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Sustainability has been a fundamental topic on Rita Melo’s agenda since an early age. With a degree in Geology Engineering, Rita transitioned into the business world, where she has been addressing important environmental issues such as climate action, renewable energy, ESG practices, and waste management among others. In 2019, Rita joined The Lisbon MBA International program, which helped her gain the foundation to expand her positive impact on business and society while promoting a more sustainable world. Today, Rita is a Senior Environmental Consultant at AECOM in Madrid, providing sustainable solutions for projects and companies in different sectors. Rita is also Chairman of the Sustainability Chapter Council of The Lisbon MBA Alumni Club, where she aims to assist the leaders of tomorrow in being more sustainably minded and include ESG fundamentals in their daily decisions.

 

 

1 | What made you decide to take an MBA?

“The drive to grow professionally. Considering I have a background as a Geology Engineer, with time, I felt I needed management skills to evolve in my projects as a better manager and leader. Also, I wanted to come back to Portugal for a while. I discovered The Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova, the only Financial Times-ranked MBA in Portugal, and gained a deep interest in its International program, which has recently solidified its status as #1 in Portugal, #24 in Europe and #85 in the world. Needless to say, The Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova was the obvious choice.”

 

 

2 | What was the most remarkable experience during your The Lisbon MBA journey?

“Beyond the connection with my classmates and faculty in general (still standing to this day) and the enormous amount of knowledge assimilated during this year, the most remarkable experience during my MBA journey was a LEAD (Lead, Explore, Advance, Develop) session on Ethics, where I felt challenged to deeply think about my values and the kind of leader I want to be.”

 

 

3 | How has The Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova helped to shape your professional career?

“After graduating from The Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova, I began thinking about my career more strategically. Having a better understanding of the corporate world and the international business setting made me understand and value long-term thinking in professional choices, which ultimately made me more patient as a team leader, more constructive as a team player and balanced better short-term goals with long-term evolution.”

 

 

4 | What does it mean to be Council Chairperson of the Sustainability Chapter?

“In my opinion, it is a great opportunity to unite and add value to the program, connect with the national and international Community, and develop competencies that help you grow as a professional and human. It is a great privilege and responsibility to be council chairperson of the sustainability chapter of The Lisbon MBA Alumni Club. I see it as an opportunity to promote the discussion on sustainability, share ideas between experts and keep in touch with the Alumni community. My goal with this chapter is to assist the leaders of tomorrow in being more sustainably minded and include ESG fundamentals in their daily decisions.”

 

 

5 | Do you believe that investing in education, such as taking an MBA, can bring effective solutions to fight the climate crisis? 

“I fundamentally believe education is key to helping solve the world’s most pressing challenges. Sustainability is definitely one of the areas where we (as humankind) must grow, evolve and adapt. Businesses nowadays only have a future if they are innovative, adaptative, socially responsible and carbon-positive from inception to closure. There are two major fronts where I believe education plays a major role in sustainability.

On the one hand, it promotes the development of innovative solutions and cooperation between multiple stakeholders with different expertise on the implementation of (yet unknown) solutions for well-known daily problems like plastics disintegration, renewable energy solutions or emissions reduction. On the other hand, education raises awareness in communities of the need to increase the contribution each of us can provide to make the future a greener and safer place for our families, our communities, and nature.

Overall, the more knowledge and sense of community we have, the more willing we’ll be to empathize with other humans and live in a beneficial symbiosis with nature.”

 

Note: The views, opinions or statements shared in these interviews are those of the alumni or students interviewed.