ESG Matters

In this episode I interview Tim Weiss, CEO of Climatetech. Weiss discusses the obstacles companies have to overcome when managing Scope 3 emissions, the impact of potential government regulations in the US on Scope 3, and the potential competitive advantage of companies that successfully manager Scope 3 emissions. 

In this episode, Chris Peacock, Founder and CEO of Agcor discusses a range of topics. Peacock discusses how critical it is for the Agricultural economy be a part of the solution for a sustainable future, what are the barriers farmers face when adopting ESG practices and polices, and the impact of climate fintech will have over the next 5-10 years. 

In this episode I interview Kim Dabbs,  Global VP of ESG and Social Innovation at Steelcase. Dabbs  discusses the career path into ESG, outlining the. value of ESG and Social Innovation programming and goals to stakeholders, and her organization, To Belonging. 

In this episode, I interview Kate Gaertner, Founder of TripleWin Advisory. Gaertner  discusses what led to the founding of TripleWin Advisory, Circular Economy, and how small and medium sized companies can participate in ESG. 

In this episode Matt Wallace,  Chief Technology Officer of Faction. Wallace discusses modern big data solutions can help ESG by providing the insights and information they need to identify and manage risks and opportunities, enhance transparency and accountability, improve decision-making, meet regulatory requirements, and improve reporting frameworks.

Dr. Fitzgerald, discusses how he has been able to incorporate circularity principles into his work. Dr. Fitzgerald also provides insight into strategies other professionals looking to incorporate the circular economy can benefit from as well. 

Dan Romito is a consulting partner at Pickering Energy Partners focused capital market strategies, messaging and pragmatic ESG implementation. Over the course of his career, Dan has advised several hundred private companies, public issuers, and asset managers on how to optimize capital deployment strategies, pursue quality pools of capital and employ ESG-related directives. 

Eric Ross,  Chief Strategist of Cascend Securities discusses the potential impact of climate risks on companies. He also discusses climate risk data can help organizations make more informed strategic discussions.

Katica Roy is a gender economist, former Global 500 executive, programmer, data scientist, and the CEO and founder of award-winning SaaS company, Pipeline Equity. Pipeline Equity works to eradicate intersectional gender inequity by making awareness actionable at the individual and corporate levels.  Katica discusses the impact of gender inequity on all people, and how inequality is bad for business. 

Justin Bean is an  impact-focused leader with global expertise working with organizations around the world, from Fortune 500s and governments to Silicon Valley startups, Bean brings a fresh, hopeful perspective to a world in crisis. In his new book, What Could Go Right? Designing Our IdealFuture to Emerge from Continual Crises into a Thriving World, Bean argues that despite all the doom and gloom we hear about every day, our world is actually in much better shape now than ever before in human history. In fact, there's more opportunity now to make a positive impact on our world—personally, professionally, and politically.

Eddy Badrina is the CEO of Eden Green Technology, a vertical farming technology company that helps folks around the world sustainably grow large amounts of food using less land, water, and energy. Outside of his leadership position at Eden Green, he is a board member at Seed Effect, a micro-lending non-profit focused on fostering economic stability.  We discussed, the impact of climate change on farmland, and farming, and how we vertical farming can be a solution to food insecurity.  

Richard Blundell, is a Global Sustainability, and Innovation leader with over 40 years of executive management experience in the technology sector. Richard led the Cleantech Venture Services Group, the largest tech hub in Canada, comprised of 250 startups focused on Sustainability/ESG. Richard provides senior leadership to cleantech ventures dedicated to smart cities, bio-pesticide, e-waste recycling, water and wastewater treatment, electric vehicle, public transportation, indoor air treatment, environmental services, ESG expert networks, regenerative agriculture, and life sciences. In this episode we discuss the landscape of current and pending ESG regulations, how this ever changing landscape presents opportunities for businesses that can adapt, and how governments across the world can work with the private sector to create meaning and sustainable change. For more information: https://thesustainabilityleader.com/

I interview, William Szamosszegi, CEO &  Founder at Sazmining . William's goal is simple: Improve humanity's relationship with both money and energy. He and his team at Sazmining provide an economic incentive to capture harmful emissions such as methane. Their hydroelectric hosting facilities sustainably power bitcoin mining rigs for use by retail investors. We discuss, clean energy as it relates to the production of cryptocurrency, blockchain technology aiding in the auditing of cardon offets, and how regulation is necessary for the space. 

