From Columbia SPS to the Y20

Yaseen Ahmid came to Columbia University School of Professional Studies M.S. in Sustainability Management program after studying supply chain management, logistics, finance, and business analytics at Drexel University and working in strategic operations and supply chain consulting.

Born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, Ahmid developed an interest in how supply chains can influence economies and support communities in need. That interest deepened through his consulting work across oil and gas, mining, sustainability, and circularity, where he began asking broader questions about sustainable development, localization, and local beneficiation.

This year, Ahmid represented South Africa as head delegate at Y20 in the United States, where his work focused on food and global health. We spoke with Ahmid about his path to Columbia SPS, how his coursework informed the policies for which he advocated, and what he learned from translating classroom ideas into policy language intended for global leaders.

Can you tell us about your background and what led you to Columbia SPS’s M.S. in Sustainability Management program?

I was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa. I came to the U.S. in 2018 and studied at Drexel University, where I did a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with concentrations in supply chain management and logistics, finance, and business analytics.

During my time at Drexel, I developed a strong interest in supply chains and how they can have a dramatic influence on economies and upliftment for communities in need.

After graduating, I moved back to South Africa and worked for a management consulting firm called Kearney, a global leader in strategic operations and supply chain. I worked on oil and gas, mining, and Middle East engagements, and I also developed the firm’s point of view on circularity in cities.

It was especially through the mining work that I developed a stronger interest in sustainability and what sustainable development looks like. The projects I worked on had a strong focus on localization efforts and local beneficiation for local suppliers. That led me to look for master’s programs focused on sustainability, and I came across Columbia. I spoke to Chandler Precht [Sustainability Management lecturer and director of external affairs and communications for the Office of Environmental Professional Programs] while I was on a mine site in South Africa, and she convinced me to apply.

How did you become involved with Y20, and what did your role as South Africa’s head delegate involve?

I had applied for the previous Y20, which was connected to the G20 in South Africa. Because I am South African, I thought it would make sense to be involved. My application was rolled over to this year.

One night around 2 a.m., I received an email saying I had been invited to an interview and that they wanted to learn how I could contribute. I went through the interview process and was fortunate to be selected as part of South Africa’s delegation to Y20 in the United States. I was ultimately selected as head delegate.

My focus at Y20 was food and global health, so that was the track I was primarily tasked with developing policies for. But I was also responsible for ensuring that South Africa’s positions were aligned across the multiple tracks. South Africa was the only African delegation at the table this year, so I wanted to make sure the policies did not just reflect South Africa’s viewpoint, but also had Africa in mind.

Which issues or priorities were most important to you during that process?

I wanted to ensure that we were collaborators at the table. We wanted to collaborate in a way that did not just reflect the nation, but the continent.

Some of the most important focus areas for us were about creating opportunities for communities on the continent. In the communiqué, there is strong language around localization, South-South cooperation, subsistence farmers, and non-institutional communities that often get overlooked in these kinds of policy conversations.

That was very important to me: making sure that communities that are not always centered in international policy discussions were represented in the language.

How did your Sustainability Management coursework inform the positions you advocated for?

It really helped. As I went through the process, I took a lot of the learnings I had gathered along the way at Columbia.

Energy Markets and Innovation with Travis Bradford informed many of the energy policies I advocated for from a South African perspective. Supply Chain Management with Catarina Carvalho was also very important. I am TAing for her class this semester, and I absolutely love the content she developed.

Climate Smart Agriculture with Henry Gordon-Smith was another course that directly informed the work. I used the term climate-smart agriculture in the communiqué and advocated for it. It was the first time some people in the room had heard what climate-smart agriculture was, so I explained that it focuses not just on produce, but on the different communities, the environment, and everything involved in that process. It is a very holistic view of agriculture.

What was it like translating classroom learning into policy language intended for G20 leaders?

A lot of students at SPS come in with professional backgrounds, and sometimes there can be a disconnect between academics and what is practical in the real world.

What I appreciated about SPS is that we are learning from leaders in industry. We are learning from professionals who are able to translate academics into real language and real learnings. Because of my instructors, I did not find it too difficult to take content I learned in the classroom and reflect it in policy. That was something I valued, and it was one of the reasons I wanted to come to this program in particular.

The negotiations were the harder part. We had to get 17 or 18 countries to agree, and there had to be 100 percent consensus for every policy that passed. Every policy in the communiqué is a true reflection of every country’s shared belief in that policy.

Every single word in the communiqué had to be agreed on. If someone did not agree with the phrasing, the policy did not pass.

Looking back, what outcomes or moments from the drafting process are you most proud of?

The argument for climate-smart agriculture was especially important to me. That came directly from a class I was involved in, and it was something I advocated for.

I also advocated for a critical minerals policy that was not on the discussion table before I arrived in the room. That is now included in the communiqué.

For me, it was about advocating for topics that global North countries tend to overlook. I am grateful for platforms like Y20 that give countries like South Africa, and countries from the global South, a voice.

What was the negotiation process like?

This year was incredibly organized, and we were very thankful to Young Professionals in Foreign Policy (YPFP) for organizing it.

We had structured three-hour negotiation sessions where it was emphasized that there would be agreement. Last year, in South Africa, the communiqué was not agreed upon for the first time, so especially as a South African delegation, we felt it was our responsibility to make sure this communiqué was signed.

The negotiations were very interesting, and they got heated at some points, but it was a fantastic experience.

What advice would you give to current or incoming students who want to apply their coursework to policy, diplomacy, sustainability, or international leadership?

This opportunity did not come out of nowhere. Getting involved in extracurricular activities was very important for me. It allowed me to step outside the classroom and interact with students from across the SPS ecosystem. It gave me the opportunity to do consulting projects, to visit sites that are not necessarily available during the academic semester, and to serve in leadership roles.

Those leadership roles heavily influenced my ability to gather people in the same space, advocate for an idea I believed in, and bring people along for that shared experience.

For students looking to get involved in policy work, the UN is right around the corner from us. There are many opportunities at institutions like the UN. There are also platforms like YPFP, where you can take coursework and incorporate it into real experiences.

My advice would be to get involved beyond the classroom. The coursework gives you the foundation, but those additional opportunities help you apply it.

About the Program

The Columbia University M.S. in Sustainability Management program, offered by the School of Professional Studies in partnership with the Climate School, provides students with cutting-edge policy and management tools to help public and private organizations and governments address environmental impacts and risks, pollution control, and remediation to achieve sustainability. The program is customized for working professionals and is offered as a full-time and part-time course of study.

The program fosters creativity and adaptability by equipping students with the skills to tackle real-world sustainability challenges through an interdisciplinary approach from the world’s premier sustainability academics, researchers, and practitioners. The up-to-the-minute curriculum and flexibility prepare graduates for careers in the dynamic and rapidly changing field of sustainability.

Learn more about the program here.