Ashurst Business Agenda Podcast

Whether she’s burning around race circuits in a Lamborghini or giving business leaders a steer on diversity, Charlie Martin always gives it everything she’s got. In this podcast, Charlie shares hair-raising tales from the track and her inside story of being a transgender woman in a male-dominated industry.

Outpacing the competition? Breaking the status quo? Life or death decisions? As a motor racing driver and LGBTQ+ activist, Charlie Martin knows a thing or few about all these things, and more.

In this episode of the Outpacing Change mini-series, Charlie takes us on an incredible personal and professional journey: from humble beginnings, to paying her dues on the club racing circuit, to becoming the first transgender driver to compete in the legendary Nürburgring 24-hour race in 2020 and securing a podium finish in the Super Trofeo opening race at LeMans this year.

Along the way, Charlie explains her approach to innovation in motorsport and shares her advice for business leaders to champion diversity in their organisations. “The environments we create for our teams in business – it's one of the most important investments we can make,” she says. “A big part of it is encouraging empathy and compassion. It comes down to trust, sharing and psychological safety.”

Subscribe to Ashurst Business Agenda and listen to all our Outpacing Change episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

The information provided is not intended to be a comprehensive review of all developments in the law and practice, or to cover all aspects of those referred to. Listeners should take legal advice before applying it to specific issues or transactions.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the latest episode of our Outpacing Change mini-series, tech founder Christy Laurence shares the inside story of Plann, a social media scheduling tool with millions in revenue and has been downloaded more than three million times worldwide. 

In this entertaining discussion, Christy:

• Discusses her personal and professional forays into generative AI and how she encourages everyone in her business to participate in product development and innovation
• Offers tips to business leaders on social media
• Shares what she learned from her time in Silicon Valley

Along the way, Christy talks about how to take bold steps into the unknown, reflects on how the pandemic changed LinkedIn for the better, and explains why Plann has a “No Monday Meetings” policy. She also talks about her passion for art and admiration for a marketing campaign fronted by a sad, angry owl (aka Duolingo).

“Social media and business can be fun,” Christy concludes, “and if I could impart any knowledge from my journey, it’s that the more fun we have, the better our results are.”

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Our latest Outpacing Change episode takes us to Gotenburg, Sweden and an insightful discussion with Volvo Trucks Director of Environment and Innovation, Lars Martensson, and the innovative world of electric, autonomous and connected freight solutions aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of the logistics sector and improve road safety.    

Quality, safety and environmental care are three themes that have been synonymous with the Volvo brand since its inception in 1927, and today the company remains razor focused on their importance, “I work with what is fun and what is important. Environment is what is really important, while fun is obviously innovation,” states Volvo Trucks, Director of Environment and Innovation Lars Martensson, “In my role I primarily think about climate and circularity.”

Volvo Trucks' commitment to innovation in creating electric, autonomous, and connected trucks, which not only advance the industry but also significantly reduce the environmental impact of freight transport is central to Martensson’s work where his focus on developing sustainable technologies steers the company's dedication to environmental stewardship and its leading role in moving towards a more sustainable future.

In the episode, Lars emphasises the concept of circularity as a longstanding practice at Volvo Trucks that is becoming even more pertinent today, while discussing the company's approach to integrating recycled materials into new trucks, ensuring longevity, and enabling the remanufacturing of parts. The synergy between different branches of Volvo, and across the industry, is presented as a critical factor in driving forward these environmental initiatives.

The power of partnership and collaboration in achieving rapid change is a strong theme in Outpacing Change episodes and is critical too at Volvo Trucks. Lars mentions the importance of working together with suppliers, customers, transport buyers like Amazon and IKEA, and energy companies to implement new technologies and ensure access to green energy and infrastructure. This collaboration is viewed as essential to meeting climate goals and adhering to the Paris Agreement, and Volvo Trucks positions itself as a leader in fostering these necessary alliances. “Our mantra in a way is that partnership is the new leadership,” Lars concludes. 

