Bledar Beqiri, CAPM, PMP
Future 50 Honoree of 2024
For using project management to push climate action
Project Manager at Swedish Institute for Standards | Stockholm, Sweden
Bledar Beqiri was searching for a path that would allow him to make a meaningful impact on the world during his undergraduate studies when he discovered the field of sustainable management. This field “perfectly aligned” with his desire to contribute to a better future.
“The more I learned about sustainable practices and their potential to transform industries and communities,” explains Bledar, “the more passionate I became.”
Then, he took a class called Principles of Project Management while pursuing his master’s degree in 2018. “[I realized] the discipline and tools of project management could equip me with a robust skillset to tackle any challenge,” he says.
Bledar’s passion for sustainability deepened when he took an internship with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in 2019, in the U.K. There, he learned about the concept of a circular economy: “The idea that there could be a world where nothing goes to waste ignited a spark within me.”
His interests in project management, standards, and sustainability came together when Bledar became a project manager at the Swedish Institute for Standards in 2020 in Stockholm, Sweden, where he still works. “This role perfectly blended my skills and interests, using project management to develop standards that contribute to global climate action. From there, it has been a constant progression as I have helped tackle the toughest climate-change challenges head-on,” he says.
Bledar specializes in cross-disciplinary project management and development of standards related to many significant efforts, such as: Combating plastic pollution; integrating renewable energy sources in district heating and cooling systems; enabling the capture, utilization and storage of carbon dioxide; and addressing raw material concerns through responsible mining practices.
Along the way, Bledar earned two certifications, Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® and Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification to harness the power of standards and project management to drive effective climate action.
Standards permeate everything around us. And so does project management. Somebody needs to develop standards, and the PMP certification has helped immensely in managing such projects beautifully.
Standards permeate everything around us. And so does project management. Somebody needs to develop standards, and the PMP certification has helped immensely in managing such projects beautifully.
Bledar says his work with PMI has helped to shine light on what is often an “unknown” profession.
“Project management practices are embedded in our profession,” he explains, “but nobody really knows what standards development is about. So, PMI, for me, is a chance to really highlight that project management is evident in standards development and also bring a little bit of light to the profession that is pretty much forgotten.”
Bledar also sets ambitious goals and continuously fosters innovation in his work, whether that is dabbling with new AI tools or convening working groups to hash out challenges. His aim is to transform the profession into a catalyst for a sustainable future.
His primary objective, however, is to help develop and implement comprehensive standards for climate action, so that efforts to combat climate change are effective, scalable, and globally consistent.
“To achieve this, it is crucial to integrate project management methodologies with sustainable practices, promoting the use of sustainable resources and technologies. By embedding sustainability into project management, we can reduce the environmental footprint of projects and contribute to broader climate goals,” he says.
Bledar lives by some advice he received at the beginning of his standardization journey: “Allow yourself to ask questions. Embracing curiosity and fostering a genuine desire to understand all facets of an issue can significantly enhance your comprehension and insight.”
It has served him well. By asking these questions and embracing curiosity he can imagine how better to change the way people think about climate action on a big scale. And that is what most excites Bledar, the idea that “the magnitude of my contribution could be very colossal.”
In fact, Bledar’s dream project is not a singular project, so much as the idea that “every project contributes positively to global climate goals, transforming project management into a powerful force for climate action and creating a sustainable and resilient future for all.”