I interview, Charles Ashwanden, Crux's Asset Management and ESG Lead.  Crux offers a managed data engineering service that helps organizations scale their most critical data delivery, operations, and transformation needs. Ashwanden discusses, ESG governance, data collection, the increasing scrunity of ESG data by regulators, and challenges on data usage.

In this episode, I interview Tony Calandro,  founder of Purposeful Strategies. Purposeful Strategies is a values-centric consultancy founded on the principle that business can be a force for good and that customers are more loyal to brands that are aligned with their values. Calandro discusses the backlash against corporate ESG practices, sometimes deemed "Woke Capitalism".  More specifically, its origins, how professionals in the space should respond, and is there legitimacy in the critique of ESG. 

In this interview with Martial Combari, Director of Structured Finance at Metrus Energy, he discusses the trends in sustainable energy finance,  how sustainable finance differs from traditional finance, the challenges of financing sustainablity projects, and  how developing economies can meet the demands of sustainable finance and growing their economies. 

 Ted Dhillon Co-Founder & CEO at FigBytes, discussed the need for ESG data insights that FigBytes solves, the  importance of data  for ESG action plans, water being the new Carbon, and predictions for ESG overall within the next 5-10 years. 

Daniele Horton, Founder & CEO at Verdani Partner discusses,  what inspired the  creation of Verdani Partner, ways companies can leverage ESG consultants to get the best results, and the future of ESG in the US and abroad. More about Daniele Horton: Horton brings over 23 years of experience in corporate sustainability, real estate and project management to the management of Verdani Partners. As a licensed architect, a LEED Fellow and a Certified Energy Manager and currently leads the Verdani team in ESG efforts for 15 national and international real estate portfolios with over 4,600 properties managed across 1 Billion SF of diversified real estate portfolios, representing over $460 Billion AUM. Verdani Partners:Verdani Partners is a full service sustainability consulting firm specialized in corporate sustainability, LEED certification and greening and retrofitting existing buildings. Verdani Partners focus on “Making what is here better” by greening large portfolios of existing buildings with profitable solutions and promoting continuous improvement of existing building operations.  

In this episode, I interview Mandi McReynolds, Head of Global Environment, Social, and Governance at Workiva. Workiva's mission is to power transparent reporting for a better world. We believe that consumers, employees, shareholders, and other stakeholders today expect more from business – more action, transparency, and disclosure of financial and non-financial information.  McReynolds is also the host of ESG Talk podcast to discuss the latest in ESG. McReynolds discusses, the recent backlash against ESG or "woke capitalism".

In this episode I interview Cornell Verdeja-Woodson, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging at Headspace Health. Headspace Health is a leading provider of mental health and wellbeing solutions, touching the lives of over 100 million people in 190 countries. Through its flagship Headspace brand, they provide mindfulness tools for everyday life, including meditations, sleepcasts, mindful movement, and focus exercises. Verdeja-Woodson discusses diversity, equity, and inclusion, and how to create a program without the guidance of frameworks often associated with enviromentally focused efforts.

In this episode I interview Ms. Charlene Jackson, Global Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer (CDEIO) at Iron Mountain. Ms. Jackson discusses her career path, how to influence leaders on the topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and how companies can create DEI programs for a multinational employee base. 

In this episode of ESG Matters, Francois Rodigari discusses the state of water,  water quality, and how water regulations can improve the quality for all. Francois has decades of experience in water utilities. He oversees the development and implementation of a sustainability program for fostering and leveraging innovation. His prior experience includes working as the Director of Water Quality & Environmental Services at SJWC, working at East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) in Oakland, CA, and more.

