Welcome to Meet our Activators! During this series, we will share insights on what it is like to be an Anthesis Activator. Find out how members of our team started their careers in sustainability, the exciting projects they’re working on and advice for people starting out in their sustainability career.
In this first interview, we are featuring Alice Bond, Senior Energy Consultant based in the UK at Anthesis.
Tell us about your current role at Anthesis and how you got here.
I worked for a number of years as a structural engineer. Some of my favourite jobs included a number of Burberry fashion shows in existing buildings, being on site in the Falkland Islands working for the military and working on humanitarian projects in the Philippines and Greece.
I started to specialise in sustainable building techniques and embodied carbon, and led training programmes for engineers. I then wanted to pivot my career and work full time on projects which decarbonise buildings and businesses. An old colleague worked at Anthesis and he introduced me to what the teams here do, and I jumped at the chance of joining the team!
I like that we have such a diverse skillset at Anthesis.
What types of projects do you work on?
I now work on a massive range of Net Zero strategies, greenhouse gas and trajectory modelling, as well as advisory work. I help clients find hotspots in their emissions and come up with ways of reducing these – I love it!
My clients range from housing associations to global corporates and each project works with people at different stages of their sustainability journey. This means my work profile ranges from educational workshops, deep data analysis, stakeholder engagement and report writing which means my typical day is super varied.
What do you like most about working at Anthesis?
I like that we have such a diverse skillset at Anthesis. If you have a niche question about anything relating to sustainability, there’s someone in-house who will know the answer. I’ve been able to learn so much more about the wider context of sustainability through talking to my colleagues across the business, whether in formal meetings or when making a coffee. This also means there are chances to connect teams where overlaps exist and work on an interesting range of projects.
What is your most memorable work moment?
Cycling up to COP26 in Glasgow with the Anthesis team whilst changing countless tyres in the torrential rain was pretty memorable! We had stunning views up through the Lake District and in the Scottish hills, and the celebrations at the end alongside the Carbon Pledges we raised made all the hill climbing worthwhile.
When you’re not at work, how do you spend your time?
Mountain biking in the hills around Bristol and sometimes further afield.
If you’re a woman thinking about a career in engineering, go for it!
What’s the best advice you can give to someone who just started their career?
The person who cares most about your career is you! Try not to worry too much about what other people think, whether that’s your parents or your friends, but do what you’re interested in and what you enjoy.
When I took my first job as an engineer after university, I was pretty daunted by the statistic that there are only 15% women engineers in the UK workplace. I have been surprised by my experience, with nothing but support from my colleagues and the teams I’ve worked with, as well as wider networks such as Women Engineering Society (WES) who are working hard to change the perspective of engineering. If you’re a woman thinking about a career in engineering, go for it! I’ve found the ratio split in sustainability to be a lot more 50:50 women to men. I’d also really recommend speaking to professional women in the sector you want to work in to gain an additional personal perspective and to ask any specific questions about what the role is like day-to-day.
At the heart of Anthesis are the people that make it happen. We know that the right solutions will be provided by positive, hopeful, and inspired people working together with the right expertise, skills, and determination.
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Anthesis has offices in the U.S., Canada, UK, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, South Africa, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Andorra, Finland, Colombia, Brazil, China, the Philippines and the Middle East.
