The ESG Podcast

We talk to TED Talk presenter and author of 'Sustainable Sustainability', Rajeev Peshawaria, about the concept he's coined called steward leadership. For Rajeev, interdependence, long-term view, ownership mentality and creative resilience are not adequately included in the G of ESG. Are leaders born, or made? Rajeev's response to that is worth listening to the podcast just for his answer alone.

The UK's carbon emissions amount to something like 2% of the world's carbon footprint, so is there any point the UK driving so hard to meet its net zero targets ahead of 2050? Hannah Scott, CEO of the business network Oxfordshire Greentech puts the case very eloquently, that of course there is…

David Ross is an international strategist and corporate peacemaker. He is founder of Phoenix Strategic Management and works with organisations, leaders and communities to help them successfully deal with their most complex – and often, controversial – issues. In his exceptional new book Confronting the Storm: Regenerating Leadership and Hope in the Age of Uncertainty David shares the knowledge  and wisdom from leaders across different geographies how best to face the challenges in the Age of Uncertainty, when everyone's looking to you to lead them.

In today's podcast Ellie Besley-Gould, Director of Xynteo, looks at the current state of play for ESG in some of the world's largest corporations. In perhaps the best name drop of all time on the ESG Podcast Ellie also tells us how Jonathan Porritt recently told her, "We can't have nature without humans...". So, which humans, or large large corporations, are doing 'good growth' really well? You'll have to listen to her list, towards the end of the interview. 

In today's podcast Victoria Gothard, a final year Politics & Spanish undergraduate at the University of Edinburgh, looks at the fashion industry through the eyes of a Gen Z. Victoria's recent article on our Keeping Current section is a thought provoking prod to the Doomers of today that their appetite for fast fashion is itself, doomed. Have a listen to her. This is one of the most thought provoking ESG topics of our time. 

In today's podcast a returning interviewee, James Stander, the Founder of Sustainable Advantage, weighs up the criticisms of some carbon offsetting strategies and suggests an approach of his own, based on his significant expertise and years of experience.

Today we interview a subject who's had not one, but two, stellar business ideas. Dan Sherrard-Smith comes on today's ESG podcast offering a solution to dramatically reduce your carbon emissions, at a stroke. He is the founder of MotherTree. Previously, he was on the founding team of Look After My Bills which had the best ever deal on Dragons' Den and saved the British public £127m in three years. MotherTree's mission is to make it easy for values-led businesses to go green and save money on their pension, banks and bills. Listen how. He's amazing.

Adrian Sladdin, Founder and Director of EnviroEducation, and convener of the EGF, explains that whilst the gambling industry will be regarded by some as beyond redemption that shouldn't stop efforts to engage in dialogue with the sector, exploring ways in which it can be more ethical, without just tick boxing ESG criteria in an attempt to greenwash its image. What are the odds of a breakthrough in 2024? 10 - 1 or nearer 50/50? Have a listen.

In this podcast we talk to Paul Rekhi, Head of Carbon Services at Advantage Utilities, whose job it is to help businesses start tracking how much carbon they're emitting. Interestingly enough, while the motivation for many privately owned businesses have started doing this because it's the right thing to do, or they want to get ahead on forthcoming regulation, it can actually save them money. So that's three good reasons for listening. Oh, and Paul knows his stuff, too.

It's fashionable at the moment to take swipes at ESG investing, in particular politicians in the US have been quick to seize on any messaging that might save their constituents money in the short term. But for those of us more keenly interested in the long-term outcomes for society and the planet is there an alternative to ESG? In this podcast Tim Smith, one of the most respected observers of the Capital Markets and one of the founders of the ICCR in New York picks up the debate.

Who better to answer that question than Tom McInerney, an academic lawyer. He has taught and advised governments, international organizations, and NGOs on international law and rule of law reform for 20 years. An international lawyer and strategist, he has led numerous innovative initiatives to develop and improve the effectiveness of international law and regulation, advance rule of law, and further global development.

