Open to opportunities

Aarushi Rai

@aarushirai

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Climate and sustainability specialist driving industrial decarbonisation and policy impact.

India

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What I'm looking for

I seek roles driving industrial decarbonisation and policy impact, with collaborative teams, clear impact metrics, and opportunities to scale programmes and influence government and industry.

I am a climate and sustainability specialist focused on industrial decarbonisation, policy engagement, and strategic program delivery across the steel and automotive supply chains. I combine research, systems thinking and stakeholder engagement to drive demand for low-carbon materials and inform government policy.

At Climate Group I lead SteelZero engagement with major steel producers and automakers, authored a pioneering report on ship recycling for green steel, and model ecosystem transitions using Vensim causal loop diagrams. I have built programmes such as AutoCAST and organised industry forums to accelerate net-zero adoption.

Previously I developed decarbonisation strategies, ESG roadmaps, and sustainability reporting for clients across sectors, managed teams and pilot MSME approaches, and supported just-transition research and MSME capacity building with WRI India and other organisations.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Senior Programme Officer

Current

Climate Group

Feb 2026 - Present (1 month)

Drive government and industry engagement to catalyse demand for low-carbon steel, advise Ministry of Steel on policy, and manage partnerships with major steel producers to advance decarbonisation and green procurement.

Policy Analysis Stakeholder Engagement Low Carbon Steel Systems Thinking Vensim Climate Finance

Project Officer – SteelZero

Climate Group

Mar 2024 - Jan 2026 (1 year 10 months)

Led research and authored a report on ship recycling as a source of green steel, organised India Net Zero Steel Forum 2024, and developed the AutoCAST programme to decarbonise the automobile supply chain.

Research Report Writing Event Management Stakeholder Management Proposal Development Donor Relations

Sustainability Specialist

NetZero Pro

Apr 2023 - Jan 2024 (9 months)

Developed decarbonisation strategies, ESG tracking tools, and sustainability reports for clients across metals, logistics, tech, sugar, and diamond sectors, and managed a team of five to pilot MSME sustainability adoption.

ESG Reporting GRI TCFD EcoVadis Team Management

Junior Program Associate

World Resources Institute India

Jul 2022 - Mar 2023 (8 months)

Researched just transitions in India’s auto and textile sectors, supported MSME capacity building on climate finance and workforce skilling, and engaged local governments and associations for green economy transition.

Research Just Transition Climate Finance Capacity Building Policy Analysis

Research Coordinator

Waste Warriors

Jan 2022 - Jun 2022 (5 months)

Led policy research and coordinated with government bodies to set up integrated solid waste management systems in Himalayan villages and implemented local training and menstrual waste management campaigns.

Policy Research Waste Management Training Project Implementation Community Engagement

Analyst

Envint

Jul 2021 - Dec 2021 (5 months)

Compiled ESG KPI benchmarking across SASB, GRI, and CDP frameworks, led ESG integration and due diligence projects, and managed sustainability reporting and diligence frameworks for clients and funds.

ESG Integration SASB GRI CDP Due Diligence Sustainability Reporting Client Management

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Munich Climate School

Winter School Certificate, Climate Studies

Completed an online winter school programme at Munich Climate School (Ludwig Maximilian University collaboration) in 2023 focused on climate science and policy.