From 13 to 14 May 2023, the Shanghai session of the SheShapes Green programme took place at the Wujiaochang Innovation and Entrepreneurship Academy in Shanghai. Ms. Remoca Shi, Founder & Executive President of WeCarbon, joined the roundtable on 13 May as an invited guest.
SheShapes Green guests are prominent figures from investment, the arts and business, as well as influential women leaders. During the programme they explored industry trends, discussed future possibilities and built an understanding of the green sector through real-world challenges, putting sustainable development into practice. The programme included a Climate Fresk game, thematic talks, a roundtable, company visits and thematic workshops, making for a rich exchange of ideas.
At the roundtable, Ms. Shi and fellow guests shared their experience and insights with participants. Ms. Shi noted that before entering the field, it is essential for candidates to gather information widely and understand the scope and key indicators of ESG in different industries. On the abilities needed for a career in ESG, she stressed the importance of self-motivation. ESG touches every industry and even every department of a company, so it is important to keep learning, study strong cases from established companies, distil the essence of their practice and think about how to apply it flexibly. The ESG field is also moving fast and regulatory requirements keep changing, so before interviewing with a company, candidates need to keep their knowledge of ESG standards and policies up to date. In addition, data analysis and English skills are key for entering the field: ESG frameworks are more mature in Europe and North America, so much of the high-quality ESG material comes from English-speaking countries.
(Photo: SSG)
Ms. Shi also shared typical experiences from her daily work. She highlighted how important it is for companies, especially those planning to go public, to build internal ESG management and data monitoring systems early for their sustainable development. She also stressed keeping up with government policy, and noted that in B2B work the key is explaining to senior management or the sustainability committee how ESG can be integrated with the company's core business to create value. As for sources of information, regularly following the ESG columns and official accounts of industry media is an important way to keep informed, and every week WeCarbon also compiles Chinese and international news on sustainability and ESG for interested readers.
About SheShapes Green
SheShapes, a non-profit programme for women's growth, was launched by the World Economic Forum's Global Shapers Beijing Hub. It focuses on women's growth and career development and aims to empower women. SheShapes Green is a free non-profit programme under SheShapes that gives confident, high-potential and self-driven women information and resources about green industries, and offers systematic support to help them enter these sectors.