Personal Profile

Name: Sophie Jones

Age: 23

Office: Finsbury Circus House 

Department: Organisational Sustainability 

Background

I studied Environment, Ecology and Economics at the University of York (BSc hons), and went on to complete an MSc in Sustainability and Consultancy at the University of Leeds. As part of my degree, I was given the opportunity to complete a 10 week internship within the sustainability team at Savills which was great experience and further fuelled my interest to pursue a career in sustainability. I then joined the Savills team in London as a graduate sustainability consultant in September 2021.

TYPICAL DAY

A typical day as a sustainability graduate often involves a variety of different tasks, depending on the projects I’m involved in. Generally, my role involves helping clients improve their sustainability strategy and reporting. One day I could be working on developing an asset sustainability plan for a client, another day I could be processing a clients GRESB scores, writing up reports or analysing a client’s utility consumption data. The work I get up to always varies day to day which is something I really enjoy! 

I’m also working towards becoming a Registered Environmental Practitioner (REnvP), through the Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment (IEMA), so I also spend time writing up case studies describing what skills I’ve learnt in my rotation as part of the written assessment.

BEST THING ABOUT your role?

I think one of the best things about my role as a graduate sustainability consultant is the variety of work I get up to. I’ve been involved in exciting projects from day one, and because I will be rotating through the different sustainability service lines, such as BREEAM-In Use, GRESB and ISO14001, this gives me an amazing opportunity to gain experience in different areas of sustainability, whilst also getting to know the entire team. 

The team I work with are great, and everyone is very willing to answer any questions - I already feel like a very valued member of the team. 

OUT OF OFFICE

My weekends usually involve exploring different parts of London as I’ve only recently moved here and there’s so much to see! I also enjoy listening to podcasts, reading, or grabbing a coffee and catching up with friends/family.

What do you think of Savills as a learning environment?

You are given a wide range of opportunities to develop your knowledge and skills, from online training modules that are available to teach you about a range of subjects, all the way up to directly attending client meetings to learn from more senior members of the team. 

Working with the sustainability team has definitely enhanced my learning experience as I’m surrounded by and work with people who are experts in their field. I also think joining alongside other graduates has been a great way to learn as everyone brings something different to the table. 

future aspirations

In the future, I hope to have a wealth of experience in sustainability, solving complex sustainability issues and driving change. I hope to become a Registered Environmental Practitioner (REnvP), and be on the path to chartership, eventually becoming a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv).