As the pressure increases on boards to demonstrating they are taking the sustainability challenges facing their organizations seriously, minds are turning to how ESG-matters (Environmental, Social, Governance) should be overseen and governance over ESG itself administered. This is particularly relevant considering the increasing focus of stakeholders on the alignment of ESG strategies with organizations’ purpose and mission. It is true to say that stakeholders are increasingly concerned regarding ‘greenwashing’ claims and are looking for authenticity in this alignment. Like with most aspects of setting an ESG strategy, context is everything. What kind of organization are we dealing with, what sector…
https://changetheraceratio.com/#signatories Momentum continues to build around Change the Race Ratio – a campaign aimed at increasing racial and ethnic participation in business – with a total of 100 firms now signed up since the campaign launched on 1 October 2020. Latest campaign signatories include BAE Systems, Bolton Associates, Britvic, First Group, Mace Group, Miles Advisory, Paysafe and Sage. Lord Karan Bilimoria CBE DL, CBI President, said: “We can and must vastly improve racial and ethnic diversity in business. Not only is it a vital step towards giving more people the chance to succeed and making society more inclusive; the business case is also…
Gender Lens investing (GLI) considers how investment capital can be used to have a positive impact on the lives of women and girls. The term was coined by Joy Anderson (Criterion Institute) and Jackie VanderBrug (US Trust, previously at Criterion) in 2009, but the concept has been influenced by many women and men across the financial sphere. GLI is coming into sharper focus as Environmental and Social Governance (ESG) reporting becomes more prominent. Suzanne Biegel, a senior advisor at the Criterion institute, explains the 4 different dimensions of gender lens investing. Investments increase access to capital for female entrepreneurs and…
In this insightful article Keith Breslauer, Managing Director of Patron Capital, argues that ESG reporting faces an existential threat to its own existence.
There is mounting pressure for organisations to actively integrate environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues into their organisation strategy. Board of Directors across nearly every industry are expected to be competent in navigating the headwinds of ESG. Yet many companies’ board and executive leaders are still unsure on how to approach ESG and manage the communications with their stakeholders.
The world is changing. ESG is no longer a buzzword and has become mainstream. However, the need now is to ensure that the board of directors of an organisation – the very echelon of power that steers the strategy of an organisation – is ready to face the oversight challenges of ESG.
ESG has moved into the mainstream with significant urgency in recent years. However, the alphabet soup of acronyms, GRI, SASB, CDSB, IIRC, TCFD to name a few, in sustainability initiatives and options puts a damper in socialising its very need. This in turn leads to confusion while intimidating and overwhelming anyone wanting to grasp the basics.
Surveys show that business leaders and board members are generally well aware of global geopolitical volatility. This is not surprising. Firms who globalised their market footprint and supply chains in the last three decades must now operate in an increasingly antagonistic geopolitical environment.
To reduce the transmission of Covid-19, many people and organisations have adopted remote and digitalised styles of communication and work. The daily usage of smartphones, laptops, TVs and tablets has soared since the start of the pandemic. Research by the Statistica Research Department (2021) quantifies these trends, calculating that smartphone and laptop usage have both increased by 46% since Covid-19 hit the United Kingdom.
Sarah Neill, a marine biologist and one of the ESG Foundation’s Special Advisors, has recently been appointed the Marine Life Species Leader for Project Wild Gambia. In her new role she will oversee their marine research and feed back to the team on any latest developments in her specialist area, which includes the Atlantic humpback dolphin and sea turtle rehabilitation.
