Altiorem welcomes you to the next post within a regular series where we profile the inspiring and generous people who are making Altiorem possible.
We are excited to introduce our intern profile on the amazing Chris Wiley.
Tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m a third year student at Monash University completing a Bachelor of Science with a major and minor in mathematics and marketing science, respectively. My current role is at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre where I am a set-ups team member catering for clients who choose to have their expos, events and conferences at our globally recognised venue.
In my spare time, I prioritise my health and fitness, enjoying daily runs and regularly going to the gym.
What attracted you to Altiorem?
The thing that attracted me to Altiorem was the new and exciting concept of sustainable finance. From my previous studies I knew what these two words meant individually but had no idea that they shared so many overlapping and necessary advances that are needed to make a sustainable change in our society today. I was also excited that Altiorem was tackling an underrepresented issue that supports and enables a sustainable, equitable and healthy environment, society and economy.
How have you found the experience? How was it relevant to your studies?
Overall, the experience has been overwhelmingly positive. The new systems and processes in place are initially challenging (a barrier in all new workplaces), however after a little persistence (and with the amazing support from the Altiorem team) I felt very comfortable working through the new processes.
The research area I focused on was human rights. Coming from a science and mathematics background, I had never really been given the opportunity to learn about this aspect of society, so completing these summaries was a great way for me to expand my knowledge about a topic I had never been exposed to before.
“The link to your public Altiorem profile is also a great way to show off your achievements to future employers and has definitely helped me in conveying my skills in job interviews”
As a university student, I’m also met with extremely busy weeks which involve assignments, assessments and exams. The freedom of working on these summaries whenever I was free was also a huge bonus, as it was easy to work around university and other commitments in my life. This took the pressure off rushing a summary to be completed by a specific date and allowed me to appreciate more of the content I was summarising with greater accuracy and quality.
What is the most interesting piece of research you have come across?
The most interesting piece of research that I summarised was the Poverty Footprint, which is a people centred approach to assessing business impacts on sustainable development, a collaboration between the United Nations Global Compact and Oxfam. The value in this piece for me was in its ability to create recommendations for companies by showing where and how poverty impacts them, opening up opportunities to action. Overall, it was a very insightful and eye-opening read that I would never have thought to explore if it wasn’t for my time at Altiorem.
What would you say to other people thinking about contributing to Altiorem?
I would definitely recommend this experience to university students alike, or any other individuals that are looking for a fun, challenging and intuitive insight into the world of sustainable finance. It is a good opportunity to expand your knowledge on a topic you enjoy, or (like me) choose a new one that can really change your perspective and allow you to learn more about key issues affecting the global community.
Publishing summaries in the library is also extremely satisfying and rewarding. The link to your public Altiorem profile is also a great way to show off your achievements to future employers and has definitely helped me in conveying my skills in job interviews.
