Career Roadmap
Jim's work combines: Business, Environment & Nature, and Accomplishing Goals
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Accountancy
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Graduate Degree
Business
Harvard Business School
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Chief Sustainability Officer:
Bachelor's Degree: Accountancy
Graduate Degree: Business
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
I’ve always cared about the environment—I grew up spending a lot of time outdoors, doing things like scuba diving and going camping.
2.
In high school, I decided I wanted to go study business when I graduated, but I wasn’t entirely sure what that would look like.
3.
I earned my bachelor’s degree in accountancy from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign followed by an MBA from Harvard Business School.
4.
I started my career at the Boston Consulting Group, where I spent 25 years working in consulting and innovation.
5.
I joined Royal Phillips in Amsterdam and worked in strategy, innovation, and sustainability.
6.
I eventually joined PepsiCo and started as the senior vice president of corporate strategy and chief venturing officer.
7.
I gained experience with PepsiCo and moved through various executive roles before ultimately picking up sustainability again and becoming the company’s Chief Sustainability Officer.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
I don't know how to get through this. This isn't going to work out for me.
How I responded:
This isn't direct Noise I've heard but rather a sentiment that people sometimes fall into. Hard work is underrated. Almost any problem you encounter can be solved with hard work. Luck and where you start from in life also factor in, but hard work can get you far. Focus on the things you can control and be prepared to work hard. Think about where you want to put your effort and how much effort you want to put on it. Those are two things that you can control.