From Engineer to Changemaker
From Engineer to Changemaker: Tarek’s path to Climate Finance
Tarek was a Bseisu scholar between 2017-2018 and was our first-ever Bseisu Scholar in the UK. Tarek kindly sat down with our Scholarships Officer, Catherine Stephenson, to talk about where he was before his Bseisu scholarship and what he's been up to since.
Tarek originally worked in Sustainability Engineering, designing low carbon buildings for an engineering firm in the UK. Despite finding this work enjoyable, he became incredibly frustrated with the level of impact he could have in terms of climate change through this work. Tarek realised that his clients often did not show concern in climate change if it wasn't obviously in their own interests.
As such, he became set on undertaking a Master's to move into the field of climate finance – where he felt he could create a bigger impact. At the time however, there were no programmes that offered any focus on climate finance therefore Tarek decided to take on a role in Sustainability Consulting focused on encouraging managers to reduce greenhouse emissions across their real estate portfolios. While the role was engaging, he quickly realised that the company’s morals were not aligned with his own and very few projects ended up contributing to mitigating climate change.
Tarek knew that a shift towards Finance would be a better fit and a solution to help him create the impact he longed for. In Finance, as an investor, you hold the power to ultimately take decisions and drive change. Unfortunately, the job market is very competitive and to work in impact investing in climate change one needs a strong academic background and lots of experience in finance, both of which Tarek did not have.
Tarek waited - he didn't want to purely do Finance. Eventually, the right opportunity came around, in the form of MSc Climate Change, Management, and Finance at Imperial College London. In Tarek's words, this was a life-changing experience and was transformative for his career. This master's course allowed him to transition to his current role in development climate finance.
Tarek was awarded a joint scholarship from LIFE Lebanon and The Amjad & Suha Bseisu Foundation, which covered the full cost of his master's. He kept a part-time job and tutored online maths and science to finance his living expenses. Alongside his offer to study at Imperial, Tarek also received an offer from Columbia University, but was unable to accept it due to a lack of funding to cover the extremely high tuition fees. Having had to give up on this opportunity, he understands the feeling of education being out of reach due to financial constraints.
The Levant region has long been marred by conflicts and political instability, leading to a significant refugee crisis. Many young people’s access to education has been severely hindered by displacement and financial constraints. The Bseisu Foundation's commitment to providing scholarships to students from this region aims to work against this, offering a lifeline for talented individuals who aspire to pursue higher education. By empowering students through educational opportunities, the Foundation attempts to not only transform individual lives but also contribute to building a skilled and educated generation that can drive positive change in their communities.
Following the completion of his master’s degree, Tarek landed a job at British International Investment (formerly CDC Group), UK's Development Finance Institution. At BII, Tarek invests in energy access and resource efficiency companies across Africa and Asia with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and litres of fresh water consumed. By investing in these companies, Tarek has been able to make a tangible contribution to reducing the environment impact of businesses on the planet.
As an Investment Executive, Tarek has spent a lot of time analysing companies and the market they operate in. His knowledge of financial markets, business management, and engineering have been tested in the many exciting projects he works on. He cites that had it not been for the financial support of a scholarship, Tarek would have not been able to pursue higher education and follow his current career path of driving the decarbonisation of global economics and supporting local communities through Finance.
When it comes to landing your dream job, Tarek's advice is: "Don't be disillusioned by the job market and try to find the right job even if it's just a milestone for the next one. I didn't nail my dream job from the start but instead went through 75+ rejections first. There are elements of luck and perseverance."
Tarek also wanted to emphasise the importance of reaching out and networking with people, in as simple a way as LinkedIn. He took advantage of this and the opportunities that having a professional online presence can bring.
Tarek's inspiring journey showcases the immense impact that education and financial support can have on the lives of talented individuals. We are incredibly proud to support such brilliant, talented individuals, like Tarek, who, through determination and hard work, drive change and create a big impact for communities around the world.
Visit our Meet the Scholars page to read more of our scholars' stories.