This week's guest is Luke Jacobs, CEO  and Co-Founder of Encamp. Encamp is an enterprise technology company on a mission to create a world in which what's good for business can be good for the environment. Jacobs discusses  the importance for companies to set up compliance mechanisms to demonstrate adherence to ESG goals or programs.

 Today we have Katya Hantel, Head of Global Sustainability at Conagra Brands. Conagra Brands, Inc. is an American consumer packaged goods company, that makes and sells products under various brand names that are available in supermarkets, restaurants, and food service establishment.In this interview, Hantel discusses intergrating ESG into core business functions, the backlash against ESG, and the balance of finding ESG professionals vs professionals who work in ESG. 

Hugh Shannon, Director of Growth & Operations at OakNorth. OakNorth works with banks across the U.S., to lead businesses toward embracing the future of climate change. Shannon discusses both how banks are assessing climate risks in their loan portfolios, and educating entrepreneurs what are steps they need to take to demonstrate the viability to banks. 

Jim Giles discusses a wide range of topics covering Net Zero, Science based Targets, Carbon Markets, and the impact of various Carbon Market schemes on developing economies. 

In this episode I interview Urvashi Bhatnagar, who  believes global wellness can be achieved through sustained and intentional investment in products and processes that are designed to be inherently sustainable and capturing value from the triple bottom line advantages that sustainability offers.In her upcoming book The Sustainability Scorecard: How to Implement and Profit from Unexpected Solutions,  Urvashi Bhatnagar and co author Paul Anastas show business leaders and innovators how to create breakthrough sustainable products and processes that are good for the planet, human health, and profits. The Sustainability Scorecard is a digestible and comprehensive guide rooted in scientific and data-driven methodology. This required read unpacks how sustainable operations can produce beneficial results through market share and new service line expansion, supply chain and sourcing model transformation—driving the most consistent and long-term value.

In this interview, Jules Kortenhorst, a recognized leader on global energy issues and climate change, discusses an expansive range of topics. Kortenhost outlines his career path, the work of RMI, the impact of geopolitical activity on energy and renewable energy, current and macroeconomic factors that will impact COP27 happening later this year, and how developing economies can growth their GDP with clean energy. 

In this epsiode,  Gabe Brambila VP of Corporate Sustainability at HealthEquity.HealthEquity is a leading administrator of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and other consumer-directed benefits—FSA, HRA, COBRA, and Commuter. Benefits advisors, health plans, and retirement providers partner to help over 14 million members work toward long-term health and financial wellbeing.Gabe discusses a developing and implementing a Sustainability program in the health and investment space, long term strategic plans for HealthEquity, and the value of looking to the future in ESG. 

In this epsiode,  Nitish Singh Environmental Officer at Sandock Austral Shipyards, discusses his ESG career,  and the unique Environmental challenges for the Shipyard industry as well as South Africa. 

I interview Jeffrey Hollender, CEO and Co-Founder of the American Sustainable Business Network . Hollender discusses the importance of public policy initiatives to advance ESG in the US, the future of ESG related regulations in the US, how best companies can engage with policy makers,  and lessons learned from other countries with ESG regulations in place. 

In this episode, Sianne Haldane, Chief Impact Officer at Maanch discusses  her career journey being inspired by Nelson Mandela, how companies can quantify ESG efforts to report out to interested parties, and how impact investing has the opportunity to alter how companies can engage on UN Sustainable Development Goals.

In this episode I interview Amber Stryker Director of Beauty For All (BFA) Impact to discuss the following: Stryker's career path How BFA creates a cohesive ESG program across multiple consumer facing companies within the beauty industryBest means to communicate BFA's ESG program including their first CSR Report. 

In this podcast, I interview with Trenton Allen, Managing Director and CEO of Sustainable Capital Advisors. We discuss Allen's path into Sustainable Infrastructure, what is the definition of Sustainable Infrastructure, and how people can invest in infrastructure that can help create a more sustainable world. 

