One of the things that drew me to Cambridge’s MBA program was the freedom to design your own experience. Through a mix of electives and concentrations, there are countless ways to tailor the program around your passions and career goals.
For me, that meant pursuing the Sustainable Business Concentration – an opportunity that brought together a small, passionate group interested in shaping a more equitable and environmentally responsible economy.
What set this experience apart were the conversations: rather than formal lectures, we had intimate discussions with inspiring leaders in the field. From Munish Datta (Director at Specsavers Group), Clare Brooke (EMEA Sustainability Manager at Boston Scientific) and Sophie Dembinski (Global Head of Public Policy & UK at Ecosia), the sessions led to great conversations and deeper learning.
As part of the concentration, we could either develop a social entrepreneurship pitch or source a sustainability consulting project. While both paths offered valuable learning opportunities, I was drawn to consulting because of my interest in helping established organizations scale their sustainability impact. My teammates, Aiden Rodd, Yu-Heng Su, were thrilled when Sophie from Ecosia was open to collaborating with us.
Sophie connected us with Fred Henderson, Ecosia’s Strategic User Success Manager, who shared an exciting opportunity: exploring the potential of a B2B offering for Ecosia. Known for using ad revenue from web searches to plant trees, Ecosia has historically focused on individual users. Our consulting project explored how they could scale impact by strategically engaging businesses.
Over the following weeks, our team explored how Ecosia could create added value to businesses. We identified several key opportunities to expand its impact, including its potential to help companies with their corporate sustainability goals and green infrastructure initiatives. For example, we discovered that Ecosia’s transparent tree-planting data and verified environmental impact could serve as a competitive advantage for companies needing credible sustainability metrics for ESG reporting. We also highlighted how Ecosia’s privacy-first approach could address growing corporate concerns about data security while delivering measurable climate action as a Green IT solution.
The project culminated in a set of actionable recommendations for Ecosia, designed to translate these insights into strategic next steps.
Sophie and Fred were incredibly supportive throughout the project. As they shared with us after our final presentation:
“The depth of thinking, quality of insights, and clarity of delivery blew us away. It’s rare to get such a thoughtful external perspective, and your work has sparked conversations internally that we’re excited to continue. Huge thanks to the whole team!” Fred Henderson, Ecosia
This project was one of the highlights of my Cambridge MBA experience as it focused on real-world application and purpose-driven collaboration. It’s reinforced my commitment to working at the intersection of business strategy and impact.
For prospective students interested in sustainability consulting opportunities, I’d encourage exploring Cambridge’s sustainable business concentration, as they provide access to meaningful projects that can shape both your career and create genuine impact.