We interviewed Mr. Wisnu Wardana Triska Syattwa, who is currently an operation manager in the Global Sourcing Unit. We hope you enjoy reading his story!
Q. Could you please provide a brief self-introduction, including an overview of your career to date?
I completed my bachelor studies and also master’s in Japan. I studied environmental studies at undergraduate level, and then I specialized in forest policy at the graduate level which highlights my interest in the field of sustainability. After graduation, I worked as an international business analyst at one of green technology companies in japan, where they make chemical filter for harmful and toxic gases.
During those 6 years of studies, I actively participated in various of activities related to this field, such as SDGs conference for youth in the UK, an internship at one of the most prominent wildlife NGO in my home country, Indonesia as well as some fieldwork experiences when I was collecting data for my graduation thesis. I employed a participatory and ethnographic approach, where I needed to gather socio-economic and agro-ecological data by actually living together at study site for one month.
Q. What inspired you to work at GreenCarbon?
I am very glad for the experience of working for a stereotypical Japanese company, as it allowed me to get accustomed to the working culture. However, I started to feel the need to level up, especially when it comes to project management and leadership. I felt the need to take on a more active role in managing the projects after several years of working at my previous job. That is when I decided to look for various green-related startup jobs via Linked, and I found GC to be a suitable place because the business model is very relevant to my background and training.
Q. What kind of work are you involved in? Could you share more about your roles?
Similar to my previous job, I am also part of an overseas business division in GC.
For international students who are not familiar with the term overseas business development, it is an all-encompassing categorization for the team who are handling business affairs between the headquarters in Japan and overseas counterparties. Or in much simpler word, the team where we use English and Japanese in completing our tasks.
There are currently 3 teams under the business division in GC: the survey team, the business development team, and the operation team. Since we are a startup, it is almost impossible to maintain a clear-cut job division. However, on a day-to-day basis, I am mostly in charge of the operational matters of the ongoing projects.
In doing so, a thorough understanding of the given methodology for carbon credit in combination with project management skills is critical. Since GC is handling multiple projects at relatively big scales across different countries in Southeast Asia, keeping track of the information, sorting, and later on verifying them can be very challenging. So that is what me and my team are doing now, trying to make sure that the multiple projects are going on as planned and that all the necessary information can be obtained in the most efficient manner. I must admit it is not easy, but I am very grateful that everyone has been very cooperative and easy to work with.
Q.What do you find rewarding about your work?
The carbon credit industry is at the intersection of environmental stewardship and economic innovation. As we gradually realized that the financial sector and industry need to speak the language of sustainability, for me personally, the same thing needs to be applied to those with a background in environmental studies. So in a way, working for GC allows me to learn about how to fix the system from within.
And as a relatively new industry, working in GC offered a huge learning experience. On top of that, the fact that most of the projects are happening overseas, also help me widen my network and equip me with experience in how to manage and collaborate with people from multicultural backgrounds.
Q.Could you share a message for those who are interested in working at GreenCarbon?
For those with a background in sustainability, it is a great opportunity to make use of your theoretical understanding and materialize that into action.
However, for those who didn’t have a background in sustainability, no need to worry. This would be a great opportunity to improve project management skills which is very transferable across different industries.