Our alumni team recently sat down with former Oliver Wyman Associate Robert Ralph to explore his career journey into sustainability. Read below to learn more about Robert’s career, his role in activation and account management at Patch, and its new partnership with Oliver Wyman.

Tell us about your Oliver Wyman career and what led you to join Patch.

I was born and raised in Montreal, and that’s also where I began my career at Oliver Wyman. In 2019, with the firm’s support, I completed my MBA at IESE Business School in Barcelona. My degree focused on entrepreneurship, and I caught the startup bug. Upon returning to Montreal, I wanted to be part of building a company from scratch, leading me to join Patch, a platform that is creating solutions to unify scalable climate action. I joined Patch at an early stage, when the company had only been around for about a year and the team consisted of 14-15 employees (now, we’re about 70). During my time at Oliver Wyman, I focused on energy, aviation, and aerospace. At that time, the sustainability practice was just getting its footing, so it’s great to see the growth we’ve achieved since. My goal when leaving Oliver Wyman was to find a mission-driven, sustainability-focused company at an early stage — Patch met all three of those criteria.

What skills did you acquire at Oliver Wyman that have helped you the most?

An eye for improvement. As a consultant, you’re constantly seeking for ways to optimize and improve. When you join an early-stage business, there are countless opportunities to do just that. Having a solutions-oriented mindset is so important, especially when you can look at the state of business, see what’s broken, and prioritize what to fix, and when.

Attention to detail. This was a key skill I developed at Oliver Wyman, thanks to my mentors. It has been invaluable in the startup environment, where precision and professionalism are essential for credibility and growth.

Relationship building. Building client relationships was something I enjoyed at Oliver Wyman. This skill has translated well to my current role, which combines business development and account management.

Tell us more about Patch and its new partnership with Oliver Wyman.

Patch is a platform for climate action, helping businesses achieve sustainability goals like carbon neutrality or net zero carbon emissions. In addition to decarbonizing their value chains, companies can invest in carbon credits to offset emissions and support scaling carbon removal technologies. This includes initiatives like reforesting land in the tropics or using technologies like CarbonCure, which injects carbon dioxide into concrete — something Oliver Wyman has supported. Patch offers a comprehensive solution for understanding and acting on various carbon credit options, allowing businesses to align their actions with their climate objectives.

What advice do you have for Oliver Wyman consultants?

Take the imitative to focus on areas that interest you. This could mean expanding an existing client account beyond your current project scope or building internal relationship through side projects. For me, integrating my project work into the firm’s intellectual capital allowed me to delve deeper into energy and sustainability, shaping my approach to business development and influencing my career path post-Oliver Wyman.

Additionally, leverage Oliver Wyman’s programs to explore your interests. My MBA, supported by the firm, allowed me to dive into startups and entrepreneurship. I’m grateful to my mentors in the Montreal office for their support in making it happen.

This page was originally published on July 3, 2024.