The information provided is not intended to be a comprehensive review of all developments in the law and practice, or to cover all aspects of those referred to. Listeners should take legal advice before applying it to specific issues or transactions.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, which forms part of a special Powering Change mini-series, we look at the current energy-from-waste (EfW) market, flag the major opportunities and challenges, and consider what lies ahead.

Ashurst's 2024 Powering Change report shows that energy-from-waste is one of the core technologies of the energy transition, with 41% of surveyed G20 energy sector leaders currently investing or planning to invest in EfW. So, in this podcast episode, we pause to consider recent developments and the current state of the market.

We discuss how, in the UK’s maturing market, funders are adjusting their risk tolerance levels, and we explore how the Emissions Trading Scheme and other challenges are impacting the sector. We also cast our eyes overseas, to consider opportunities in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. And we discuss how the EfW industry may evolve in the years ahead.

This discussion features Ashurst partner Cameron Smith alongside two fellow experts on energy transition and infrastructure: Stefan Barrow and Andrew Howie. Stefan is a director in the infrastructure team at  MUFG ,. Andrew Howie is director of EfW Development at Encyclis.

To listen to this episode, and to subscribe to future episodes, search for “Ashurst Business Agenda” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

The information provided is not intended to be a comprehensive review of all developments in the law and practice, or to cover all aspects of those referred to. Listeners should take legal advice before applying it to specific issues or transactions.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In our latest episode of 2032 and Beyond, our podcast mini-series focusing on the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we explain how circular economy models will help government and businesses deliver a climate-positive Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Our guests in this episode are Jodie Bricout, who leads Aurecon's dedicated circular economy team, and Andrew McCormack, an Ashurst partner in the Projects and Energy Transition team. Together with Ashurst host Mike Duggan, they unpack Brisbane 2032's contractual commitment to being the first climate-positive Games and the vital role that circular economy models must play.

Jodie shares her expertise as a recognised expert in the circular economy and life cycle thinking by emphasising the importance of having suppliers understand the environmental impacts of their products and highlighting the lessons learned from the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London and Paris.

Andrew explains how collaboration will be paramount to creating the circular systems that government and businesses require. He describes how legal advisors can help parties feel comfortable sharing data and removing barriers to innovation and outlines the likely contractual impacts for projects that promote the circular economy.

This podcast contains general information and does not constitute legal advice. Ashurst is not a sponsor, licensee, or promotional partner of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Olympic movement, nor any Olympic body, event, team, or athlete. Nothing in this podcast is intended to suggest any such sponsorship, licence, or promotional affiliation

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In our first episode of our new Future Forces mini-series, Ashurst Australia partner Ratha Nabanidham, who specialises in mergers and acquisitions with particular expertise in the infrastructure, energy and resources sectors, speaks to the Head of Global Infrastructure at QIC, Ross Israel, and Mark Barges, Ashurst partner in our Paris projects practice about the expected extraordinary growth and innovation in the world’s infrastructure sector.

In this episode, three infrastructure experts discuss how megatrends, such as the race to net zero and accelerated digitalisation, present incredible infrastructure opportunities for construction, transport and IT companies. They share an overview of how infrastructure investment has changed over the past five years, the outlook of the infrastructure sector and why the infrastructure industry should embrace the concept of "resilience". They also discuss how government and businesses can overcome barriers to build a platform for communities to thrive in the future. For more information on the economic, geopolitical, and social megatrends to watch out for and the capabilities infrastructure businesses require to navigate these trends and tap the opportunities for growth, read the Future Forces Infrastructure report here.

To get a flavour of the topics we'll explore in our future episodes, you can check out our Future Forces 2023 Report, which highlights the megatrends that will shape businesses over the next decade. Read it here. 

The information provided is not intended to be a comprehensive review of all developments in the law and practice, or to cover all aspects of those referred to. Listeners should take legal advice before applying it to specific issues or transactions.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A brand new podcast mini-series is coming to Ashurst's Business Agenda. In each episode, we’ll discuss the major forces shaping the future of different industries – and how business leaders can get on the front foot.  