Thom Wilkinson is a Real Estate and Environmental law Partner at Bishop & Sewell. He has over 20 years of experience of acting on environmental law and related matters including remediation projects, regulatory advice and green energy projects as well as all aspects of property transactions. On top of that he even cycles to work to try and keep his own carbon footprint down! He is also a member of the Law Society's Land Law and Conveyancing Committee and an external member on the Bank of England's Strategic Advisory Forum. In this podcast he also explains what his firm is doing to address its own ESG strategy.

International ESG thought leader Ahila Ganesan explains from her perspective as the founder of FutureLinQ (https://futurelinq.com/) how most Asian companies focus on Environmental compliance but have yet to consider the benefits of Social value our excellent Governance. Still, with ESG advocates like Ahila, it's just a matter of time before they look at ESG as a whole. She also gives her advice on where to start, if you're new to ESG. There's a handy free resource that might be of interest…

How do you calculate your climate impact score, as an individual or a business? Olivia Pederson, Founder & CEO of Sustaio has the Solution. You begin by capturing some metrics on their scorecard. The higher your Sustaio Score, the lower your impact on the planet. Have a listen, she's great.

In today's ESG interview California based lawyer, Patrick Miller, explains how asking questions about your primary and secondary suppliers' working practices can help you stay in business, and keep making profits. Professionally, he helps resolve legal disputes for startups, social impact and international businesses. Personally, he's on a mission to help all legal advisers better understand how they can bring the S and G of ESG to life for the clients.

Africa is so often overlooked in discussions about ESG strategy, if only because its GDP is so relatively small investors tend to overlook it. However there are examples of ESG best - and worst practice - which Beth, from the Washington based consultancy she founded, eruditely explains. COP27, in November, is in Sharm El-Sheikh. As the world's gaze falls on Egypt soon we take this opportunity to look at ESG across Africa. Beth knows her stuff. It's a good one.

The globally famous presenter of the ESG, Climate & Money Show talks to us about aquaculture, the seafood industry, Norwegians, and of course Elon Musk.

Zach Stein co-founder of CarbonCollective.Co gives the ESG podcast a masterclass

We spoke to one of the UK's leading consultants who reassuringly explains that an ESG report doesn't need to be a huge headache. Nor need it be very long. But you do need to start somewhere. And soon. James explains why.

A new report, published by General Counsel magazine and law firm Irwin Mitchell, points out that despite the rapid growth in focus on ESG, there is still uncertainty around which business function should lead on it. The mantra that it should be led from the top is an easy one to declare, but how responsibility breaks down and which team does what remains blurred in most organisations.

As its name implies the Climate Disclosure Standards Board is committed to advancing and aligning the global mainstream corporate reporting model to equate natural capital with financial capital. It does this by offering companies a framework for reporting environmental and social information with the same rigour as financial information. But with the recent announcements surrounding the creation of the International Sustainability Standards Board how will the Climate Disclosure Standards Board be positioned in the future? Is it 'job done?' Mardi McBrien picks up the story.

Turning plastics glass, paper, card, metals, organics and e-waste into new products and raw materials would seem logical. But we still throw away more than we save.

Ivano Iannelli, widely acknowledged as one of the Gulf's foremost experts in carbon emissions shares his predictions.

Charlotte West, Head of Global Comms at Lenovo, shares how the Hong-Kong listed company has been writing them for the past several years.

Nowadays climate change is in the news everyday, but the solutions for achieving Net Zero are going to be many, tecchy and ingenious. In this podcast we learn how potentially millions of households could power their homes using... heat batteries. It's pretty cool!

Daniel talks about the obstacles being overcome by small businesses in their attempts to become more sustainable and provide ethical shopping for consumers following the rise of e-commerce.

Matt Peacock, a Partner at Blurred, explains why any organisation believing it has a credible and effective Purpose needs first to understand the impact of its business on the Environment, on Society, and in terms of Governance.

Alexander Stafford is the Conservative MP for Rother Valley, and Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on ESG. In Parliament, Alexander consistently champions the green recovery, having previously worked for both the World Wildlife Fund and Shell. A leading voice for the role of ESG in Britain's drive to reach net-zero and to level up communities across the country, Alexander established the APPG on ESG earlier this year, to further the understanding, implementation and assessment of its principles.

