Leadership for Sustainability

Climate is only one of the planetary boundaries we need to work on. And we also need to tackle a whole range of social issues.That's why item four and our sustainability leadership manifesto is: "develop and deliver initiatives that offer multiple benefits for people and nature". In this Roundtable event, our guests, sustainability leaders across a variety of sectors, reflect on their experience of trying to move the agenda beyond net zero in their work.Listen for insights from the sharp end about how to help colleagues to see the bigger picture and start engaging with the rest of the sustainable development goals.👉 Get the Leadership for Sustainability newsletterDon't miss new episodes or your invitation to our Leadership for Sustainability roundtables – including, only for email subscribers, our team's rich insights and carefully curated resources. Subscribe now… 👉 Follow us on LinkedInConnect with Osbert Lancaster - drop me a message and let me know you listen to the podcast! – and follow Realise Earth. Mentioned in this episode:👉 Being a courageous sustainability leader | RoundtableWhat does being courageous mean in practice for sustainability directors, managers and pioneers? Join our roundtable and discuss this with your peers. Read more & register

In this Roundtable event, our guests are:Sandrine Ricard, Deputy Director Sustainability & Responsibility with Pernod Ricard in the UKMichael Solomon, Founder of Responsible 100Sarah-Jane Littleford, Head of Responsible Business: Global Delivery with FujitsuThese sustainability leaders reflect on their experience of collaboration:in their organisationsacross their industryand when bringing businesses and NGOs together.Listen now for valuable insights to help you collaborate better in your sustainability work.👉 Get the Leadership for Sustainability newsletterDon't miss new episodes or your invitation to our Leadership for Sustainability roundtables – including, only for email subscribers, our team's rich insights and carefully curated resources. Subscribe now… 👉 Follow us on LinkedInConnect with Osbert Lancaster - drop me a message and let me know you listen to the podcast! – and follow Realise Earth. Mentioned in this episode:👉 Being a courageous sustainability leader | RoundtableWhat does being courageous mean in practice for sustainability directors, managers and pioneers? Join our roundtable and discuss this with your peers. Read more & register

Collaboration is essential to making greater progress on sustainability – within organisations and supply chains, across sectors – and across society globally. This is recognised by the UN Sustainable Development Goal 17 ‘Partnership for the Goals’, and Collaboration is one of the five dimensions identified by the Inner Development Goals as essential to achieving the SDGs.And the fifth call to action in our sustainability leadership manifesto for 2024 is “Seek out opportunities to collaborate and cooperate”.Identifying the need is one thing, doing something about it is another. To prepare for this episode I sat down with Morag and Rich, my Realise Earth co-founders, to discuss how we could draw on our collective experience to offer you some really useful guidance on collaboration.Here’s what we came up with:First I talk about what we mean by collaboration in the context of sustainability leadershipThen I get into the skills required for successful collaboration and the characteristics of effective teamsFinally I explore the nitty gritty of collaborating better, ending with specific actions you can start taking tomorrow – whatever your current experience.You'll find all the links mentioned in this episode in the companion blog post: https://realise.earth/better-collaboration-for-better-sustainability-leadership-heres-how/ 👉 Get the Leadership for Sustainability newsletterDon't miss new episodes or your invitation to our Leadership for Sustainability roundtables – including, only for email subscribers, our team's rich insights and carefully curated resources. Subscribe now… Mentioned in this episode:👉 Being a courageous sustainability leader | RoundtableWhat does being courageous mean in practice for sustainability directors, managers and pioneers? Join our roundtable and discuss this with your peers. Read more & register

What kind of approach to sustainability leadership do we need in 2024?In this Roundtable event, our guests reflect on their experience as sustainability leaders and give feedback on the draft sustainability leadership manifesto that Osbert talked about in the last episode.The topics discussed include:Deeply listening to understand people's needsEmbedding care in the sustainability agendaBuilding a culture of sustainability leadership across the organisationGetting beyond a carbon tunnel vision to a just transitionThe need to create collaborative spaces to drive forward positive change. Listen now for valuable insights, encouragement and hope. 👉 Get the Leadership for Sustainability newsletterDon't miss new episodes or your invitation to our Leadership for Sustainability roundtables – including, only for email subscribers, our team's rich insights and carefully curated resources. Subscribe now… 👉 Follow us on LinkedInConnect with Osbert Lancaster - drop me a message and let me know you listen to the podcast! – and follow Realise Earth. Mentioned in this episode:👉 Being a courageous sustainability leader | RoundtableWhat does being courageous mean in practice for sustainability directors, managers and pioneers? Join our roundtable and discuss this with your peers. Read more & register

