Careers in Social Impact (CISI) 2022
MMI’s flagship event of the year, Careers in Social Impact, aimed to celebrate the multitude of ways in which meaningful social impact can be created through working in a professional industry. The event invited five distinguished panellists from diverse backgrounds to draw from their experiences and share invaluable insights with students.
This year our panellists included:
Dr Bernadette Whitelum: Director, CEO and Founder of the Alinea Whitelum Group, an international development consultancy
Sarah Jones: Director at Nous, with 15 years’ experience and a passion for social research
Emily Richardson: Associate in NAB’s flagship social impact ‘Ready Together’ program which aims to support Australians who have been affected by natural disasters
Rosie Bridge: Associate Director at Deloitte Access Economics, specialising in education and social policy
Arjun Agarwal: Founder and CEO of Inaam, an impact investing start-up
It was truly inspiring to hear about the different ways in which our panellists have made an impact through their journeys.
A common theme that was emphasised across the panellists was the amplified scope for passionate individuals to enact change whilst working within large, well-resourced institutions. While most of the panellists initially worked for not-for-profits and small-scale charities, they have since moved to working in the private sector, realising that widespread change is facilitated by mobilising the resources of a large corporation. Importantly, this reminded students that their desire to have a direct impact on communities in need and working in the corporate sphere are not mutually exclusive, but rather, can go hand in hand.
The second half of the event provided attendees the opportunity to network and learn from representatives from corporate, STEM and start-up firms as well as social enterprises. These included Alinea Group, Inaam, Nous, Deloitte Access Economics, Australian Super, CSIRO, Blackbird, Teach for Australia, For Change Co, Right Lane Consulting, NAB, Beanstalk, Xero, Bain and Startmate.
Ultimately, through CISI, we hope to remind students that there are a diverse range of opportunities within their chosen field of study where genuine social impact can be embedded within a career.