To say the engineering team at Kensho knows their way around data management would be an understatement.
At Kensho, the team can often be found developing AI tools that tap into the reservoir of S&P Global’s big data to offer domain-specific insights to partners. But 10 percent of the time, the team can work on whatever sparks their passion.
One thing Kensho employees are passionate about? Team Impact, an area of the company where teammates can share their skills in service of a nonprofit or community effort while on the clock. Right now, Team Impact is focused on data journalism, climate impact and education equity.
“Kensho recognized early on that our members possess unique skillsets that can make a huge impact outside of the more manual volunteer work,” James Ross, senior data specialist, said. “Many of the technical skills our members have can make a huge impact on nonprofit organizations who don’t typically hire machine learning engineers. As such, Kenshins are encouraged to find a cause they are passionate about and form volunteer partnerships.”
For James Ross, senior data specialist, that means roughly four hours a week he gets to work with the Change Climate Project, a nonprofit that aims to help cut down the amount of greenhouse gas emissions.
Built In spoke with Ross about his work with the Change Climate Project and the impact that volunteering has on Kensho’s company culture.
Kensho makes data discoverable, useful and valuable in enabling fact-based decisions.
Describe a side project you’re working on right now. What inspired its inception, and what do you wish to gain from it?
For the past four and half years, members of Kensho have been volunteering on various projects with our partners at the Change Climate Project. Since our partnership’s inception, I’ve had the pleasure of working side by side with business leaders at the Change Climate Project to organize projects, recruit volunteers and manage our volunteer relationship. Over time my involvement with the Change Climate Project has evolved and I have taken on some individual contributor work as well.
Our partnership stems from an ‘Impactathon’ in 2019, in which members of Kensho spent a few days working on volunteer projects in our community. After the Impactathon, Kenshins wanted to volunteer more and began looking for more potential volunteer projects.
One of our engineers came across the website for the Change Climate Project and made contact. After some initial meetings, we identified areas within the organization in which our Kenshin’s skillsets could make an impact, and officially began partnering on initiatives.
Volunteering with the Change Climate Project has allowed me to develop skills outside my normal work purview, and has provided me with an avenue to contribute to a cause I believe in.
"Volunteering with the Change Climate Project has allowed me to develop skills outside my normal work purview, and has provided me with an avenue to contribute to a cause I believe in."
How has your employer encouraged you to pursue this project, and how has this support fueled your ambition further?
From the start, Kensho’s leadership team has made volunteer work a priority for our company. They have organized multiple volunteer outings over time like building homes with Habitat for Humanity, processing donation items with Cradles to Crayons, and river clean-ups along the Charles River esplanade with the Esplanade Association.
Kensho also recognized early on that our members possess unique skillsets that can make a huge impact outside of the more manual volunteer work. Many of the technical skills our members have can make a huge impact on nonprofit organizations who don’t typically hire machine learning engineers. As such, Kenshins are encouraged to find a cause they are passionate about and form volunteer partnerships. To support these partnerships, Kenshins are empowered to spend around 10 percent of their time (roughly four hours) a week on volunteer efforts.
Having this support to dedicate time during my work week toward volunteer efforts is what keeps me and other volunteers engaged and excited to work with our partners at the Change Climate Project.
How has this project helped you stretch skills or adopt new ones? How has this positively impacted your day-to-day work?
Working with the Change Climate Project has helped me both professionally and personally. At a high level, I’ve learned how to manage relationships with other organizations, and organize teams with the necessary skillsets to complete any given project. In my personal volunteer work, I’ve learned how to use new tools including Amazon Quicksight, which I currently use to evaluate data and create analysis reports for Change Climate Project’s stakeholders.
On a personal level, volunteering with the Change Climate Project has given me the opportunity to contribute to a cause I am passionate about — finding a solution for climate change. Having the opportunity to contribute towards this mission alongside my day-to-day work gives more meaning to my typical work week, as I know I can work towards my company’s goals while simultaneously volunteering for a good cause.