In the latest episode, I interview Nick Reinke CEO of HabiTerre. HabiTerre, provides 360° in-depth intelligence for every plot of farmland across the globe, with unprecedented field-scale insights for businesses in the broader agricultural industry.  Reinke discusses Science Based Targets, Net Zero goal setting and monitoring, the future of food security and how HabiTerre can be a tool to understand goals, and food security concerns. 

Jon Smieja, VP of Circularity & Senior Analyst at GreenBiz Group discusses the latest Circularity conference, the lessons learned from the conference, and the future of Circularity. 

I interview Dr. Asish Sharma,  Founder of  Sustainability Alternatives. The conversation revolves around the importance of Air Quality and its impact on the most vulnerable people within society. Dr. Sharma also outlines various models of mitigation and technologies that can be used in developed and developing economies. 

In the latest episode of ESG Matters I interview Dr. Matthew Trowbridge from International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). Dr. Trowbridge discusses his path from medicine to wellness, as well as how businesses can incorporate wellness metrics into their decision making process. The end result being a stronger, and  healthier, people with improved quality of life. 

In this episode Kat Kraft discusses how  geospatial data usage can help companies in all industries become smarter about climate resilience as well as where and how they can start investing to fortify their infrastructure.

In this interview I talk with Jim Boyle, CEO & Founder, Sustainability Roundtable Inc, about the power of collaboration.  As well as how companies can best collaborate with industry peers to achieve ESG goals and targets. 

Kate Rebernak discusses her entrepreneurial  journey from founding  FrameworkESG to the present. Rebernak provides an honest view of what it takes to be a successful owner operator of a business within ESG. This is a must listen to for anyone interested in starting their own business to support various ESG activities.  For more information on Kate Rebernak: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katerebernak/For more information on FrameworkESG: https://frameworkesg.com/

Samira Khan, and I discuss her path in ESG, focusing on managing social issues,  social innovation,  and social impact. Khan also details how a company can improve its social programming,  and work with partners overseas.

In this episode, I interview Kevin Hagen Vice President Environment, Social & Governance (ESG) Strategy at Iron Mountain about Iron Mountain's Net Zero Carbon Emissions Goal.   Many people who work in ESG and/or Sustainability have difficulity convincing senior leadership to pass large audacious goals. Hagen provides background on how Iron Mountain was able to set such a goal, and provides updates on the strategy. 

I interview Conor Riffle, Senior Vice President of Rubicon. We discuss waste generated by cities and the built environment. The opportunity to leverage technology to improve the efficiency of waste removal, transportation routes, and improve the lives of people through a ESG SAAS solution. 

In this interview, Grant Harrison discusses a range of Sustainable Finance topics. Harrison's voices his viewpoint on investor led ESG initiatives, the utility of reporting frameworks, emerging trends, ESG investing differences and similarities in the US and Europe, and more. 

In this episode I interview Roxanne Sharif from Datamaran, about the importance of quality data when developing ESG programs, and policies, and how Datamaran can be used to get quality data from disparate sources. 

In this episode, I interview Kensey Biggs, Managing Director of ESG at Teneo about best practices to convince Corporate Executives to pursue ESG actions, and the future of ESG at the Board of Directors level.   Many people who work in ESG and/or Sustainability struggle with motivating the C-suite on ESG matters. Biggs, provides actionable steps professionals can take to improve the receptivity of Corporate Executives to proposed ESG programs and policies. 

In this episode I interview, Sun McElderry Founder and Executive Director of The Black Corporate Responsibility Leaders Network and ESG Evolution. McElderry discusses the unique experience of being an ESG leader and a Person of Color. 

In this episode I interview, Pamela Gordon Managing Director of PGS Consults, at Presidio Graduate School on how to mine for ESG Talent.

In this episode I interview, Neil Stewart from Value Reporting Foundation.We discuss how can use SASB, and engage with Value Reporting Foundation to drive improvements in a companies' ESG program. 

In this episode I interview Janice Lao-Noche, Global Sustainability & ESG expert and Author of Sparky & Benny's Big Home Mystery, a children's book on climate change, on how to build consensus on ESG issues with decision makers.