Green Talents Moment✨: Meet Judy Cheung, Climate Change and Sustainability Manager at EY

Welcome to the first article of 2025 for our "Green Talents Moment" series! Last year, Climate Incubator launched this new series to showcase individuals making a positive impact on sustainability through their work and projects. Our aim is to inspire readers to explore more possibilities for contributing to a sustainable future 🌏. This month, we had the pleasure of speaking with Judy Cheung, a Sustainability Manager focusing on the financial sector.

Judy helps financial institutions navigate the complexities of sustainability regulations and implement strategies for a greener future. Let’s take a deep dive into Judy’s career journey and her insights on the role of finance in driving environmental sustainability. 

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Q: Could you share about your background and career journey? What made you interested in sustainability consultancy?

I studied chemical and environmental engineering for my bachelor’s degree and energy and environmental engineering for my master’s. After graduation, it took me some time to identify and determine my career goals. I explored various roles, such as engineering trainee and environmental consultant, which were key to my self-discovery. I eventually landed in the sustainability consulting industry.

I currently focus on supporting the financial sector in their sustainability journey as financial institutions can extend its impact through financing and investment activities for driving sustainability initiatives and enable other industries for their low-carbon transition. Helping financial institutions and commercials to adopt low-carbon transition initiatives is also key for achieving global sustainability agendas, such as the Paris Agreement. Working as a sustainability consultant is also challenging because the field is rapidly evolving. Yet, I can always learn from each unique project and I find this field is rewarding and meaningful to work on.

Q: What does a sustainability consultant do?

Sustainability consultants help companies navigate the complex landscape of regulations, international standards, and market trends related to sustainability. We help companies go beyond ESG/sustainability reporting, and assist in carbon accounting, climate risk assessment, green and sustainable finance, strategy formulation, including net-zero goal setting, and data management to address business pain points. 

Q: What are the challenges you face in this role?

You need to stay up-to-date on news, standards and market trends regarding development in various sustainability areas, such as climate change, biodiversity, gender diversity, and human rights. There are always new developments from time to time, and the field is becoming more technical, requiring more quantitative assessment. You need to be a fast learner and absorb knowledge fast enough to apply into your daily work. You also need to put yourself in your clients’ shoes to devise and customize practical solutions aligning with their expectations and business case, while creating sustainability values.

Q: What is the driving mission behind your work?

I’m happy to see my clients and businesses progress in their sustainability journeys. I like driving positive change through my work and navigating the sweet spot between maintaining business objectives and improving sustainability performance. It’s also interesting to observe how global initiatives and goals, such as those from COP, are gradually being reflected and implemented into the commercial world, making me feel like I’m contributing to a larger impact.

Q: Why should financial institutions care about sustainability?

Financial institutions play a crucial role because they manage capital and cash flow that enable sustainability and low-carbon initiatives. Financial support is crucial for initiating, executing and supporting projects and business activities, especially those related to green infrastructures, which often require long-term investment. Financial sector can drive positive change through the various financial products, engaging customers and investing in companies. Also, they can lead and motivate good practices in other sectors through incentives, like sustainability-linked loans. 

Q: What is the role of a consultant in contributing to environmental sustainability?

Consultants provide advice and recommendations to support companies, including small and medium enterprises with limited resources, in their transition to low-carbon operations. We normally start with a status quo analysis through carbon accounting, then set targets, develop decarbonization roadmaps, and formulate implementation strategies. We also provide problem-solving and knowledge transfer to assist not only the decarbonization journey, but also address other environmental focuses, e.g. biodiversity and resources usage, for companies.

Q: What qualities or skills are needed to become a sustainability consultant?

Be a fast learner, open-minded, and passionate about this area. You will encounter diverse clients with various needs and business constraints, so you need to be creative and at the same time be practical when problem solving and developing sustainability solutions for businesses. Also, be good with numbers and data, particularly for areas of carbon accounting and climate risk.

Q: What advice would you give to people who want to learn more about sustainability consulting?

If you don’t have a sustainability background, you can take certifications or courses to gain fundamental knowledge in sustainability. Sustainability encompasses many aspects and always synergizes with other sectors, making it applicable to various careers and industries. After all, it’s important to be passionate about this area and trust the process of solving global crisis like climate change.

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Interviewed by: Charlotte Lam 

Written by: Jessica Wong