Alongside International Women's Day and Women in Construction Month, we've started a series where we get to know our team and find out how they got to where they are today.
First up is Isobel; Isobel joined Certified as a graduate in September 2023. Since then she has become a qualified BREEAM assessor, leading on multiple portfolios and is a fundamental team member.
Scroll down to learn more about Isobel and her journey into the Sustainability industry.
What are three lessons you've learnt in the role thus far?
There is no one-size-fits-all solution in the world of sustainability. It is constantly evolving, and the best approach is to collaborate with available resources and the community to drive meaningful change.
Achieving compliance and tracking sustainability efforts demand a flexible mindset, as challenges are inevitable.
Don’t neglect the basics and don’t assume that people know what you’re talking about. Identify the problems, break them down and then apply the sustainable thought process to find the solution. People are more likely to want to collaborate with you if you can walk them to the solution and explain exactly how you got there.
And then personally, I’ve learnt that we all have a role to play in creating a positive impact on sustainable living. Ideas are constantly evolving, but I’ve learnt that my experiences on past projects have helped when applying my learnings to future schemes.
What are your hopes for the sustainability industry?
I think there’s two elements to it, one would be to increase the collaboration across companies and sectors, we’re all working towards the same goal, however we’re not quite working together enough.
My other thought is that we need to increase the investment and interest in sustainable living, this in turn, will enhance the quality of life and wellness.
I’d also like to invite more women into the industry and make it a better place for us to contribute to the conversation.
What aspect of your role do you like the most?
Working and communicating with design teams and contractors. Finding a way that the things that I say will enhance their knowledge and contributions on how to achieve a sustainability strategy.
Leading those discussions around sustainability and making that drive towards the sustainable world more of a smoother process. Being able to communicate environmental issues into the built environment, making it more accessible for individuals. Helping them pick the sustainable options when designing buildings and translating that into a way that works for them.
How did you get to your position today, What sparked your interest in the sustainable world?
It was my undergrad dissertation, that I did whilst studying Human Geography at the University of Liverpool. I’ve always been interested in climate action, so decided to apply that to my dissertation
I decided to investigate the sustainable impacts of UK music festivals. From the output of that study, I realised there was a lot of work to be done. The music sector had just begun reducing carbon emissions, but it was still such a premature world, and that really took my interest.
From the back of that, I decided to do a masters in sustainability consultancy at the University of Leeds. I was introduced to the complexity of sustainability, how broad the sector is, and how many avenues you can go down. The one that had my particular interest was sustainable certifications, which helped narrow it down a bit. The BREEAM module was one that I scored the most on at the end of the course.
I joined certified in September 2023 as a graduate Sustainability Consultant and have since achieved BREEAM Assessor. Calculated carbon emissions for both real estate and contractors, and have worked on projects developing their ESG and Social Value strategies.