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In this new episode of our Outpacing Change series, Australian futurist Dr Ben Hamer offers a glimpse of the future of work and explains how business leaders can rise to an array of strategic challenges and opportunities. This entertaining conversation between Ben and Andy tackles generative AI, climate change, hybrid working, career planning, and much more.

Climate change. Geopolitical conflict. Artificial intelligence. Rising energy costs. The list goes on. “This is arguably the most challenging environment that business leaders have ever had to work through,” reflects Australian futurist Dr Ben Hamer. “A lot of leaders are coming to me asking ‘Where do I start? There's so many things coming at me, where do I focus?’”

In this episode of Outpacing Change, Ben provides some strategies to help leaders answer these questions. He discusses how to balance short-term and long-term challenges and, along the way, he explores:

• Low unemployment and employee value propositions: Why the factors that make people join an organisation are not the same as the factors that make them stay.
• The next wave of generative AI: How ChatGPT is only the tip of the iceberg, and why organisations will be hiring more AI managers in the years ahead. (“If there was one specific thing that I would encourage people to do after listening to this podcast, it would be to watch a YouTube video on Prompt Engineering.”)
• Future careers: How professionals need to “hack” their daily routines, to prepare for the multiple careers they will have tomorrow. (“We need to be spending 15% of our working week upskilling and reskilling in order to remain current. Not to get ahead of the game – but just to remain current.”)

While acknowledging the many challenges that business leaders will face in the coming years, Ben remains upbeat about the future. “There's a lot of talk at the moment that ‘the robots are coming to take our jobs’. And the thing to really remember with this is most of the jobs that exist today are still going to exist in 10 years’ time. They're just going to look very different because of technology ... I see the exciting potential of technology and automation, and how it help us do our jobs better, rather than necessarily replacing and displacing us.”

The information provided is not intended to be a comprehensive review of all developments in the law and practice, or to cover all aspects of those referred to. Listeners should take legal advice before applying it to specific issues or transactions.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Ashurst's Global Chair Karen Davies is joined by James Harayda, skipper and team principal at the Gentoo Sailing team to discuss the topic of resilience.

James will be one of up to forty competitors in November 2024, lining up for the start from Brittany and France for the Vendée Globe race. James and the other competitors will have very little sleep, usually obtaining snatches of 40-90 minutes and contact with the outside world will be by way of text, email and radio exchanges from time to time.

It is most noticeable that the closet people to the competitors at times will be astronauts on the International Space Station, as they will be several thousand miles from the nearest land.

James discusses the importance of having resilience when it comes to the twenty-four hour, eighty day solo race. Revealing how he relaxes during races and sharing his tips for managing stress, fear and pressure - which are useful for anyone in business.

Ashurst are delighted to have partnered with Gentoo Sailing Team whose innovative vision and sustainability ambitions reflect our own. To find out more about our partnership, visit our partnership page.

The information provided is not intended to be a comprehensive review of all developments in the law and practice, or to cover all aspects of those referred to. Listeners should take legal advice before applying it to specific issues or transactions.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Ashurst Partner Cameron Smith is joined by James Harayda, skipper and team principle at the Gentoo Sailing team.

Businesses need to be able to adapt in the ever changing political and economic climate, law firms with regulatory changes, clients' evolving needs and risk changes. Failing to adapt brings a whole host of challenges and the same can be said for the world's top sport professionals.

As a solo offshore yacht racer, James is the navigator, tactician, helmsman, crew, sail maker, electrician, rigger and hydraulics expert. He discusses how he prepares for each race and the importance of adapting throughout it.

James also considers what parallels businesses can learn from offshore sailing.

Ashurst are delighted to have partnered with Gentoo Sailing Team whose innovative vision and sustainability ambitions reflect our own. To find out more about our partnership, visit our partnership page.

The information provided is not intended to be a comprehensive review of all developments in the law and practice, or to cover all aspects of those referred to. Listeners should take legal advice before applying it to specific issues or transactions.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.