Marija Jurcevic

Marija Jurčević is a sustainability professional with over 20 years of experience spanning international organisations, academia, businesses, government institutions, and NGOs. She is currently a Programme Manager at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), where she works within the Postgraduate programme as Course Director for the Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainable Business Online. In this role, she leads programme design, delivery, and continuous development for a global cohort of sustainability professionals.

Marija’s work at CISL combines educational design with a strong focus on sustainability leadership, systems change, and applied learning. Her responsibilities include shaping programme content with leading practitioners and thought leaders, contributing to new product development, and integrating learner feedback and impact evaluation into programme design. As part of CISL’s wider portfolio, she has also supported Executive Education programmes.

Prior to joining CISL, Marija worked extensively as a consultant with the United Nations Development Programme’s Energy and Environment Portfolio, as well as with international conservation organisations such as WWF and BirdLife International, contributing to a range of capacity‑building and systems‑change initiatives. Through the LIFE Programme—the European Union’s dedicated funding instrument for environment and climate action—she supported businesses, public institutions, and NGOs in innovating and implementing sustainability solutions. Earlier in her career, she managed an organic agriculture cooperative and founded an educational centre for nature conservation.

Over the course of her career, Marija has initiated and developed numerous initiatives that have received national and international recognition. She holds a Master’s degree in Conservation Leadership from the University of Cambridge and an MBA in Management. Her professional interests lie at the intersection of sustainability leadership, education, conservation, and systems change, with a particular focus on translating complex environmental challenges into practical, impactful action through learning, collaboration, and institutional innovation.