Jonathan Gromark

Describe your role and what it is that you do overall and on a day-to-day basis.

I am working as a Sustainability Manager for a company within Life Science and health. My role is to make the company I am working for improve its positive impact and reduce its negative impact on society. If this is done so that the company is more profitable, the company can do more of it and thereby do more of the good stuff. 

On a day-to-day basis I send emails… and develop and execute the company's sustainability strategy including running projects where I evaluate impacts from different actions as well as change and implement new ways of working to improve impact. The work also includes communicating the work done and by that further capitalising on the good done.

What sparked your passion for what you do? 

I was quite skeptical about sustainability when I studied at SSE. However, I was interested in solutions for the world’s biggest problems such as e.g. climate change, global health etc. and that was perhaps why my focus was economics. From working as a management consultant with standard business services, I realized that companies can play an important role in solving many global societal problems.

How did your time/education at SSE help guide you to where you are now or the career journey you have embarked on? 

Initially I only thought there were only banker and management consultancy jobs but the opportunities that the school provided made it possible for me to move from normal business to sustainability.

What advice would you give your younger self with all that you know now? 

Take your interests seriously, take time to explore what kind of jobs exist where your interests can be fulfilled but at the same time, relax things will be alright, don't take things too seriously, enjoy the present.

What advice would you give to students considering applying to SSE? 

Use the opportunity to go abroad and study. Try to get to know different types of people that study at SSE because there is a big variety of people with interesting backgrounds. In my career I have become good friends with many people from SSE but mainly afterwards in other situations and it makes me think perhaps I did not use the opportunity enough to get to know people.