The Road to B Corporation

I undertook an eight week project for Arktisma. Arktisma embodies Serversaurus, a cloud-based hosting company, as well as the Electron Workshop, a coworking space in North Melbourne.

The project entailed guiding Arktisma through B Corporation certification. Becoming a certified B Corp would show all of Arktisma's stakeholders that it defined business success as more than just making profit, proving its commitment to social causes and environmental stewardship.

I managed the project throughout its entire lifecycle and achieved certification on time and budget. I also wrote and published a blog on my journey I hope will act as a free guide to other companies pursuing certification.

My day to day role changed as the project progressed but included laising with B Lab staff (the non-profit organisation which awarded the certifications) and existing B Corps in Melbourne and beyond to better understand the certification process and how best to tackle it. I also worked with senior management to complete the certification assessment. Finally, I created all the necessary documentation needed to prove our environmental and social initiatives. This included a comprehensive HR document and employee manual.

The highlight of my experience was that I had complete ownership of the project and saw it through to successful completion. For me, this is where the true value of undertaking an internship lies.
To add to this value, I gained exceptional insight into responsible business practices which are increasingly important in contemporary business across all sectors. It was inspiring to network with the B Corp community. Their passion and dedication to their mission to redifine business success is one that has changed my personal perspective on modern business practices.
Finally, my internship gave me excellent international business exposure, as well as experience in a small start-up. This has broadened my international commercial awareness and appreciation for different organisational cultures.
These three factors will undoubtedly bolster any job applications I undertake in the future.