What if the biggest obstacle to a sustainable future isn’t a lack of talent but the way we hire?
When I sat down with Natasha Syed, founder of SkilledIn Green, I thought we’d talk about the growing demand for sustainability jobs. Instead, I discovered a hiring system that is failing both companies and job seekers.
In Episode 95 of Women Disrupting Tech, we dive into why traditional recruitment isn’t working for green careers and how Natasha is fixing it.
Key Takeaways from the episode
Here’s what you’ll discover by listening to episode 95:
✔️ The problem isn’t a talent shortage. It’s how we define ‘qualified.
✔️ You need a global platform to connect talent with green careers and education.
✔️ Bootstrapping a startup gives you freedom, but it demands resilience.
Listen now on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, or Amazon. Or hit the play button below👇.
How SkilledIn Green Is Fixing the Sustainability Talent Gap with Natasha Syed | Ep. 95 – Women Disrupting Tech
Events for Women Disrupting Tech
The event season has started, so allow me to highlight some inclusive events that are worth visiting.
EmpowHer – 10 april 2025 at Strandpaviljoen De Staat in Scheveningen.
Start: 14:00 hours – Finish: 18:00 Hours
This event is organized by Qualogy. Qualogy believes in the power of women in IT and they offer a platform where women in IT come together to learn from each other’s experiences.
During this event, you can learn how to network on purpose with authenticity and ease, from AI scientist turned entrepreneur Marina Velikova. After that, Wendy Moree will share The Importance of Role Models and Neurodiversity. And of course, there are possibilities to network and share experiences.
You can get your free tickets on Eventbrite.
Female Venture’s Founders Table: Empowering Women in Business – 4 June 2024 at VOCO Hotel The Hague
Start 15:00 – Finish: 18:30
The Women Founders Table aims to empower and connect women entrepreneurs by providing a platform for meaningful conversations, mentorship, and shared experiences.
At this event, organized by Female Ventures Delft / The Hague in cooperation with #WiTNL- Women in Tech NL and yours truly, you’ll hear from three accomplished female founders how to start and scale a business, while balancing priorities at home and at work.
Did I mention that you can stay for dinner? voco® The Hague offers participants the possibility to network and connect over a delicious 3-course dinner following the event at €35 per person.
Follow Female Ventures and/or me to be the first to learn when a limited number of early bird tickets come online.
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- Key Takeaways from the episode
- Events for Women Disrupting Tech
- Join the Women Disrupting Tech Community
- The Magic in This Episode 🪄
- Zero-Cost Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
- What stands out
- About Natasha Syed
- About SkilledIn Green
- Share what’s on your mind!
- What’s coming up?
- More episodes like this?
The Magic in This Episode 🪄
Why do you need a master’s degree and 25 years of experience to work in sustainability?
That’s the question Natasha Syed asked when she saw a job listing for a Chief Sustainability Officer.
With SkilledIn Green, she is proving that the problem is not a lack of talent. It is outdated thinking.
In Episode 95 of Women Disrupting Tech, Natasha shares how she is helping professionals upskill and connect with sustainability careers.
💡 A sustainability hiring platform needs to do more than list jobs.
There are plenty of job boards for sustainability roles, but most of them focus only on job listings. SkilledIn Green goes beyond that by offering structured learning pathways and a skills-first approach. Instead of just matching candidates to roles, it helps professionals upskill, highlights transferable skills, and provides clear entry points into the green economy.
💡 The sustainability hiring gap is global, but the challenges vary by region.
In some markets, sustainability roles are well-defined but hard to fill. In others, like the Gulf Region, governments are investing in sustainability, but local expertise is still developing. Natasha sees a massive opportunity for international knowledge-sharing, where regions further ahead in sustainability practices can help train and upskill professionals in emerging markets.
💡 You are never fully ready to become an entrepreneur—so start anyway.
Natasha’s advice to women thinking about starting a business? Do not wait until you feel fully prepared. Entrepreneurship is a journey of learning, adapting, and building resilience. If you have an idea, take the first step. You will figure out the rest along the way.
