Summer interns with keen interest in sustainability gain valuable hands-on experience in LC&I ESG

Meet Thea, Sandra, Axel and Sofia, passionate about sustainability, and curious to learn about Nordea’s role, efforts and commitment to help mitigate and accelerate the transition to a more sustainable society.  

Thea Wadell (24)

Master in Business and Management at Stockholm School of Economics

I applied for a summer internship with Nordea LC&I ESG because it offered a great opportunity for me to combine my passion for sustainability with my curiosity about the banking business’ role in driving positive change, and my desire to learn and grow within a supportive and dynamic environment. Moreover, I wished to gain insights into how different companies work with sustainability, what targets they are striving to achieve, and what actions they are taking to achieve their goals.

Invaluable learning experiences

During my internship at LC&I ESG, I engaged in various tasks that provided me with invaluable learning experiences. Specifically, I was involved in collecting and analyzing ESG data, which helped me advance my quantitative and qualitative analytical skills. Moreover, I have learned how companies report their environmental impacts and which measurements they use.

The hands-on experience in conducting company data collection and analysis has significantly contributed to my professional growth, equipping me with skills that will benefit my future career.  Additionally, I have achieved an understanding of Nordea’s role in guiding companies towards contributing positively to the environment, which was very inspiring. 

Sandra Törnquist

I'm from Stockholm and have a bachelor on business and economics, and a bachelor in politices from Uppsala University. Currently, I am amid my master's in economics at Stockholm University. 

During my masters, I have read a course about interrelation between climate change and the global economy that emphasised the opportunities to mitigate climate change. I saw the internship as a great chance to learn more about how financial institutions such as Nordea can use their goals and agenda to influence businesses towards a low carbon economy.  

Steep learning curve - Cool experience

The learning curve this summer had been step! I have gained knowledge about the tools in the toolbox of different sectors and businesses to decarbonise, as well as the challenges they may face. I got insight to the concept of financed emissions, and how the right knowledge about a business is crucial to be able to aid them towards becoming greener. It has been cool to see that the information we have been collecting this summer will form a background in decision making.

Eyeopeners?

I am really impressed by the team we have been a part of, and it has been a bit of an eye opener that Nordea is putting so much effort into the area. It feels like we have been a part of something that is still quite unmatched but will surely be a common practice for a lot of banks further on.

Axel Hammar (21)

Studies: Second year student, BSC in Business and Economics at SSE (Stockholm School of Economics) specializing in Finance & Accounting.

One of the reasons for applying for the internship, was that I was curious of how the ESG factors that companies report are implemented and used from a banking standpoint. Much of the literature and teaching at SSE is highly academic, and often conclude that it is hard to establish statistically significant correlations to ESG initiatives and developments.

But companies still publish long reports displaying all their efforts, and I wanted to delve deeper into the significance of these publications and gain first-hand experience. Further, the ESG perspective/factors are most likely the fastest growing subject in today’s business environment which made it feel very topical and interesting.

Development and insight 

I would say the main skill I have developed during my time at Nordea is the ability to read, analyze, and understand companies sustainability reporting. But I have also learned a lot more about the development of GHG reporting during the past 3-4 years, the variety of initiatives companies in multiple different industries adapt to limit their emissions, and the challenges many of the highest emitting industries face.

Eyeopeners?

From the companies, I have been working on, I have been positively surprised by the efforts and resources many of the large companies dedicate to transitioning to disclose their own footprint and transition into a green economy. From the job itself, I was positively surprised over the independence, freedom, and trust we interns were given from start to finish.

Sofia von Cotzhausen Modin (24)

Bachelors in Business and Sustainability at Uppsala University, Masters in International Business at Uppsala University.

I did my bachelors thesis at Nordea on sustainability and marketing in which I learned a lot about how banks work with sustainability. However, I felt like I wanted to learn more about ESG and how companies are assessed based on ESG. This internship was a perfect opportunity to learn how companies work with ESG and report on their climate actions, and how sustainability is manifested in different industries.

Critical thinking skills and team work

I learned a lot about how different companies and industries report on their sustainability initiatives and how they are working towards their climate goals. I also developed on my critical thinking skills while going through sustainability reports. Every company can report on their emissions and targets in different ways, and sometimes it is harder to decipher what they mean. Additionally, I learned how to work well with a team and individually as we all worked very closely and supported each other in our various assignments.

Eyeopeners? 

It has been really interesting to see how many companies have set climate targets, and have a plan on how to reduce their emissions. Some companies are making a substantial effort to integrate sustainability into everything they do and are making improvements to cut CO2 emissions, while others have barely started on their climate journey. Hopefully in the future every company will have set targets and present a plan on how to achieve their climate goals.

It's been a great pleasure to have ESG interns joining us this summer - alongside all the other interns who have spent their summer with us rotating between various LC&I units at our trading floors in Copenhagen, Oslo, Helsinki and Stockholm.

Check out our career blog and find inspiration and insight in the numerous blogs written by interns, and featuring junior and senior employees as well as managers working in Nordea LC&I.