Students interested in a career in Sustainability couldn’t have a better role model than Sydney-based alumna Caitlin Lynch, who advises companies on how they can reduce their impact on the environment.
Caitlin, who left Notre Dame in 2017, graduated from Leeds with a degree in Environment and Business, before going on to do a Masters in Sustainability and Consultancy. She then got the travel bug and arrived in Sydney in 2023 after a chance conversation with some Australian girls she met in South America: “They suggested I start my career in Sydney and it’s been the best decision – sustainability is big news in Australia and I got a job in three days,” she said.
After a year as an Environmental Consultant with a contaminated land and hygiene company, she moved to her current employer, RED OHMS Group, to build their environmental operations sector in New South Wales. “The role was created especially to take advantage of my knowledge and my working day is spent responding to tenders and writing proposal documents,” continued Caitlin. Once the business is won, she’s out meeting clients, assessing sites and putting plans into action.
Advising on sustainability is also part of her role and Caitlin has set about developing policies to help her own company reach ‘net zero’: “Reducing electricity consumption is an obvious example but there are many other options, like using better materials in our buildings and encouraging behaviour change, that can really make a difference,” she added.
Caitlin loves her career but she’s not finished with travelling yet: “Australian employers seem to be much more lenient with time off – I’ve already explored both the East and West coasts and popped over to Bali for four days! Longer term though, my plan is to return to the UK and get a job helping start-ups and small businesses integrate sustainability into their practices and then one day, start my own consultancy.
“I can really recommend Sustainability as a career; the industry is growing quickly and there are plenty of opportunities.”
Caitlin has kindly offered to chat to ND6 at one of our forthcoming online Career Pathway sessions. In the meantime, we wish her continued success.
