Sustainability Dialogue with Alumni: Understanding Motivation with Nathan Wong
Nathan Wong is a sustainability consultant at EY Hong Kong who helps businesses understand the risks and opportunities of sustainability. He is a graduate of HKUST, where he studied Environmental Management and Technology that exposed him to business, sustainability, and sciences.
In a recent interview, Wong spoke about the importance of sustainability and how HKUST students can get involved.
"Sustainability is one of the most important issues of our time," Wong said. "It's about figuring out how to ensure we as humans continue to thrive within the environment we created and inherited."
Wong said that businesses that are able to leverage sustainability as a business accelerator will be well-positioned for success in the future. "Companies will be pushed to seek out new solutions from a variety of fields, and incorporate sustainability as a driver for company decision making," he said.
Wong also encouraged HKUST students who are interested in a career in sustainability and has one important piece of advice - understand your motivation. “With the sustainability field constantly evolving, find your one reason to get involved. Once you find that, do everything you can to make that reason a reality. There are plenty of niches to roles to thrive in.”
Wong concluded by saying that he is excited about the future of sustainability. He believes there’s a direct “spotlight on sustainability and climate issues worldwide, the field of sustainability is and will be constantly changing”. He emphasizes that companies will be better equipped to leverage sustainability as a business accelerator, “taking on unprecedented risks and business initiatives in order to set them apart from peers. Sustainability is one of the most exciting fields to be in right now," he said.
