Engineering a Sustainable Future: Navishka Pandit's Impactful Work with Fortune 500 Firms
Navishka Pandit (MS ’22) works at the intersection of finance and sustainability. As an engagement associate at EOS at Federated Hermes, she analyzes the strategy, capital allocation, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues that impact the long-term value of Fortune 500 companies—then reports her findings to EOS clients. “I focus on the financial and technology sectors,” she says.
The goal is to enable long-term value creation, which includes ensuring sustainable business practices. Pandit begins engagement with a dialogue about the company’s most material sustainability practices. She undertakes a comprehensive review – and then makes recommendations. “For example, when I talk to companies in the financial services sector, I can discuss the feasibility of a clean energy transition.” She’s proud that her work is making an impact.
“I was always amazed at the diverse and niche areas of interest that my classmates had. They were able to pitch their ideas to industry leaders and even pivot onto new paths because of the flexibility of courses.”
Pandit’s interest in sustainability began during her time at CEE. She gravitated toward classes and conferences that discussed clean energy project financing and environmental life cycle assessments. She’d studied civil engineering as an undergraduate in Delhi and knew her interests had moved to the environmental side. “The ability to take classes that intrigued me, even in departments outside of CEE, made it easy to try out other areas of study.”
She took advantage of opportunities as a student, including a research internship with professors Costa Samaras and Destinie Nock that focused on energy inequities. “This helped me realize the number of opportunities available for creating impact beyond conventional environmental engineering roles.”
The motivated students in her classes also drove Pandit. “I was always amazed at the diverse and niche areas of interest that my classmates had. They were able to pitch their ideas to industry leaders and even pivot onto new paths because of the flexibility of courses.”
After graduation, Pandit leaned hard into her education as she transitioned to a new industry. “My experience at CEE was so important as I moved into the financial space. I had no experience at all in it! At CMU, I was taught that if I sat down to solve a problem with enough determination, I definitely had the ability to figure out the solution.”Today, she’s continuing to learn as she navigates the investment stewardship market and works with portfolio managers on ESG integration. “I pick it up quickly because of my engineering background.”
As she looks to the future, Pandit is preparing to pursue a CFA certificate in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing to further connect her engineering and investing future. “I’m in the job I have today because of my experience at CEE. I’m so grateful for the education and guidance that my professors gave to me. My mentors, Dr. Samaras, Dr. Nock, and Dr. Harper have been instrumental in helping me navigate the job market and choosing the job that would be the right fit for me.