“A Day in the Life” chat with ‘thecareersproject’
The Careers Project publication and mentorship program is a platform aimed to provide international students in university a space to explore the endless career paths in the industries they are passionate about. Founder of The Careers Project, Devika Vanjani, reached out to me a few weeks ago to share more about my academic and career journey after Shanghai American School.
Read the full article here or below!
Merel Laauwen is an alumna from Shanghai American School from the Class of 2017. In this article, we cover how she built her career in the consulting & water start-up space.
What is an Independent Consultant & Chief Operating Officer?
An Independent Consultant in the water, sanitation and hygiene space (WASH) focuses on providing strategic advice, analytical support, and research services on different projects for a variety of environmental organizations.
“Along with my work as an Independent Consultant, I’m also the Chief Operating Officer for Segura Water, a health tech startup based in the UK that focuses on improving the world's water quality through easy, accurate, take-anywhere water testing..”
College & Career Journey
After completing a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences at Amsterdam University College, Merel went on to complete a Master of Science in Water Science, Policy and Management from University of Oxford in the UK.
“When I first learned about the water crisis, and the fact that less than 1% of the Earth’s water is usable fresh water, this really sparked something in me. So I decided to take up a Masters in Water in order to dedicate my work to improving global water security.”
Merel has worked as an Analyst in ESG & Sustainability at MJ Hudson, as a Consultant at the International Water Management Institute, and most recently as Junior Rapporteur at Stockholm International Water Institute during World Water Week.
A Day in the Life
Merel is currently working as an Independent Consultant for a variety of clients, and as Chief Operating Officer of Segura Water, a water testing startup based in the United Kingdom.
“My work as a WASH Consultant involves creating and producing reports for our clients that summarize and evaluate the progress of their ongoing implementation projects, as well as analyzing data that helps us identify key areas for future improvement”
Segura Water
“My work at Segura Water is extremely diverse, which keeps me on my toes every single day. One hour I’ll be on an investor call discussing how our water quality testing technology works, and the next I’ll be creating a pitch deck or doing a competitor analysis, etc..”
Careers in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
Merel encourages students who want to apply to university in the UK to build up a network of people who have already done the program you want to do to get advice with the application process and the course experience.
“Building a network of peers who got into Oxford really helped me with the application process. Not to mention, when figuring out your career, reach out to people on Linkedin whose career journey inspires you and ask for a chat. Most people are more than willing to help!”
To learn more about Segura Water as well to connect with Merel, click here.
