Ali Hasan: word of mouth can cross continents

I first heard about ERM when I was in Pakistan, where I grew up. A ex-colleague of mine had joined the company in Indonesia and was full of praise for the work they were doing. At the time, I was working in sustainable finance with a commercial bank in Karachi – developing projects centred around climate change mitigation and adaptation. So, when I moved to Germany in 2022, keen to build on that experience, I remembered what my friend said. That recommendation in Karachi helped me find my dream job in Berlin!

Now, I’m part of a team delivering advisory services around the EU Green Deal, helping clients understand and comply with the three major regulations involved – CSRD, EU Taxonomy and Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation. With the Green Deal regulatory framework coming into effect, companies have new reporting obligations. We’re here to offer the expert advice on how to meet those obligations.

I’m a subject matter expert on EU Taxonomy and SFDR. While it’s a specialist role, these services are quite industry agnostic, so I get to work with a broad range of clients. One of my favourite projects involved a company pioneering clean battery recycling – making sure that their innovative efforts would be properly reported under EU Regulation. But whether I’m working with auto manufacturers, chemical companies, service companies or financial institutions, our basic aim is the same: to analyse the implications of the regulations and to focus on simplifying it for the customer.

I was recently given an award for my efforts, which was perhaps the proudest moment of my career so far. I don’t think that would be possible without the help of my work family – I’m lucky to work in a team filled with competent and friendly people, always ready to support each other. I am the only non-German speaker on the team, but that hasn’t held me back as much as you might expect. Here, collaboration means including all voices and encouraging everyone to be heard – I’m a walking example of that, included and welcomed in every conversation that goes on.