. 

What role do you see sustainability playing in your professional career? 

 Sustainability has always had an influence on my career interests. Whether it is the sustainability within my prospective employers, such as Deloitte declaring carbon-neutrality in their offices by 2030, or sustainability policies in client work, such as firms that avoid mining and oil and gas clients, environmental footprint has always been important to my career. I am considering a post-graduate degree in sustainability science/sustainability management, and I am interested in working for thinktanks/policy incubators after my first job. 

What sustainability projects have you been engaged in? 

As a pro-bono consultant for Ivey’s Community Consulting Project, I helped the David Suzuki Foundation design a strategy for their organizational restructuring from wildlife conservation to circular economies. Similarly, I am engaged with a startup for the Social Impact Club that provides agriculture education to farmers in Africa. The courses offered range from sustainability management to crop control, which assist with sustainable farming in emerging economies. I co-authored an article for the Ivey Business Review about General Electric’s entry in energy storage and renewables, and the article was recently published as the cover article for the publication. Lastly, I recently reached out to the Stanford Social Innovation Review to contribute to their “What’s Next” section as an author.