Ria is a sustainability & impact valuation specialist with more than 11 years of experience in the areas of Sustainability Strategy, Reporting, Assurance, Multi Capital Accounting (Natural, Social & Human), TCFD & GHG Accounting. She is a Masters in Environment & Development from Indian Institute of Forest Management and received advanced professional certification on Leading Strategic Growth from Columbia Business School. Along with her consulting & corporate experience, Ria also possesses hands on experience in working with non-profit organizations & social enterprises.
Ria is currently the Head of Sustainability Accounting, Reporting & Impact at Olam Food Ingredients (ofi), Singapore. She is also leading the Finance for Sustainability (F4S) team in ofi which is uniquely set up in the Finance function and works towards establishing a financial link to Sustainability through Multi-Capital Accounting methodologies.
Her work takes the concept of sustainability measurement to an elevated level by measurement of non-financial capitals (such as Natural Capital) for better decision-making and their contribution towards long-term value. Her aim is to institutionalize an integrated approach towards risk & opportunity and ensuring the non-financial capitals form a part of business decisions.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ria-bakshi-2b439a16/
Q. How has been your journey from IIFM to this role?
A. The journey has been incredibly wonderful! I played key roles in some amazing MNCs such as Deloitte, PwC, and Olam. Each role gave me purpose, challenging work and opportunities to excel and implement innovative practices and solutions.
Q. What were some of the key milestones/learning in this journey that you would like to share with us?
A. I have been very fortunate to have worked with knowledgeable and compassionate leaders who gave me immense opportunities to prove myself. The key learning in my journey thus far is to build your professional relationships based on trust & integrity and everything else will fall in place. I believe promotions, increments, or any monetary reward is a by product of a satisfying career.
Q. What is the most satisfying part of your current role?
A. I have always aspired to work on innovative projects that are futuristic and fulfils some social & environmental purpose. The most satisfying part of my current role is to bridge the missing link between finance and sustainability.
Q. Has your learning at IIFM helped in shaping how you approach your professional roles?
A. Absolutely! IIFM made me passionate about my work and instilled professional values & attributes such as teamwork, integrity, empathy and dependability.
Q. Who (or what) are the biggest influences or drivers in your careers. What would be your advice to freshers and IIFM graduates who are looking to choose similar sectors/roles?
A. My simple advice would be to be passionate about your work and always be willing to learn…be curious! I don’t have any big influencers, but I always try grasping new learnings – big or small, from different people I meet.
Q. What are your favourite memories during your IIFM days?
A. My top three favourite memories are:
- Representing IIFM at inter-college Badminton competition (and winning Gold)
- Practicing in dance performances for annual fests (and winning every year!)
- Field Trips – so much to learn and an experience that really helps build you as a confident person!
Q. In hindsight, what was the biggest contribution (courses, faculty, library, friends, and alumni. Anything else!!) or take away from IIFM that you think played a critical role in shaping you as an individual or professional?
A. I think all these play a crucial role! I have applied/leveraged what I learnt in various courses in my roles, I still reach out to faculty & friends! Alumni for me have been great support system. In Sustainability & Development space we are everywhere. I started my career with a very distinguished and knowledgeable alumni!
Q. As an alumnus, what is your advice to freshers or those are joining IIFM to get best out of the 2 years there?
A. Try to connect whatever you learn with the outside real world! Understanding of real use-case application of your leanings is key.
Q. And how about weekends, Hobbies, Family and anything else you want to add?
A. Currently my favourite time is time spent with my one-year-old Baby Boy – Vardaan.
I do Yoga, running and play Badminton to keep myself fit! Plus listening to good old Bollywood melodies and cooking.
Q. IIFM is driven by alumni’s passion and commitments towards its goal. How would you like to contribute to IIFM or IIFM alumni, students?
A. Always available to share professional advice or suggestions to students.
Q. Any suggestions on who you want to get profiled/interviewed here?