Shaoyang Li joins the GHD program with five years of financial services experience from working at Scotiabank’s large corporate credit risk management function in Toronto, Canada. She holds a Master’s degree in Financial Economics from the University of Western Ontario and an MBA from Concordia University in Montreal. 

Shaoyang’s interests in development issues started after an internship on a sugar plantation and factory in rural Mali. After witnessing first hand the struggles of local smallholders, she spent the next eight summers volunteering for low-income small scale farms around the world. In 2021, Shaoyang joined non-profit Earthax as a pro-bono consultant, where she developed financing strategies to bring sustainable farming techniques to twelve villages in San Martin, Peru. Following the success of the project, Shaoyang was inspired to dedicate her career in development and later founded Impact Consulting Toronto, a pro-bono consultancy, to make strategic planning services more affordable to local social enterprises in Canada. 

Post-GHD, Shaoyang’s goal is to use her banking and business management experience to work with social ventures on long-term sustainable farming solutions that will benefit low-income smallholders.

Summer Internship Experience

Funding Landscape Analyses for Private Sector’s Environmental Conservation

This summer, I interned at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF-US) Washington, DC office. My responsibilities included conducting a comprehensive funding landscape analysis to support private sector entities in financing their supply chain enhancements to align with WWF conservation priorities. This work involved assessing over 300 funding options across various sources, including public, private, blended finance, and innovative financing such as green bonds and plastic credit markets. Based on this analysis, I synthesized the landscape into several distinct financing deal structures, enabling private sector players to shape their investment proposals to meet current investor preferences and appetites.

This internship aligns perfectly with my interests in working at the intersection of environmental conservation and finance. It provided me valuable insights into the critical role finance plays in advancing environmental policy and strategic initiatives.

Why GHD?

"Create your own GHD"-- a truly customizable 21-month journey that allows students to explore their interests, shape their experiences, do what they love, and with the people they choose!