Gauri Angrish, Graduate Student in Sustainability Management at SPS
Which program/department are you in?
Sustainability Management.
Which country (or countries) do you come from?
India.
How long have you been in the U.S.?
6 months (Since August 2021).
Tell us about how your past experiences led you to Columbia.
Choosing to study Sustainability Management at Columbia was a complete career shift for me. My career journey started 11 years ago when I joined McKinsey & Co as an analyst in their pharmaceutical vertical.
While working there, I discovered a challenge that was being faced by most pharma companies and I thought I could solve it. So I quit my job to start a pharmacy to gain on-ground knowledge of the industry. Using that experience, I founded a Med-Tech venture that comprised a technology ecosystem including robotics, Internet of Things (IoT) & software. I ran this company for 5 years and had the opportunity to work with the largest private and public healthcare players.
In 2020, after transitioning out of my role as CEO, I got hired as the COO of Forbes Ignite - an impact consultancy. This is where I got exposed to the world of sustainability and understood that sustainability is the lever on which we will see all industries and sectors transforming. I recognized that this was the field I wanted to pursue so I chose to make a shift in my career focus and decided to educate myself in all aspects of sustainability by applying to the MS in Sustainability Management Program at Columbia University.
Tell us a bit about your projects/studies.
I’m an Earth Institute Fellow at Columbia University currently pursuing an MS in Sustainability Management. In this program I’ve been increasingly intrigued by the notion of operationalizing sustainability across the value chain of an entity. More specifically, I am interested in working on reducing emissions across complex supply chains and making them more circular. This interest has been spurred by the range of courses & projects I am pursuing across business, finance & science of sustainability.
Anything else you’d like to share about your time in NYC or at Columbia?
I am absolutely loving my time in NYC. Just walking around energizes me. But I’ve also been really lucky with meeting amazing people at Columbia and together we are exploring this city in different ways - from hikes, basketball games, broadway shows and candlelight concerts to bars, restaurants and innumerable hours at my favorite Butler Library.
Are you (or do you know) an international student, scholar, or alumni?
We’re looking to spotlight stories of academic or professional work, leadership, or personal adjustment to life at Columbia and NY in particular and the U.S. in general.
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