Leanne Heuberger ‘An open, positive attitude is incredibly important for discovering who you are, who you want to be’

Can you talk briefly about your time at Radboud University? What did you study and what were your experiences?

After my achelor's at University College Maastricht, I took the Master's in International Economics & Development at Nijmegen School of Management. I compared several programs at different universities, but chose Radboud University because of its broad perspective on economics. In my year, the Master's specialisation IED was quite small, it consisted of about 10 students at the time. This ensured that we quickly became a close-knit group. I also remember many lectures in relatively small, informal settings. For me, contact with the professors felt very approachable. One of our professors was also in the Senate and knew how to connect the experiences there to the social issues we discussed in lectures. 

What are some challenges you faced after graduation and how did you deal with them?

You can still go in any direction after this degree, which means you have to discover for yourself which direction you want to go and make sure you move towards it. With a well-filled backpack full of economic knowledge and research skills, you can still end up in all kinds of roles. After I graduated, I didn't know it all exactly. I was only 23 and just starting to get to know myself a little bit. 

During my college days I always worked, and right after graduation I worked full-time in the hospitality industry for a while. I loved the social aspect of it. But I also learned: whatever happens, I can make a living with this, so I always have something to fall back on. That gave me a nice foundation. From there I went out into the world with an open, curious mind, confident that I would find my way in it.

What do you like most about your work?

I work as a sustainability consultant for companies with complex chains, such as supermarkets and apparel companies. The people I work with are often sustainability managers and strongly intrinsically motivated to make their operations and chains more socially and/or environmentally sustainable. I really enjoy working with people who are also intrinsically motivated to make the world a little better. 

In addition, the content of the work is also very varied: one time I'm working on a project about livable income, the next time on "greening" a company. 

Finally, it is people work. We may be hired by a company, but that company is made up of people. Together, we want to achieve a goal and examine what is needed to do so. Sometimes that means our team does extensive analyses for a client and sometimes I provide training on how sustainability works for companies. You have to adapt the work to what the client needs.

What does your average workday look like?

In my current position, I spend much of my time working on projects for clients. I also spend time attracting new clients and projects. Finally, I manage several employees.

My work week usually starts with a few check-in moments with colleagues. A brief "stand up" with the entire consulting team to discuss what we are working on, whether anyone has time to spare to help others, or just needs extra hands. In addition, one or more project meetings (depending on the number of projects I am involved in), where I discuss the progress of the project with the project team and we divide the tasks for that week. 

The rest of my work week consists of coordinating with clients, managing and supporting employees where necessary, contributing content to projects, making proposals for new projects, holding development meetings with employees and much more. 

What advice would you give to current students or graduates of Nijmegen School of Management?

An open, positive attitude is incredibly important for discovering who you are, who you want to be and for finding cool jobs. Be curious, help others get started, too, and just go out and try things. It's not bad to ask others for help. You will find that many people enjoy helping you.

For job seekers, approach people on LinkedIN who you think have cool professions and ask if they would like to call or Teamsen with you to talk about their jobs. This helps to get a good idea of what different jobs entail and what may or may not suit you.