Olivia Brown, Sustainability Project Lead Intern
Meet Olivia Brown, a sustainability project lead intern at Star Refrigeration and a third-year Environmental Management (BSc) student at Glasgow Caledonian University. Olivia joined Star, drawn by its relevance to her studies and the significant role of industrial refrigeration in sustainability. In her role as Sustainability Lead, Olivia is instrumental in setting sustainable targets for Star, aiming to address various UN Sustainable Development Goals. She enjoys the dynamic challenges of her projects and the collaborative environment at Star, which fosters continuous learning as the company advances towards net zero. Olivia started part-time during university and has recently transitioned to full-time during her summer break, appreciating the supportive and flexible culture that encourages her professional growth.
What is your educational background?
I am currently going into my third year of Environmental Management (BSc) at Glasgow Caledonian University.
How did you start working at Star?
I had seen that Star were advertising for a sustainability intern on linked in. I found the role description quite interesting and it aligned very closely with modules I had been completing at university. I had not heard of industrial refrigeration’s before but soon realised how big of an industry it is.
What benefits have you found from your internship?
My role description had highlighted that I would be able to work one day a week during term time and transition to full time when I had completed the year. This gave me flexibility to gain experience and continue my studies, it made the shift to full time much easier.
What does your current role involve?
I am currently Sustainability Lead and have been working on creating Sustainable targets for Star along with my team. We have really strived to make a difference in each UN Sustainable Development Goal and reach them through well thought out initiatives.
What do you enjoy most about what you have been working on, and what are the biggest challenges you face?
I really enjoy the many different aspects of the projects I’m working on, things are constantly changing as we move towards net zero. I also get to communicate with a lot of different people from other teams and gain a different view on certain ideas that I would not have thought of myself. One of the biggest challenges is gaining sufficient knowledge to understand the refrigeration industry as there are so many different factors that go into not just a refrigeration system but the company as a whole.
How long have you been working for Star? What do you like about working for the company?
I started in December doing one day a week and I am now just over a month in full time work. I really like that everyone is approachable I am able to ask as many questions as I need to understand and someone will always be happy to help and support me gain that knowledge.
What type of role are you looking to develop into in future?
I hope to continue to build my knowledge in the industrial sector and how sustainability fits into it within the company. I am excited to see what the future holds once I have gained my degree and where it will take me.