Making careers in sustainability count

Who is leading the fight against climate change? World leaders? Heads of the industry? According to Arthur Arrighi de Casanova, Vice-President, Sustainability and Energy Transition at Capgemini Invent in Paris, real changes often come from the drive and energy of young people. It is often those talented people, early in their careers, who really seek to make a difference and create a better and more sustainable future.

“Many graduates who come to work with us want to know that Capgemini is a good company to work for from a sustainability point of view,” he says. “Graduates often ask whether we have a strong climate pledge, or what work they can do to support their mission of creating a more sustainable world.

“The bottom line is that people want to align environmental purpose with their job – and we are happy to ensure they can. If they can’t work on sustainability projects, they may go elsewhere. That’s a big change from a few years ago.”

Growth of sustainability careers

Before joining Capgemini Invent, Arthur worked for another consulting company. He also has degrees in environmental engineering and nuclear physics.

“I’ve really tried to dedicate my career to sustainability,” he says, “and my degrees really set me off in that direction.”

Over the past 10 years, sustainability has grown to become a challenge for companies of all kinds, says Arthur. This has also altered how sustainability is thought of at Capgemini Invent. Again, it’s about making change happen from the bottom up.

“We now expect sustainability to be a vital aspect of all the industries with which we work, and a skill that will be needed in all roles,” he adds. “Even if you are working on a big transformation project to make a business more ‘lean’ – more efficient – it can have a sustainability impact. Sustainability cuts across organizations; it can’t be a silo.

“Part of my work at Invent is to lead a group of young consultants. We create project tools, such as carbon calculators, and run sustainability awareness trainings. For our generation, I see the changes we need as coming from all across Capgemini. We are a people business. We can listen to people about the future they want, and help them make it happen.”

Public sector sustainability

Maëlle Bouvier also works at Capgemini Invent in Paris. As Director of Public Sector and Sustainability, she agrees that achieving sustainability goals is easier when everyone is working together on the challenge.

“There are always different ways to make a difference,” she says. “You can have a top-down approach – talk to top people in the public sector and try to convince them to speed up the pace of change. But, sometimes, a better idea to get ahead is by developing the tools that will facilitate change. For example, we help the public sector calculate and monitor its carbon footprint, and make sure its sustainability strategy is making a difference. With the types of technology we develop at Capgemini, we can help the public sector assess the problem and explore potential solutions.”

A personal connection

For Maëlle, there are personal reasons to want to create a better, more sustainable world for everyone.

“Due to family reasons, my brother and I were taken into care by social services,” she says. “Because of this, I have always felt strongly that we need the help of the state to look after people’s futures – whether that is through fighting poverty or climate change.  

“I think that’s why I wanted to work on sustainability. My own journey has shown me how the public sector can really help people, and it felt super important to work in this area.”

Maëlle says that, ultimately, sustainability is about being more caring.

“By linking sustainability to society, you are helping to care for individuals who may be less able to look after themselves. Everyone should have the help they need to create a better future.”

Starting a career

However, the route towards a career in sustainability is not always clear at the outset, Maëlle says.

“When I was a student, I wondered whether I needed to work for an environmental cause or a social cause,” she says. “Where should I start? In the end, I worked for a time with NGOs [non-governmental organizations] in developing countries. Then I worked in France, on welfare policy, disability, poverty, and children’s services – but it was always about increasing equality, sustainability, and making a better future for people.

“Now, at Capgemini, I work with the public sector to drive forward sustainability. It has brought all my interests together. I help government departments to decarbonize and accelerate their contribution to the ecological transition of the country towards net zero.”

Maëlle believes such a commitment to sustainability is a hallmark of the work at Capgemini.

“It’s in our DNA,” she says. “It’s who we are – and this is only going to grow in the future. The talent we nurture in sustainability comes from all parts of Capgemini. It’s our job to support people’s ambitions to make a more sustainable future, to have an end-to-end vision of how that is done, and to be there on people’s journeys.”