Director Veronica Lizzio talks about her career at Castalia

Veronica began her Castalia career as a Business Development Associate and quickly rose to the role of Director within the Sustainability Practice over 6 years.

At what point in your career did you join Castalia?

I joined in the summer of 2016 after completing my master’s degree and had previously worked as a graduate intern in Croatia.

What motivated you to join Castalia?

The chance to work internationally with clients and colleagues on projects that provided real, positive impact motivated me in particular. I was and still am driven by our work’s impact on the world. I was also interested in traveling and seeing countries I would have never seen or had the opportunity to travel to in other careers—like countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the Middle East and North Africa, so far.

What has your career at Castalia looked like so far?

I have grown so much at Castalia. My journey started as a business development associate, where I was exposed to various business development strategies across multiple sectors and areas of expertise.

I expressed my interest in project work and was put on an electricity project in Italy—my home country. From there onwards, I was put on more projects and moved to an analyst role, working myself up to where I am today as a Director in the Sustainability Practice. I appreciate that I was given the opportunity to be put on project work after expressing that it was something I wanted.

What about working at Castalia is unique?

Castalia isn’t your typical 9-5 job; while the weekdays can be demanding, the work is always rewarding, and there’s a lot of flexibility in how I work with my team. For example, my hours and location of work are flexible, meaning I get to work in Italy from time to time to see my family and travel while doing project work. There is also great flexibility in your career and opportunities to develop. It’s a very non-traditional career path that a person can create for themselves. I’m also never bored—there are various challenges to solve daily, which keeps you intellectually engaged and constantly develops you.

What was your favorite project to work on?

I have so many! And it’s very hard to pick just one favorite project, so I’ll mention two:

• The first ever project I worked on in 2017 was about the feasibility of the undersea electricity interconnection between Italy and Tunisia. It was a very exciting and interesting project. It makes me very nostalgic
• A study we did to assess the viability of rooftop solar PV for different customers in Turkey. For this project, I had the opportunity to travel to Turkey, experience the culture, try the amazing food, and meet some great people. Turkey has then developed into one of my favorite places to travel to.