Fiona Quinlan-Wells (she/her), IEMA member
Since writing this piece, Fiona has recently moved into a new role in Sustainability Capacity Building at the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Fiona Quinlan-Wells: a decade of change
Independent climate change and sustainability consultant Fiona Quinlan-Wells reflects on how her career has evolved over the last decade.
Fiona Quinlan-Wells’s career has changed dramatically since she joined a health, safety and environment graduate scheme at energy company Centrica more than a decade ago in 2013. She quickly rose to become an Environmental Advisor at the firm, before becoming a Technical Manager when she joined the Climate Disclosure Standards Board, which provided a framework for the Task Force for Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).
Consultancy giant Mott MacDonald was Fiona’s next port of call, where she worked as the company’s Group TCFD Lead. She also gained experience in ESG compliance, before deciding to take the plunge and become an independent consultant last year. Here, she outlines her career journey so far, talks about the challenges she faces trying to deliver real organisational change, and gives some advice to others looking to take a similar path.
“Understandably, a lot of new graduates who enter the workforce are very passionate and keen to have an impact straight away, but there’s a lot of patience involved in working in sustainability, building relationships over time. Once you get a foot in the door you can build up the influence that you want to have – it can be a bit of a long game.”
Fiona Quinlan-Wells
What got you interested in sustainability?
I was always really interested at school, so I chose to study geography at university. I then did a graduate scheme that wasn’t 100% environment focused, but the placements I did were related to the environmental side of things. I’ve had environmental sustainability roles ever since.
Would you recommend graduate schemes to others?
Yes, absolutely – it was a really helpful foundation to start my career. When you’re looking for jobs as a new graduate, you may not have much or any professional work experience. I did several placements, and it was a really good way to get a feel for a few different types of roles. A lot of people come into the profession quite idealistic; ambitious about the impact they want to have. A corporate environment can be a little bit of a bump to Earth, so grad schemes and placements help you develop practical skills in terms of pragmatism and influencing that set you up for the rest of your career.
You went on to get a master’s in carbon management from the University of Edinburgh. What was that like and why did you choose that subject?
I did it part-time in a distance-learning style alongside my work. That had its challenges, but it was also really valuable, because it allowed me to incorporate the experience that I had through work with studying and doing assignments. I was keen to specialise a bit more in the climate change space. The course was a blend of climate science policy, economics, and business, so it was quite rounded from that perspective. In terms of the subject matter, I really enjoyed it.
Having worked as TCFD lead at Mott MacDonald, what are some of the biggest challenges that companies have complying with reporting requirements?
Many organisations find that these regulations require them to be a lot more transparent on their negative impacts and potential risks. That can be quite scary, and also challenging to quantify. A lot of the work I’ve done with Mott MacDonald and similar organisations was really about getting leadership on board. I’m very motivated to drive strategic change in the business, but it is quite challenging because there’s a lot of focus on compliance, rather than the opportunities.
Last year you took a career break, which included hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc trail, kayaking and wild camping in Scotland. Why did you do that?
It was a good time to really evaluate the impact that I was having. For professionals in this field, it can be quite tough in terms of the resilience you need to keep pushing the sustainability agenda, particularly in recent times, when we’ve had a lot of challenges relating to the cost of living, inflation, and macroeconomic conditions. There’s been a slightly rocky period in terms of sustainability progress, so that takes its toll a bit on an individual level. I decided, following that break, to move towards freelancing.
What has the experience of being self-employed been like?
I have a lot more freedom and flexibility around choosing work that can have the biggest impact. In terms of a work-life balance, the flexibility is amazing, but the downside is that, potentially, not being directly within an organisation can leave you feeling a bit out of the loop. The flexibility that independent consultants offer can be really helpful for organisations to scale up or down their resourcing.
How has IEMA helped you in your career?
I got my practitioner membership in 2015.The structured learning IEMA offers was really helpful at that stage in my career. Having that professional accreditation has been a valuable asset for my CV, and I read Transform magazine and stay on top of webinars and emails. The updates are a really helpful resource to stay up to speed on all the developments in the sector.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out their career in sustainability?
To be open-minded about the type of organisation you work for as your career begins. Understandably, a lot of new graduates who enter the workforce are very passionate and keen to have an impact straight away, but there’s a lot of patience involved in working in sustainability, building relationships over time. Once you get a foot in the door you can build up the influence that you want to have – it can be a bit of a long game.
Since writing this piece, Fiona has recently moved into a new role in Sustainability Capacity Building at the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
You can also listen to Fiona talk about her career journey for Greensider Stories.
