Abhishek Verma

Meet Abhishek Verma who pursued his passion for corporate  sustainability and founded VALUEX, a company that measures the social impact of projects and organisations

Sustainability entrepreneur

Abhishek is the founder of a Canadian based independent management consulting venture called VALUEX. Using his degree and past work experience his company measures and manages the social impact of projects, programs, organisations and businesses in the charitable and educational sector. He supports businesses to make decisions based on social, environmental and economic costs.

Previous to this Abhishek was a Consultant at KPMG in New Delhi, India and worked in a range of climate change and sustainability advisory and assurance projects in sectors including oil & gas, consumer electronics, financial services, metals and mining and many more. He moved to Canada in 2018, and after working at a boutique sustainability consulting firm where he gained experience on environmental, social and governance (ESG) in real estate and infrastructure, he founded his own venture.

Gaining knowledge and experience to start a business

Abhishek chose to study at Herts due to its proximity to London, and the great quality of teaching and research offered in his chosen field. He felt the most crucial thing was the expertise and facilities on campus, particularly the Learning Resource Centres.

Abhishek says the most useful aspect of his course was the corporate social responsibility module as it was directly related to the needs of business organisations to become socially responsible for their impact on the environment and local communities. This is the inspiration behind his business venture.

Throughout his degree, Abhishek gained valuable work experience and developed key skills to make him stand out from other applicants. He states that the work experience he undertook allowed him to keep up with the latest trends. Upon graduation he continued to do this and undertook internships in London, Bristol and New Delhi to gain market insight.

He recommends current environmental management students pursue work experience within an industry of most interest, such as oil and gas, mining, textiles, chemicals or I.T. and then whether consultancy or 'hands on' experiences is their passion.

'To secure the job I wanted at a firm like KPMG, it was essential for me to stand out from other applicants. I did this by having a relevant and well respected Master's degree from a respected university, and by being up to date with the latest trends in my profession through work experience.'  He adds that 'a relevant dissertation can also make a significant difference in getting a foot in the door.'

Abhishek encourages anyone with a strong interest in the environment and sustainability, to pursue a career in the field as it is very rewarding.