Change perceptions. Speak courageously. Shatter perceptions.
Rebecca Self has never been afraid to speak up. “I do enjoy challenging people from time to time – particularly around sustainability”, she explains. “Because [with sustainability], it’s easy for people and organisations to get caught up in the existing way of doing things.”
Rebecca realised that the finance industry needed to change its approach to sustainability when she started her CGMA studies, which coincided with the 2008 financial crisis. “I started to think about the unintended consequences of the financial services industry – socially and environmentally,” she explains.
Looking at where the world is headed, not where it has been.
Rebecca believes that the economic system needs to change its decades-long approach and start measuring sustainable outcomes – not just financial results. And that’s where finance professionals come in. “Finance professionals have a huge amount to offer in the area of sustainability”, she says. “What gets measured gets counted. And that’s really important for many of these sustainability topics.”
When Rebecca embarked on her CGMA studies, it was perceived as a good qualification to have in order to pursue leadership opportunities. But her CGMA designation brought her much more than she anticipated. In fact, it was somewhat of a lightbulb moment.
“Completing the CGMA designation started to shift a few things for me”, she explains. “I started to shift my career towards sustainability and sustainable finance. And I had that grounding of my finance roles and the CGMA designation to utilise as I moved on to those new options and new directions in my career.”
Own your passions. Opportunities will follow.
Rebecca has been able to build on her passion for sustainable finance to carve a hugely successful career. She was HSBC’s first ever CFO of Sustainable Finance before moving into consulting and setting up her own company, Seawolf Sustainable Consulting.
She believes her CGMA designation has been a powerful tool, giving her leverage she wouldn’t have had otherwise. “It enables me to have holistic conversations with a range of different people across a range of different organisations,” she explains. Her advice to current and future CGMA candidates? “Focus on the things that really interest you – that bring you energy. Lean into those.”
