Internship with focus on sustainability

Name: George Anderson

Age: 20

Living: Jönköping

Program: Sustainable Enterprise Development

School: Jönköping International Business School

Meet Proton’s intern from Jönköping International Business School

“Important to practice at a company that actually wants to make a difference”

01

What is your name and where are you from?

– My name is George Anderson and I originally come from a small town outside Boston in the USA but have lived in Stockholm with my family since I was 9 years old. My father got a job in Sweden at the time, which was the reason for our move.

02

Which program are you attending in Jönköping?

– I attend the Sustainable Enterprise Development program and it was when I took the course “Organization Theory for purpose and profit” that I came into contact with Proton, who initiated a collaboration with the university. The course included in-depth interviews with several of Proton’s stakeholders with the aim of gaining a deeper understanding of which areas within sustainability Proton should focus on according to the stakeholders.

03

Where does your interest in sustainability come from?

– I have since I remember had a great interest in the sustainability and have thought a lot about how the choices we make affect the climate and also how different industries and food leave an impression on the environment. The school I started at, when we first came to Sweden, had a big focus on sustainability and that permeates my education all the way up to high school. Therefore, the choice of program at the university was given.

04

How come you wanted to intern at Proton?

– Early on in my school work with Proton, I understood that it is a company that is very open and transparent in terms of its sustainability work. For me, it’s important to work at a genuine company that actually wants to make a difference and not just talk about sustainability because that’s what you have to do right now. I therefore asked Proton’s CEO David early on if there was an opportunity to do an internship here, which I got after a discussion with Sustainability Manager Maria and the program manager at the school in Jönköping.

05

What are you going to do during your 10 weeks with us?

– Among other things, I will do a current situation analysis of the demands Proton and its business areas place on their stakeholders in terms of sustainability. Based on that, I will define requirements towards the stakeholders, give suggestions on how to communicate these and also give recommendations of suitable assessment tools. I will also make suggestions about how Proton should assess its stakeholders in the future as well as identify possible KPIs within certain sustainability areas that Proton has set up.

06

And finally, what is sustainability to you?

– In general, I see that it is the climate footprint that is created in relation to what we get out of the choices we make and our behavior. I usually define sustainability as a relationship as it is something that is constantly changing and that you constantly have to work with.

Thanks George! We are very happy to have you with us these 10 weeks!

Enjoy
succeeding
together.®