The Pre-Read

This week, we're taking a moment to thank our ESG Talk audience and guests for an incredible first season. As a token of our appreciation, host Mandi McReynolds invites viewers and listeners to join the ESG Pro Group community, a free networking group for professionals involved in ESG.

Resources:

1) ESG Pro Group - https://www.progroups.org/about-us/about-us/esgprogroup-about-us   

COP27 is underway. In this quick chat, ESG Talk host Mandi McReynolds reflects on President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's opening remarks and asks business leaders to pause and reflect on the difficult questions that will determine our impact on business and society. Stay tuned for a follow up episode featuring CDP Chairman Paul Dickinson that will explore reflections from the remainder of COP27 and what's to come in the year ahead. 

Resources:

1) COP27 - https://cop27.eg/#/ 

2)President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi Opening Speech - https://www.sis.gov.eg/Story/172566/President-El-Sisi's-Speech-at-the-Opening-Session-of-COP-27?lang=en-us 

In the latest episode of ESG Talk, host Mandi McReynolds is joined by Tensie Whelan, Clinical Professor of Business and Society and the director of the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business. Tensie shares examples of companies that have achieved a significant return on investment from sustainability initiatives as well as the concept of cost avoidance and importance of setting the right ESG KPIs for your organization.

Resources:

1) NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business Return on Sustainability Investment (ROSI™) - https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/centers-of-research/center-sustainable-business/research/return-sustainability-investment-rosi 

2) Harvard Business Review: ESG Reports Aren't a Replacement for Real Sustainability - https://hbr.org/2022/07/esg-reports-arent-a-replacement-for-real-sustainability 

3) NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business - https://www.stern.nyu.edu/sustainability

This week, host Mandi McReynolds is joined by Peter Land, Chief Communications and Sustainability Officer at DICK'S Sporting Goods. Peter shares how a large consumer brand took a stand to advocate for youth sports and gun reform. They discuss the risks, opportunities, and costs of public accountability for brands. 

Resources:

1) DICK'S Sporting Goods 2021 Purpose Playbook - https://investors.dicks.com/news/sideline-report/blog-story-details/2022/A-TEAM-EFFORT-INTRODUCING-THE-2021-PURPOSE-PLAYBOOK/default.aspx

2) DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation Sports Matter program - https://www.sportsmatter.org/ 

3) Sandy Hook Promise - https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/ 

Barjouth Aguilar, Head of Global Sustainability at Flex, joins Workiva's Mandi McReynolds on this week's episode of ESG Talk. Learn how Flex has embedded sustainability into its supply chain and manufacturing operations, embraced sustainable finance, and localized ESG strategy in more than 100 facilities across the globe. 

Resources:

1) Flex - Our Sustainability - https://flex.com/company/our-sustainability 

2) Flex Foundation - https://flex.com/company/our-sustainability/flex-foundation 

3) McKinsey & Company - https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/operations/our-insights/building-sustainability-into-operations 

This week, host Mandi McReynolds is joined by Beth Wood, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Principal Financial Group® and the chair of the Principal ESG Task Force. In recognition of National Women's Small Business Month, Beth shares how her experience running a small business prepared her to drive ESG strategy for a Fortune 500 company and describes the innovative Principal® Global Financial Inclusion Index.

Resources:

1) Principal Financial Group ESG Strategy - https://www.principal.com/sustainability/esg-strategy 

2) Global Financial Inclusion Index - https://www.principal.com/financial-inclusion 

3) Edelman Trust Barometer - https://www.edelman.com/trust/2022-trust-barometer

We're chatting about how startups and small to midsize enterprises play a critical role in our global economy and how they can engage in ESG moving forward. Host Mandi McReynolds shares three fundamental principles for startups and SMEs to consider when implementing ESG into their business strategy.

Resources:

1) World Economic Forum article - https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/09/what-start-ups-think-about-esg-and-why-it-matters/ 

2) UN Global Compact participants - https://www.unglobalcompact.org/what-is-gc/participants

3) UN Global Compact resources - https://www.unglobalcompact.org/take-action/leadership 

4) Kevin O'Leary on ESG: Straight Talk from Mr. Wonderful - https://www.workiva.com/blog/kevin-oleary-esg-straight-talk-mr-wonderful  

Tune into our chat with George Serafeim, Charles M. Williams Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and author of Purpose + Profit. He and host Mandi McReynolds discuss the humanistic element of ESG, why corporate purpose and ESG issues have become more important over time due to transparency and technology, and practical tips to drive purpose and profit forward. 

Resources:

1) Purpose and Profit - https://www.amazon.com/Purpose-Profit-Business-Lift-World/dp/1400230357/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= 

2) Harvard Business School Profile - https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=15705 

We’re joined this week by the Workiva Off The Books podcast team, Steve Soter, Senior Industry Principal, and Catherine Tsai, Senior Content Marketing Specialist, to discuss all things Amplify. Amplify is Workiva’s annual user conference bringing together the top minds in financial reporting, ESG, and risk. Host Mandi McReynolds discusses this year’s theme “All In” and the event’s top takeaways including SEC proposals, tackling ESG, automation, and innovation. 

Resources:

1) Amplify - https://www.workiva.com/amplify 

2) Off The Books Podcast - https://www.workiva.com/off-the-books-podcast

This is an illuminating conversation between Shivaram Rajgopal, Kester and Byrnes Professor at Columbia Business School, and host Mandi McReynolds. Listen as they discuss his pragmatic approach to ESG as illustrated in his three-part Forbes article series ESG – A Defense, A Critique, And A Way Forward: An Evidence-Driven Pragmatic Perspective. 

Resources:

1) ESG – A Defense, A Critique, And A Way Forward: An Evidence-Driven Pragmatic Perspective - https://www.forbes.com/sites/shivaramrajgopal/2022/08/21/esg--a-defense-a-critique-and-a-way-forward-an-evidence-driven-pragmatic-perspective/ 

2) ESG – A Defense, A Critique (part 2), And A Way Forward: An Evidence-Driven Pragmatic Perspective - https://www.forbes.com/sites/shivaramrajgopal/2022/08/28/esg--a-defense-a-critique-part-2-now-and-a-way-forward-an-evidence-driven-pragmatic-perspective/ 

3) ESG – A Defense, A Critique, And A Way Forward (part 3): Evidence-Driven Pragmatic Perspective - https://www.forbes.com/sites/shivaramrajgopal/2022/09/01/esg--a-defense-a-critique-and-a-way-forward-part-3-now-evidence-driven-pragmatic-perspective/ 

4) Website - https://www.shivarajgopal.com/