If you want to have a career in sustainable finance you should take the sustainable finance role.

Don't make decisions solely based on prestige or on intermediate steps that don't have value in itself but only as tools for improving your ability to have a career in your target field. As such, if what you want is to have a career in sustaibable finance, taking a different role is likely to be detrimental to you.

Moreover, what MBAs really value is DIVERSITY of experiences. Taking a role that is simply similar to other candidate's doesn't make you a stronger candidate, what they really value are candidates who bring a UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION! (also remember that KPMG is not that reknown for it's strategy department… is the weakest of the Big4… meaning that with that background you have consultants from 10 other top firms ahead of you… but for sustainable finance you will probably be one of the best candidates!).

Both options are great. 

I marginally lean towards KPMG because the brand will increase your chances with B-schools, but you could also claim that the ERM option would make you more attractive for the sustainability-focused courses. 

So then I'd recommend you go for what you genuinely feel most attracted to. From a ‘rational' point of view, both options are fine. 

Also check out this article on choosing B-schools:

• Expert Guide: Are MBAs worth it?

Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

Q: I am confused as to which position would make me stronger for MBA admission holding other things constant. 

You can reverse-engineer which options has the highest chances for the MBA as follows: 

1. Look for alumni of the two companies on LinkedIn.
2. Check how many moved to your target MBAs.
3. Normalize for the size of the companies.

On the other hand, this will just let you know which option is best for an MBA. It might be possible that one of the options aligns more with your long-term goals, even if doesn’t provide a good exit to a top MBA.

Good luck!

Francesco