Ali Watson, Professor of International Relations and Managing Director of The Third Generation Project (a social and climate justice-based think tank) at the University of St Andrews, discusses how education and justice-centered research practices connect with a better understanding of ESG.

Metrics for measuring Environmental behaviours are as deep as they are wide. 'Governance' is often perceived as being too subjective to measure with quite so much certainty. Is this true or is it a myth?

Investing responsibly has to be more than just putting lipstick on a pig, but is it possible for the mining industry to have a good ESG score, however pretty their report? James Sullivan, the well respected Head of Partnerships at Tyndall Investment Management, gives us his view.

McKinsey's former ESG and Purpose Practice Leader gives us an ESG masterclass. Bruce talks about the shift from philanthropic giving to philanthropic living; how 80% of CEOs derive purpose from their work, whilst 80% of their staff find it at home; why 2050 is too far away to make any meaningful decisions and how the the democracy of the internet is - or should - change the way CEOs operate.

Private wealth advisors are seeing a shift in priorities of their clients and expect this trend to continue. Stephanie Brobbey, a Private Client solicitor at London law firm Goodman Derrick. Stephanie has a keen interest in philanthropy and ESG issues and is part of the advisory group for Make My Money Matter an organisation co-founded by Richard Curtis which campaigns for a world where we all know where our money goes, and where we can make sure it is invested to build a better future.

Five Talents, a remarkable charity that works in East Africa helps to lift recipients out of poverty. But not by doling out cash. Instead they support them to lend to each other.

Globe trotting round the world Beth covers ESG in Poland, Kenya, China, South Korea and Taiwan. There may be other countries too, have a listen.

Anni Hood is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive of Well Intelligence, an international business advisory firm, and the visionary behind an online wellness community group spearheading equality of access to personalised health and wellbeing. Anni is a sought after international speaker and champions health and wellbeing as a unifying anchor between public and private sector initiatives.

Consultant turned employee Robbie Epsom jumped at the chance to implement CBRE Global Investors' Sustainability Vision. In this podcast he explains why and also as a co-founder of the Sustainability Circle shares some insights on how we can immediately reduce our personal carbon footprints. Right here, right now. (You have to listen to the podcast first).

Ayesha Saleem, a venture capital Research Analyst from Lakson Investments based in Karachi, talks about her passion for ESG and ambitions to make it wider understood in Pakistan.

In this podcast we discuss some new research uncovering which countries are ahead of the game. It's not America.

Yvette Martin is a Conservation Officer at the appropriately named ARC, the charity otherwise known as Amphibian and Reptile Conservation. Her fascinating role is to oversee the conservation of rare species of amphibians, specifically frogs and toads in the UK. Two species in particular have the highest level of environmental protection in the UK, the Pool Frog and the Natterjack Toad. But why should we care?

In this podcast Josh Cole takes us through Peregrine Communications' research into how asset managers can create more compelling, more valuable content when talking about ESG.

Social impact' which is the ‘S' in ESG reporting is rarely the key focus for analysts when they are assessing an organisation's ESG metrics. Environmental and Governance issues tend to predominate. On this ESG podcast Kelly Canterford, Programme Manager for Changing the Face of Property, outlines how improving Social impact is being tackled by the commercial property sector.

Thank you for listening to this edition of the ESG Podcast. We're joined today by Andros Payne who is the Founder of Humatica, a specialist consultancy that helps business improve and quantify the governance practices in companies that drive their ability to create value. They're the G, in ESG.

In this podcast marine biologist Sarah Neill talks about her forthcoming expedition to the high Arctic, otters, recycling, Women in Science and gender parity in the boardroom.

In this podcast Gemma Woodward, Director of Responsible Investment at Quilter Cheviot, the investment management company, explains how ESG has replaced CSR reporting as a more valuable benchmark for all organisations and predicts ‘well behaved' companies will find the most favour with investors in a post-lockdown world.

Ecologist Dr Chris Gibson who for thirty years worked with Natural England, the government's advisor on nature conservation talks on the ESG Foundation about the actions all of us can do to protect the environment. He is optimistic too that the public's heightened interest in the environment has come to the notice of senior leadership teams, who ignore it at their peril.