MSc Human Rights, 2010
Owner, Catalyst Resources Development Group LLC
Senior Manager, Estelle Levin Ltd.
Prior to the LSE I had worked in Washington DC at the World Bank in a project support role for an access to justice initiative, and for four years at the Fund for Global Human Rights as its first development officer. From my time at the Fund for Global Human Rights, I had developed a subject-area interest in natural resource development and human rights. While at the LSE, I decided to take a mix of coursework in African development, civil conflict, gender, and international law.
During the summer of my dissertation, I took a part-time paid internship with a small development consultancy called Estelle Levin Ltd. (ELL). I’ve been working here as a researcher, manager, then senior manager since mid-2010 and I work at the intersection of rural development, mining, human rights, and the environment from a variety of perspectives and for a variety of clients.
In mid-2013, I started a small US company called Catalyst Resources Development Group LLC which is involved in a USAID-funded programme to assist small-scale diamond miners gain legal title to their land, improve their working conditions, and get better incomes for the work. Essentially, we’ll be helping turn diamond mining from a desperation activity to a development activity.
On a day to day basis, my job involves researching country contexts, interviewing key experts, coordination of teams, and proposal writing. The key skills are diplomacy, cultural sensitivity, confidence, and persistence, and being dedicated to the client satisfaction. What I like about consulting is that you are forced to be the best in the world, to keep your skills razor sharp, and to maintain a large network so that you have the best and the brightest in the world working with you.
My job is at the nexus of rural development, the mining industry, human rights, and the environment. It also involves some of the biggest companies in the world because the mining industry is at the centre of so many products. That means the CSR managers for major corporations call me when they realize the materials they are sourcing comes from challenging places with difficult human rights, environmental, or other situations.
My advice for LSE post-graduates is to get work experience before you get your Master’s degree. This will give you more perspective in your Masters' classes and an advantage once you graduate. Doing your dissertation on a sector that you are interested in working in will also appeal to employers and demonstrate your interest in the topic.