I can’t believe that my eight-week placement at GIRAFFE Associates has already come to an end. The time flew by – but I think this is only underlining how much I enjoyed my time here. With this post, I would like to give you some insights into our wee company and the great experience that I‘ve had. 

Let me start with a short introduction of myself. My name is Alicia, and I am studying “Leadership for Sustainable Development” at Queen’s University Belfast. It is a one-year Masters programme that combines academic learning with practical experience through several placements. This is how I came across GIRAFFE Associates. 

I am living in Belfast City, so each of my office days began with a peaceful train journey along the coast to our office in Whitehead. Coming from Germany, where coastal landscape aren’t part of everyday life in most areas, the sea views each morning feel extra special and a perfect start to the day. It is a small but powerful example of the importance of nature: a calm train journey through coastal scenery that deepened my appreciation for our beautiful planet, giving me a peaceful moment to relax and supporting my mental wellbeing.

Throughout my placement, I experienced and recognized a lot of these small examples of sustainability, which is truly beautiful and just underlines how interconnected sustainability is in all aspects of professional and private life. 

My main project during my placement time has been contributing to the Supply Chain Sustainability Pilot project, which is run by GIRAFFE Associates and funded with a Business Innovation Grant by Invest NI. Timeframe of the pilot project is March to September 2025. The project aims to support construction and manufacturing companies in embedding sustainability along their supply chain. This gave me the opportunity to dive deep into supply chain practices and engagement with suppliers on the topic of sustainability. It was very interesting for me to learn where the companies are at on their sustainability journey and in which areas they require support and training. As part of the project, we have also worked together with a carbon measurement platform, Climate Essentials, which helped me understand how a practical measurement of a company’s carbon footprint works and how it can aid decision-making.  

Beyond my project, I had the opportunity to complete Carbon Literacy Training at GIRAFFE Associates. The training helped me to reflect more practically on how to set my own private and professional goals to contribute in reducing carbon emissions. The training encourages one to think more critically about our individual and collective impacts on climate change and provides a great overview of the topic.  If you haven’t done Carbon Literacy training yet, I would highly recommend it, as it is a great learning experience and includes a certificate for successful completion! 

Furthermore, I also had the chance to attend various webinars and events such as “Sustainability Bites” delivered by our Managing Director Gillian McKee in the Cathedral Quarter, where the topic was aiming to explain to a wide range of businesses why it matters to engage on sustainability. I’m looking forward to attending the follow-on events in this series over the summer months.

Personally, I found it very inspiring to work for GIRAFFE Associates and to see firsthand how much positive impact a consultancy can have by guiding and supporting others on their journey towards a more sustainable future. The passion for sustainability in GIRAFFE Associates is contagious and has a lasting effect on everyone who has the chance to work with them.

A big thank you to Gillian McKee and Sally O’Kane for that amazing experience and support! 

Alicia Kundel