In the last year or so we’ve seen a slew of reports about the state of the environment showing that we’re close to, or perhaps have already gone beyond, the point of no return with climate change and several other planetary boundaries. It’s genuinely scary stuff, and it sometimes floors me.And yet, other reports show real progress and suggest that we’re in with a chance of tackling the climate and nature crises. We have the technology, but what’s holding us back is social and cultural change.I’m deeply worried by false and naive optimism, but I genuinely believe success is possible. But only if, as sustainability leaders, we adapt and evolve our approach.Here's what I cover in this episode:A review of the state of the climate and nature crisesWhy this means we need a new approach to sustainability leadershipNine things do we sustainability leaders need to do differently in 2024.If you're overwhelmed or confused by the conflicting signals about the climate and nature crises, or are simply looking for ways to make more progress on sustainability in these difficult times, we've got some practical suggestions for you.You'll find all the links mentioned in this episode in the companion blog post here…👉 Get the Leadership for Sustainability newsletterDon't miss new episodes or your invitation to our Leadership for Sustainability roundtables – including, only for email subscribers, our team's rich insights and carefully curated resources. Subscribe now… Mentioned in this episode:👉 Being a courageous sustainability leader | RoundtableWhat does being courageous mean in practice for sustainability directors, managers and pioneers? Join our roundtable and discuss this with your peers. Read more & register

"How do we transition to net zero and build up the renewables we need in a way that respects our planetary boundaries and the natural world?""How do you create a circular economy and break the link between business growth and resource use?"Kate Wallace Lockhart is head of sustainability with SSE Renewables, and in this episode she talks about working with businesses across the sector to create a circular economy for the entire wind industry.We discuss the factors which have been important the successful development of the Coalition for Wind Industry Circularity – and I draw out some lessons to help sustainability leaders looking to develop circular economy initiatives in their industries.Read the full show notes with links to resources at https://realise.earth/119 Mentioned in this episode:👉 Being a courageous sustainability leader | RoundtableWhat does being courageous mean in practice for sustainability directors, managers and pioneers? Join our roundtable and discuss this with your peers. Read more & register

"You also need a theory of change. If you haven't understood what the big thing is you're trying to achieve, and you haven't understood how you are going to achieve that thing, then you have no theory of change and you're not going to achieve it."Bob Gordon told me that when he started out as Head of Sustainability with Nando’s in the UK he didn’t really have a theory of change. Bob’s now Director of Zero Carbon Forum, and has a very clear theory of change to support the hospitality sector to reduce, and then eliminate, their carbon footprinIn this interview Bob shares some of his story on that journey, and offers some really solid advice for sustainability directors and  managers who want to get results and make a real difference, even at a time when businesses are facing acute commercial pressures.Read the full show notes with links to resources at http://realise.earth/118👉 Get the Leadership for Sustainability newsletterDon't miss new episodes or your invitation to our Leadership for Sustainability roundtables – including, only for email subscribers, our team's rich insights and carefully curated resources. Subscribe now… Mentioned in this episode:👉 Being a courageous sustainability leader | RoundtableWhat does being courageous mean in practice for sustainability directors, managers and pioneers? Join our roundtable and discuss this with your peers. Read more & register

Discover how Dee made the case for a global sustainability strategy, created Deluxe's first global sustainability role, and then developed and delivered their first sustainability strategy.Deluxe Media & Entertainment is a leading media services company with over 4,500 people across the world.Dee talks with Leadership for Sustainability host, Osbert Lancaster, about:Moving from localised CSR to a global sustainability strategyMaking the business case to leadership groups, again and againFinding the right approach for different peopleBuilding a network to make change happenGetting into the detail of climate riskPulling together a team for climate risk assessmentAnd much more…For full show notes visit realise.earth/117👉 Get the Leadership for Sustainability newsletterDon't miss new episodes or your invitation to our Leadership for Sustainability roundtables – including, only for email subscribers, our team's rich insights and carefully curated resources. Subscribe now… Mentioned in this episode:👉 Being a courageous sustainability leader | RoundtableWhat does being courageous mean in practice for sustainability directors, managers and pioneers? Join our roundtable and discuss this with your peers. Read more & register

