Event Reflection: Sustainability Skills and AI - Shaun Walden - Head of ESG UK & Europe DLA Piper Business Advisory (March 2025)

The UK and Ireland Working Group on ‘Careers and Sustainability’ were delighted to host Shaun Walden, ESG Director of the global law firm DLA Piper on ‘Sustainability Skills and AI’. 

Shaun has over 20 years of experience in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) across multiple sectors. He brought insight into the types of roles available across the ESG job landscape, and his expertise in diverse areas of sustainable finance, climate change and disclosure assurances. 

Within consulting marking services, Shaun illustrated the diversity of roles within ESG and the skills required across the spectrum of technical knowledge through to transferable and personality characteristics. Shaun provided recruitment advice, alongside a consideration of the benefits and implications of the emergence of AI in ESG.     

The session attracted students, educators, coaches and senior sustainability leaders. This provided rich discussion from multiple perspectives, underpinning the Working Group's mission. It enabled educators to return to module/programme design armed with fresh industry insights as to the skills students need, and how to support them in approaching recruitment and for networking between participants within and beyond the session.  With industry leaders from across sectors in the room, it generated interesting discussions around differing approaches to recruitment. 

Shaun commented following the session that “In the evolving field of ESG, AI is more than just a technological innovation; it will be a driving force for reshaping required sustainability skills which will impact the approach to recruitment. By offering practical insights and engaging in discussions with a diverse group of stakeholders, through the PRME network, we can better understand and clarify the real-world implications of these changes". 

While many students registered, it was a shame that many could not attend ‘live’, and did not, therefore, benefit from the open discussions. Indeed, during the session, there was a discussion regarding the potential for students to enhance their employability through such industry engagement opportunities. It is tricky to find a time that suits everyone, and this is an issue we will seek out further student insight in moving forward with session planning.   

As a Working Group, this session reinforced the value of a forum where students can directly engage with employers, and for industry leaders to connect to the education community. We are keen to host any educators whom wish to invite business leader contacts to join a webinar, or for business leaders to contact us directly.  

Please see the Working Group page on the PRME UKI website for more information and resources. 

Dr Karen Cripps and Dr Jonathan Louw (Working Group Leads)