First month at BISCI: the perspective of our two newest team members

Grant Davis, Project Manager

'I joined BISCI as a result of working with BISCI's Business Development Director Ton Geurts on my master's thesis in sustainable value network governance. I obtained my master's degree in Sustainability Science, Policy and Society at the Maastricht Sustainability Institute this year.

During my master's studies, I had the opportunity to explore the academic perspectives of topics I had already been thinking about for a long time. I was also able to revisit some of the material I had learned during my undergraduate studies in geography, which feels like a lifetime ago now! Between my bachelor's and master's degrees, I spent five years working as a management consultant in London (although I was not actually in London for a large part of that time!).

Since I joined BISCI on 1 July, I have been able to use the skills and knowledge acquired during my consulting career and combine these with the knowledge obtained during my studies. This has brought me close to what the Japanese call 'Ikagi'. This is a place where ‘what I’m good at’, ‘what I love’, ‘what I get paid for’ and ‘what the world needs’ all meet. BISCI has provided me with this great opportunity and over the past month, this concept of 'Ikagi' has become a reality for me.

So far during my time at BSICI, I have already developed funding proposals for projects in which companies and NGOs collaborate closely with academia to address the Sustainable Development Goals. I have also been able to develop sustainability governance advice and a roadmap for clients to achieve sustainability. This all in combination with the opportunity to develop an Innovation Hub, which has given me the opportunity to brush up on my project management skills. We are coming close to running a small business with Ton and my colleagues Shreyas and Nicole, working in many different areas: marketing, social media, contract writing, prospect management, financials, project management, design and implementation of projects, etc.

So far BISCI has lived up to expectations and my role in the organisation is allowing me to stay at the centre of 'Ikagi.'

Shreyas Sridhar, Junior Project Manager

'I was first introduced to BISCI in February 2020 when I met the Institute's Business Development Director Ton Geurts. I met him through a mutual contact and he provided me with valuable insight into my career options in the Netherlands.

I am from Bengaluru, India. I did my Bachelor's degree in Computer Science Engineering in Bengaluru and then worked for two years at Hewlett Packard Inc, in their commercial printing team. To expand my management skills while also adding to my technical bachelor's degree, I moved to Maastricht in 2018 to pursue a Master's in Management at the Maastricht School of Management.

I officially joined BISCI on 1 July but Ton had already been gradually introducing me to BISCI’s way of working from a few weeks prior to that. On the very first day, I was part of a high-level meeting with one of our business clients and that set a straightforward expectation with me. This first month has been a comprehensive learning experience. I have been working on projects that require me to combine my knowledge of computer science and management. I have been entrusted with projects involving artificial intelligence/business intelligence, large-scale data analysis and other technical projects. My colleague Grant Davis has been an immense support and is helping in shaping my project management skills. Ton’s definitive support has been of great motivation and helped me grow with confidence. With support from Ton, Grant, Nicole Gooren and other colleagues, the first month at BISCI has been pleasant and rewarding.'