Run a workshop that encourages colleagues and stakeholders to be actively involved in your sustainability initiative.How to plan and facilitate a workshop that builds collaborationWhat are good activities? How to get people engaged?Some top tips inspired by our workshop for the Coalition for Wind Industry CircularityWe recently facilitated a workshop for the Coalition for Wind Industry Circularity. Afterwards a number of participants and asked for advice about the exercises we used and how to design and facilitate something similar.We decided to answer those requests by recording this episode as a 'case story' to share not just the particular activities we used, but also some of the principles behind them, and the thought process that informed our plans.👉 Get the Leadership for Sustainability newsletterDon't miss new episodes or your invitation to our Leadership for Sustainability roundtables – including, only for email subscribers, our team's rich insights and carefully curated resources. Subscribe now… Full guide and show notes at https://realise.earth/116Mentioned in this episode:👉 Being a courageous sustainability leader | RoundtableWhat does being courageous mean in practice for sustainability directors, managers and pioneers? Join our roundtable and discuss this with your peers. Read more & register

Adam Liddle, Head of Sustainability, RoslinCT, on creating a sustainability strategy in an industry, life sciences, that is completely new to him.👉 Get the Leadership for Sustainability newsletterDon't miss new episodes or your invitation to our Leadership for Sustainability roundtables – including, only for email subscribers, our team's rich insights and carefully curated resources. Subscribe now… Full show notes at https://realise.earth/115Mentioned in this episode:👉 Being a courageous sustainability leader | RoundtableWhat does being courageous mean in practice for sustainability directors, managers and pioneers? Join our roundtable and discuss this with your peers. Read more & register

Relating sustainability to people's interests and concerns, and to organisational values and culture, is crucial for engagement. Here's why it's so important, with case stories from our experience, and practical guidance on how to put this into practice in your organisation.👉 Get the Leadership for Sustainability newsletterDon't miss new episodes or your invitation to our Leadership for Sustainability roundtables – including, only for email subscribers, our team's rich insights and carefully curated resources. Subscribe now… Full guide at realise.earth/114Mentioned in this episode:👉 Being a courageous sustainability leader | RoundtableWhat does being courageous mean in practice for sustainability directors, managers and pioneers? Join our roundtable and discuss this with your peers. Read more & register

This is part 2 of our interview with Alan Hendry, Sustainability Director at Mott MacDonaldOsbert and Morag discuss what we heard to pull out important insights and offer 10 practical opportunities for action inspired by the interview – with a particular focus on collaboration.👉 Get the Leadership for Sustainability newsletterDon't miss new episodes or your invitation to our Leadership for Sustainability roundtables – including, only for email subscribers, our team's rich insights and carefully curated resources. Subscribe now… Full show notes at https://realise.earth/113Mentioned in this episode:👉 Being a courageous sustainability leader | RoundtableWhat does being courageous mean in practice for sustainability directors, managers and pioneers? Join our roundtable and discuss this with your peers. Read more & register

Alan Hendry, Sustainability Director, Mott MacDonald, a global technical services firm, on supporting colleagues make their services more sustainable.👉 Get the Leadership for Sustainability newsletterDon't miss new episodes or your invitation to our Leadership for Sustainability roundtables – including, only for email subscribers, our team's rich insights and carefully curated resources. Subscribe now… Show notes at realise.earth/112Mentioned in this episode:👉 Being a courageous sustainability leader | RoundtableWhat does being courageous mean in practice for sustainability directors, managers and pioneers? Join our roundtable and discuss this with your peers. Read more & register

Not all of us are sustainability directors of a global finance house like Tobi Petrocelli who Osbert interviewed in Part 1.So, for this post, Part 2, Osbert and Morag got together to discuss the interview, and to pull out some insights and recommendations that are relevant to everyone leading sustainability, whatever their organisation.👉 Get the Leadership for Sustainability newsletterDon't miss new episodes or your invitation to our Leadership for Sustainability roundtables – including, only for email subscribers, our team's rich insights and carefully curated resources. Subscribe now… Full show notes at realise.earth/111Mentioned in this episode:👉 Being a courageous sustainability leader | RoundtableWhat does being courageous mean in practice for sustainability directors, managers and pioneers? Join our roundtable and discuss this with your peers. Read more & register

