Q&A with Kristin Dypdahl on her move to Dutch consultancy firm RiskSphere

04 February 2025 Consultancy.eu

With years of experience in sustainability and a passion for ESG impact, Kristin Dypdahl at the start of this year joined RiskSphere as a Managing Consultant. We asked her five questions about her background, next career chapter in consulting, and her early ambitions at RiskSphere.

What motivated your move to RiskSphere?

By a coincidence when doing a search on LinkedIn I saw the name RiskSphere for the first time. At first glance I found it to be an interesting company and I liked the fact that it appeared to be a relatively small and informal company with a good mix of native Dutch speakers and internationals.

After three years working as special advisor at Position Green travelling back and forth between Norway and the Netherlands and also becoming mother to a little boy, it was time to settle in the Netherlands. RiskSphere offered me the ideal opportunity.

What track record in sustainability are you bringing to RiskSphere?

Over the last seven years there has been a massive transformation in the world of sustainability. When I began my carrier at Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) the term sustainability was for most people wage and non-comprehensive. Since then environmental, social and governance topics (ESG) has become much more regulated and set in a system that allows for better comparison of sustainability performance between companies worldwide.

At GRI, I was a part of this journey and supported hundreds of companies in different sectors to improve their management and reporting practices for their material ESG topics. Besides working with companies on a daily basis to support their sustainability reporting with the GRI Standards I also organized learning programmes in the form of webinars, workshops and roundtables.

At Position Green I was a part of the sustainability reporting and communication team where I advised and supported companies in Norway and beyond with their sustainability strategies and ESG reporting. In the projects I led we carried out stakeholder analysis and materiality assessments, as well as supporting companies with meeting the ever-increasing regional and global ESG regulation.

Sustainability is a constant throughout your career. Where does your passion for the topic come from?

My roots certainly played a role. I grew up in a small village close to the mountains where I spent much of my childhood camping in nature, hiking and skiing. From there I learned and felt the importance of taking care of the small things we often take for granted.

I also believe social justice is key to human wellbeing. All human beings should have the same rights to develop a decent livelihood – at large that is what social sustainability is about.

What will be your main area of focus at RiskSphere?

My combined experience from GRI and Position Green is helpful in particular for our service offerings focusing on implementation of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), ESG reporting and ESG Framework. I look forward to contribute my global experience in sustainability and reporting to help RiskSphere attract new clients and collaboration partners and I am excited about our journey ahead.

RiskSphere is known for its development opportunities. What areas are you are keen to expand in?

While I want to continue focusing mainly on field of sustainability reporting, I am also keen to learn more about climate risk stress testing and scenario analysis. These are areas that are still relatively fresh to me, but where I would love to get the chance to develop competences. As I settle in at RiskSphere, I’m already seeing loads of opportunities for personal and career growth!