Rooted: The Human Side Of Sustainability Leadership

With nearly two decades in finance, Maria Nazarova-Doyle has built an impressive career at the intersection of money and purpose. After leading responsible investment at Scottish Widows, she now shapes global sustainability strategy at IFM Investors, which manages over £115 billion in assets.

In this episode of Rooted: the human side of sustainability leadership, Maria describes her role in sustainable investing as “a dream job”- work that never quite feels like a job because of the long-term impact and intellectual challenge it brings.

We explore the threads that run through her life, from early policy advocacy at school to her leadership in investment today, and reflect on how often we return to our earliest values. Maria encourages sustainability leaders to lean into developing their leadership capability alongside technical expertise. Despite her many achievements, she’s most proud of building strong, diverse teams that challenge thinking and bring different perspectives to complex problems.

Optimism and purpose run throughout the conversation. Maria shares her team’s motto, “Keep Calm and Invest Sustainably”, and reflects on the importance of holding a long-term view even as political and external pressures shift. We discuss how purpose carried her team through the pandemic, and how difficult it can feel when that sense of purpose is lost.

Finally, Maria shares the moment of luck that pulled her back from the brink of burnout, and the lasting changes she made to protect her wellbeing. We talk about why those working in this field may be particularly vulnerable due to the emotional investment the work demands.

You can follow Maria on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-nazarova-doyle-cfa/

If you enjoyed this podcast, please hit subscribe, post a review, and share this episode with your friends. I'd also love you to join my Rooted email community, where I share regular insights about the human side of sustainability leadership - click here to join.

Have any questions? You can find me on LinkedIn or Instagram.

Interested in one-to-one coaching with me? Check out my website to book a  free discovery call.

Thanks for listening! 

From Liv 💛

In this episode of Rooted: The Human Side of Sustainability Leadership, Liv welcomes Gemma Lannon to her yellow bench.
After starting her career at Unilever and working on grassroots sustainability projects around the world, Gemma founded Treo House - a new community supporting sustainability professionals to navigate the human side of this work.
In this conversation, Gemma shares the moment she realised the true scale of the climate challenge and how that eventually led to a period of deep stress and reflection. She talks about learning to be patient, finding healing in nature, and building Treo House with intention and care rather than urgency.
She explores with Liv what it means to feel the fear and act anyway, to stay curious when the path ahead is uncertain, and to recognise that impact often starts with one honest conversation.
Please do check out the fantastic community, workspace and events at Treo House at www.treohouse.com and you can follow Gemma on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/gemma-lannon/
If you enjoyed this podcast, please hit subscribe, post a review, and share this episode with your friends. I'd also love you to join my Rooted email community, where I share regular insights about the human side of sustainability leadership - click here to join.
Have any questions? You can find me on LinkedIn or Instagram.
Interested in one-to-one coaching with me? Check out my website to book a  free discovery call.
Thanks for listening! 
From Liv 💛

Liv welcomes Becky Heaton to her yellow bench.

What does it really take to keep your balance when your job is literally saving the planet? In this episode of Rooted: the human side of sustainability leadership, former corporate sustainability leader turned coach Liv Cropper sits down with Dr Rebecca (Becky) Heaton to explore the realities of leading change in some of the toughest boardrooms. A senior sustainability leader with two decades at the sharp end of corporate and policy work, Becky has led sustainability at Ovo, Drax and Lloyds Banking Group, and was a member of the UK Committee on Climate Change. 

From forestry beginnings to shaping UK climate policy, Becky reflects on legacy, impact, and the challenges that push chief sustainability officers to the edge of burnout, as well as why even “tree huggers” need a strategy for staying sane.

You can connect with Becky on LinkedIn

If you enjoyed this podcast, please hit subscribe, post a review, and share this episode with your friends. I'd also love you to join my Rooted email community, where I share regular insights about the human side of sustainability leadership - click here to join.

Have any questions? You can find me on LinkedIn or Instagram.

Interested in one-to-one coaching with me? Check out my website to book a  free discovery call.

Thanks for listening! 

From Liv 💛

P.S. Big thanks to John Cropper for editing and sound production. 

Matteo Deidda takes a seat on Liv’s yellow bench.

What happens when your passion for innovation and technology collides with the urgent need to tackle climate change? In this episode of Rooted: the human side of sustainability leadership, Liv Cropper sits down with Matteo Deidda - now Global Net Zero Lead at Tide and a familiar face across the UK sustainability community.

From early days studying civil engineering and frustrated by “old” technology, Matteo shares how curiosity for innovation drew him into sustainability’s fast lane – and kept him there for over 15 years at some of the UK’s biggest companies like Sainsbury’s, Vodafone and Lloyds.

He reflects on the power of people engagement, why conversations create more impact than any single initiative, and why he considers his “climate shadow” to be his greatest legacy. Matteo also opens up about his ‘Swiss Army Knife’ of resilience, why he chooses optimism over doom, and how changing the narrative towards hope keeps him grounded.

Want to connect with Matteo? He can be found on LinkedIn. 

If you enjoyed this podcast please hit subscribe, post a review, and share this episode with your friends. You might also enjoy my Rooted email community where I share regular insights about the human side of sustainability leadership - click here to join.

Have any questions? You can find me on LinkedIn or Instagram.

Interested in one-to-one coaching with me? Check out my website to book a  free discovery call.

Thanks for listening! 

From Liv 💛