In the first of our new interview series, I talk with Tobi Petrocelli, at MUFG, Japan's largest, and the world's fourth largest, bank. Tobi is Head of Sustainability & Transition Finance Strategy at MUFG Americas.She offers fascinating insights into the world of funding the transition to a net zero economy – but what really struck me was not just her lifelong passion for sustainability, but also the ways in which she has engaged colleagues across the bank, unleashing their skills and energy in support of sustainability.👉 Get the Leadership for Sustainability newsletterDon't miss new episodes or your invitation to our Leadership for Sustainability roundtables – including, only for email subscribers, our team's rich insights and carefully curated resources. Subscribe now… Show notes at realise.earth/110 Mentioned in this episode:👉 Being a courageous sustainability leader | RoundtableWhat does being courageous mean in practice for sustainability directors, managers and pioneers? Join our roundtable and discuss this with your peers. Read more & register

How do you develop the key skills that you and your team need to create change, build relationships and bring people with you when you are leading on sustainability in your organisation?In this guide Richard Profit summarises what the key skills are, and how you can go about developing them, whether you are just starting out or building on success. 👉 Get the Leadership for Sustainability newsletterDon't miss new episodes or your invitation to our Leadership for Sustainability roundtables – including, only for email subscribers, our team's rich insights and carefully curated resources. Subscribe now… You'll find the show notes with highlights and useful resources at https://realise.earth/109Mentioned in this episode:👉 Being a courageous sustainability leader | RoundtableWhat does being courageous mean in practice for sustainability directors, managers and pioneers? Join our roundtable and discuss this with your peers. Read more & register

What are the key skills that you need to create change, build relationships and bring people with you, when you are leading on sustainability in your organisation? Richard Profit talks about these essential skills, drawing on his research into sustainability leadership at Ashridge, his years leading on sustainability at PepsiCo, and the Inner Development Goals – the key skills and mindsets needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.👉 Get the Leadership for Sustainability newsletterDon't miss new episodes or your invitation to our Leadership for Sustainability roundtables – including, only for email subscribers, our team's rich insights and carefully curated resources. Subscribe now… Full show notes and links to resources at http://realise.earth/108Mentioned in this episode:👉 Being a courageous sustainability leader | RoundtableWhat does being courageous mean in practice for sustainability directors, managers and pioneers? Join our roundtable and discuss this with your peers. Read more & register

What are the characteristics of a great sustainability team? Rich Profit shares his experience as a senior sustainability manager with Pepsico, the world's second largest food and beverage company. 👉 Get the Leadership for Sustainability newsletterDon't miss new episodes or your invitation to our Leadership for Sustainability roundtables – including, only for email subscribers, our team's rich insights and carefully curated resources. Subscribe now… Show notes at https://realise.earth/107Mentioned in this episode:👉 Being a courageous sustainability leader | RoundtableWhat does being courageous mean in practice for sustainability directors, managers and pioneers? Join our roundtable and discuss this with your peers. Read more & register

We talk you through exactly how to prepare and delivery of a workshop with your board, senior managers or other colleagues, that will lay the foundations for the success of your sustainability initiative. 👉 Get the Leadership for Sustainability newsletterDon't miss new episodes or your invitation to our Leadership for Sustainability roundtables – including, only for email subscribers, our team's rich insights and carefully curated resources. Subscribe now… Detailed show notes -  https://realise.earth/106Mentioned in this episode:👉 Being a courageous sustainability leader | RoundtableWhat does being courageous mean in practice for sustainability directors, managers and pioneers? Join our roundtable and discuss this with your peers. Read more & register

Support from directors and senior managers is essential to maximise the success of your sustainability initiative. Osbert shares how he does this in consulting projects, and then takes you through the specific steps so you can apply this experience yourself. 👉 Get the Leadership for Sustainability newsletterDon't miss new episodes or your invitation to our Leadership for Sustainability roundtables – including, only for email subscribers, our team's rich insights and carefully curated resources. Subscribe now… Show notes here: realise.earth/105 Mentioned in this episode:👉 Being a courageous sustainability leader | RoundtableWhat does being courageous mean in practice for sustainability directors, managers and pioneers? Join our roundtable and discuss this with your peers. Read more & register