Championing sustainability and social impact for a better future
Embracing your UNIqueness: a student article series
Published on the 12 February 2024 by ʹڲƱ Business School EDI Team
As a Senior Associate at PwC Indonesia, Giovanni Janitra found himself offsetting the intensity of his workdays and filling his cup by volunteering as part of the firm’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives on weekends.
He left PwC in 2017 to take on a role as Internal Audit Superintendent at PT Indomining, and two years later he became an independent consultant – but he never stopped giving back to the community in his spare time.
However, in 2020, during COVID, Giovanni realised he didn’t want to limit his impact on society to only the weekends. He wanted to use his finance and accounting skills to make the world a better place on a full-time basis.
“As my career developed, I felt like the purpose of my life should be aligned with the work I spend eight hours a day on,” Giovanni explains. “I wanted to make sure that my next role would not only benefit me, but also other people.”
So in 2020 he joined YCAB Foundation in Indonesia – ranked 28th in the World Top 200 SGO (Social Good Organisations) – first as a Financial Controller and now as Treasurer. The foundation focuses on breaking the chain of poverty by offering inclusive middle and high school education to underprivileged children and empowering female entrepreneurship through microfinance. And while Giovanni feels more fulfilled than ever, he wanted to continue to push himself personally and professionally.
In recognition of his exceptional problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and financial reporting expertise Giovanni received a prestigious Australia Awards Scholarship from the Australian Government in late 2021. These international awards are offered to the next generation of global leaders in developing countries to help drive change through study and research, and to help build enduring people-to-people links with Australia. Giovanni decided to use this grant to pursue an MBA specialising in Sustainability and Social Impact at AGSM @ ʹڲƱ Business School.
“I was always working in my comfort zone in finance and accounting. But as Treasurer, I also work across operations, human resources and procurement. So, I needed to develop my communication and leadership skills, and learn how to work with a variety of different people and mindsets.”
Soon after enrolling at AGSM, Giovanni became the Director of the Student Sustainability and Social Impact Network. Not only helping ʹڲƱ Business School implement more sustainable practices from a student perspective but also learning new ways to assess an organisation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) strengths and gaps.
Creating positive societal outcomes at ʹڲƱ – and beyond
ʹڲƱ is committed to advancing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and plays a central part in fulfilling its vision to improve lives in Australia and around the world.
In response, ʹڲƱ Business School established its own Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Committee to develop, coordinate, monitor, evaluate, and communicate the Business School’s engagement with the SDGs in relation to the ʹڲƱ’s 2025 Strategy.
“Our vision is to tackle real-world problems through partnerships that bring together our students, staff, alumni and the community, aligning our efforts with ʹڲƱ’s expertise and research strengths, Australia’s aspirations and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals,” says Professor Nitika Garg, Chair, ʹڲƱ Business School SDG Committee.
When Giovanni first heard about ʹڲƱ Business School’s SDG Committee, he was instantly drawn in.
“I heard the previous Director of Sustainability and Social Impact share his story of working with the committee at an AGSM Student Association event. When I realised I could work in collaboration with the wider ʹڲƱ Business School on SDG matters outside of my AGSM student network, it was like a calling for me,” he shares.
Giovanni has been impressed with the way the Business School embeds SDGs into its mission, operations, and curriculum. From research on pressing global issues to hosting global climate week, he says ʹڲƱ sets the example of how to “promote a sense of global citizenship.”
“At AGSM every core course I’ve had so far has included a chapter on responsible management. They have a holistic approach that includes the student, academic and organisational perspective. And the ʹڲƱ Business School committee is another way we can focus our interest and actions on sustainability and social impact programs from a faculty level – and apply these concepts to real-world situations.”
Thanks to proactive initiatives and the dedication of academics and students like Giovanni, ʹڲƱ ranked joint 5th in the world and 1st in Australia in the inaugural . In the same year, ʹڲƱ also ranked 18th in the , which measures over 1,500 universities' progress towards the SDGs.
Implementing sustainable practices at ʹڲƱ Business School
As the Business School Student Director of Sustainability and Social Impact, Giovanni is part of the university’s equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) network – helping promote and champion the wider ʹڲƱ SDG strategy and fostering an inclusive community through collaborative teamwork within the Business School.
He has spearheaded several initiatives for MBA students and has coordinated activities to empower individuals with problem-solving skills and effective leadership to create lasting impact in their careers – and lives.
“One of our focus areas is resource efficiency. Australians drink a lot of coffee, so we came up with an education initiative to shift students’ mindsets from using disposable cups to bringing their own sustainable tumblers."
Giovanni also represented ʹڲƱ at a number of events including the 2023 Social Impact Summit by ImpactInstitute, hosted by the University of Technology Sydney, bringing back and sharing his learning on social impact and sustainability trends and measurement with his cohort.
He also organised a group of 22 MBA students to attend SeventeenX. The TedX-style event is designed to champion SDGs and educate and enable people to change the way they do busines