ESG Matters @ Ashurst Podcast

Head of First Nations Strategy and Advisory Trent Wallace welcomes Tony Morris, who leads Ashurst Risk Advisory's work health and safety (WHS) and psychosocial risk capability, to learn more about psychosocial risks in the workplace and the unique challenges First Nations employees face.

This episode delves into the definition and impact of psychosocial risks in the workplace and how psychosocial risks can be categorised into four groups: work design, social, work environment, and governance, each encompassing specific hazards like job demands, bullying, remote work, and organisational change management.

The discussion also highlights the unique challenges First Nations employees face, referencing recent reports like Gari Yala. These include role clarity, reward and recognition, and cultural load, underscoring the importance of incorporating a First Nations perspective in risk assessments. Trent and Tony emphasise the growing regulatory scrutiny on managing psychosocial risks and the need for proactive measures to prevent legal, reputational, and operational consequences for Australian organisations.

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.

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Xylo Systems CEO Camille Goldstone-Henry is a startup founder with a difference. With a vast knowledge of the natural world, Camille combined her data analysis skills and commercial acumen to create a platform to help corporations understand their biodiversity impact.

In this eye-opening episode of our Game Changers and Transition Makers mini-series, Camille shares her remarkable journey with Ashurst's Elena Lambros. Camille explains how she had to make critical conservation decisions using limited species information and biodiversity data in her previous role as a wildlife scientist. Camille developed tech solutions to aggregate these disparate data sets to make critical decisions in a timely and efficient manner.

The light bulb moment for Xylo Systems came when Camille realised that this critical biodiversity information could be applied to corporate businesses to help them understand their impacts on ecosystems, how they can mitigate these, and how they can regenerate biodiversity.

"A lot of sustainability professionals are not only trying to grapple with carbon, but also biodiversity," reflects Camille. "While understanding biodiversity and its systems can be complex, saving it doesn't have to be."

Listen to the complete Game Changers series – featuring an array of inspiring guests – by subscribing to ESG Matters @ Ashurst on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Partnering with supply chains, reimagining consumer packaging, and extending producer responsibility. All these issues – and more – are brought to life in this episode, where we hear from Raegan Kelly, Head of Product at Better For All.

Raegan and her colleagues are tackling plastic pollution head-on by manufacturing bio-based cups in California. In this podcast, she talks with Ashurst’s Elena Lambros about Better For All’s experimentation with biodegradable materials, collaboration with music festivals, and partnerships with composting services.

In telling her remarkable story of innovation, Raegan emphasises the importance of educating every partner across the whole supply chain. She also discusses how businesses could be further incentivised to reject packaging that pollutes the environment (and our bodies). And, away from her work life, Raegan explains the personal steps she is taking to reduce waste and consumption.

Listen to the complete Game Changers series – featuring an array of inspiring guests – by subscribing to ESG Matters @ Ashurst on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Elena Lambros is joined by Robert de Burgh-Day, an innovative entrepreneur who transitioned from a diverse background into founding and becoming the CEO of Brightspace. Brightspace enhances building efficiency with an AI-driven HVAC ecosystem that optimises energy use and improves air quality for commercial applications.

Robert's diverse experiences in business, initially as an electrician, paved the way for Brightspace's creation and need. By identifying the evolution of the post-pandemic office space, Robert's clean technology ensures energy efficiency in buildings designed for less than constant occupancy.

Discover the nuts and bolts of Brightspace's system, which includes deploying wireless edge IoT products throughout buildings. These devices monitor real-time occupancy and air quality, providing targeted HVAC services without compromising privacy. Throughout the episode, Robert highlights the support and inspiration from peers in the climate tech community, emphasising the importance of platforms that connect innovators and support from industry leaders.

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Mark Bjornsgaard and his co-founder saw an opportunity to turn waste into wealth. "What's that tub of massage oil in a home-brew bucket?" asked a day one investor. "It's free heat," was the reply that marked the beginning of an energy revolution.

In this compelling discussion, Elena Lambros uncovers how Mark's venture capital experience and a chance to impress a major utility company led to the birth of Deep Green. Initially viewed with scepticism, the company's technology harnesses the excessive heat generated by data centres and repurposes it to heat community swimming pools, providing both environmental and financial benefits.

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Elena Lambros learns how Nikhil Chouguley's early experience in the Himalayas deeply influenced his path towards creating Sustopia, an ecosystem of blockchain, AI, and eventually quantum computing which are increasingly being harnessed to navigate financial investments to facilitate sustainable decision making.

In this wide-ranging conversation Nikhil discusses how we are on the cusp of a 'Green Industrial Revolution 4.0', driven by a younger generation of investors who value sustainability over short-term profits, a point that Sustopia aims to harness, guiding capital towards technologies and ventures that can shape a sustainable future.

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There’s nothing ordinary about the events that Chris Pensa creates for corporate clients, and his personal story is nothing short of extraordinary. In this episode, Ashurst’s Elena Lambros hears how this former competitive figure skater carved out a career that combines creativity and sustainability in numerous ways.

Chris takes us back to 2005 and his early career at Sotheby’s, where he became the first person to catalogue artwork by Banksy (then an unknown street artist). From there, Chris explains how his personal and professional passions guided him towards where he is today, curating bespoke events for clients in the financial, legal and tech sectors that frequently inspire participants to reconsider how they can boost their ESG strategies.

In this wide-ranging discussion, Chris discusses the power of individuals and businesses to make a positive contribution to the environment and he emphasises the creative potential within everyone. He also discusses the importance of raising inquisitive children, how cold-water swimming keeps him productive, and how lockdown prompted him to create and livestream rollerblading tours of London street art.

Listen back to the complete Game Changers series – featuring an array of inspiring change makers – by subscribing to ESG Matters @ Ashurst on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

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In this episode, Cameron McKenzie talks about the power of innovation in pursuing sustainability and his journey from construction to creating ASPIRE, a platform that is empowering over 3,500 businesses to reuse and recycle over two million tonnes of resources.

Cameron discusses the concept of a circular economy and how ASPIRE’s algorithm promotes a sustainable, waste-free environment and the significant role federal policy has played in shaping the future of circular economies and what success looks like on a global scale.

To stay informed and catch-up on our Game Changers and Transition Makers mini-series, subscribe to Ashurst ESG Matters on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform.

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Join Elena Lambros in a captivating discussion with Magnus Drewelies, the visionary founder of CEEZER, as they explore negative emissions, transforming the carbon credit market while advancing the sustainability agenda.

Discover the challenges and triumphs faced by Magnus as he articulates the origin story of CEEZER, business expansion, and strategic focus areas. The conversation ventures into the essential strategies for redefining existing systems to achieve game-changing results in carbon negativity and the urgency of personal and corporate commitment to net zero goals.

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.

Elena Lambros, our ESG and Sustainability Partner, delves into the heart of corporate sustainability with Sarah Downie the CEO of the Shared Value Project.

Introduced by Harvard’s Michael Porter and Mark Kramer in 2011, shared value is a concept that can have an impactful role in today’s corporate world. In this episode, guest Sarah Downie delves into the concept and how companies social and environmental challenges can become powerful opportunities for growth and innovation.

The podcast also shines a light on the critical role of executive support and board engagement to advance the shared value agenda, advocating for a vision where business objectives and societal needs are not just aligned, but mutually reinforcing.

To stay informed and catch-up on our Game Changers and Transition Makers mini-series subscribe to Ashurst ESG Matters on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform.

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.