🎧 Listen to the full conversation for more insights on sustainability, hiring, and entrepreneurship on Spotify!
Zero-Cost Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
Want to help make inclusion in tech the norm by 2032? Here’s how:
- Follow the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Better yet, leave a rating or review from one up to five stars on Spotify or Apple. You’ll help other people discover the podcast and help me improve.
- Share the podcast with friends, family, and co-workers. This way, you give the women disrupting tech the platform they need to make it happen. Use the buttons below to share.
What stands out
When Natasha Syed started her career in finance, she never imagined she’d pivot into sustainability. But a deep curiosity and a single online course sparked a journey that led to founding Skilled in Green. In this episode, Natasha shares powerful lessons on building a sustainable workforce.
At the start of the episode, Natasha shares that she always wanted to become an astronaut. She believes the perspective change (looking at the Earth from a distance) would persuade everyone to protect it.
When we talk about the role of HR in sustainability, she says that with the many problems in HR, it can also be a change agent. But that does require a perspective change as well. One where we start focussing on curiosity and ability and not only on the number of years of experience.
And at the end of the episode, we go back to her own learnings as an entrepreneur. The biggest? “You’re never fully ready to become an entrepreneur.”
Listen to Natasha’s story by tuning into the episode on Apple Podcasts using the button below.
Or click the image with the quote to watch the episode on YouTube.
“Developing gender blindness is crucial”
Natasha Syed, Founder of SkilledIn Green
About Natasha Syed
Natasha Syed is the founder and CEO of SkilledIn Green, a gamified talent marketplace dedicated to empowering individuals to unlock their potential and pursue careers in the green economy.
With a diverse professional background, Natasha holds a CIMA Advanced Diploma in Management Accounting and a Certified Work Futurist accredited by the Institute for the Future. Her expertise spans economics, UX design, and cybersecurity, reflecting her commitment to integrating multidisciplinary approaches in fostering sustainable career pathways.
At SkilledIn, Natasha leads a diverse team of engineers and marketers united by a vision to revolutionize the way people learn, work, and grow in the sustainability sector.
You can connect with Natasha on LinkedIn.
About SkilledIn Green
SkilledIn Green is an innovative platform designed to serve as the ultimate expert hub for green skills, thriving sustainability careers, and future-proofed pathways. By offering a comprehensive Learning Hub with courses, masterclasses, and programs, SkilledIn Green enables individuals to start or advance their careers in the green economy. The platform also fosters a vibrant community where green talents, mentors, experts, and climate startup founders can connect and collaborate, driving collective progress toward a sustainable future. Through its gamified approach, SkilledIn Green makes the journey towards sustainability engaging and accessible for all.
Visit the website to learn more about their innovative approach, or follow SkilledIn Green on LinkedIn or Instagram.
Share what’s on your mind!
After listening to the episode, what do you believe is the biggest challenge in hiring for sustainability roles?
1️⃣ A lack of qualified candidates
2️⃣ Employers focusing too much on experience
3️⃣ Unclear career pathways in sustainability
4️⃣ Other (comment below!)
Tell me what you think in the comments. There are no wrong choices here.
And if you would like to suggest a guest or a theme for the podcast, please let me know via email or send a DM on LinkedIn.
What’s coming up?
In episode 96, Jolanda Kooi shares how she helps fashion brands build a more sustainable and resilient supply line.
After that, we continue the journey to 100 episodes with more amazing role models from the tech ecosystem. So stay tuned for more inspiring stories.
And until we meet again in the next episode, keep being awesome!
More episodes like this?
If you want to listen to the stories of others about building a sustainable business, you should check out the following three episodes:
– In episode 22, Elianne Leeffers lets you discover how young parents can save money and the planet by reinventing potty training.
– In episode 61, Wyke Potjer and Asceline Groot reveal how you can live a sustainable life, too.
– In episode 80, Virginia Scheele shares her journey to more inclusive and sustainable travel experiences
Women Disrupting Tech | The Podcast 
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