The Resilience Report

Our next guest has a deep, proven track record in the world of digital advertising consulting. And, as you will hear throughout this episode, Ahmed Elshinnawy is now applying his industry experience to disrupt the corporate world through a sustainability lens.

With more than 15 years working for some of the biggest names in consulting, Ahmed knows what it means to support his customers on their respective journeys. With many corporations now exploring how to improve their environmental and social impacts, Ahmed plays a key role in guiding them through their options.

Based in LA, California, Ahmed got his BComm with a focus on Supply Chain Management, and holds a Graduate Certificate in Marketing.

In his chat with host Lauren Scott, Ahmed shares how the worlds of marketing and sustainability intersect, and the role that technology will play in deepening this relationship.

While especially relevant for those in digital adverting, Ahmed’s insights are incredibly valuable for anyone navigating resiliency in the workforce.

(0:00) Intro

(2:17) Ahmed in his own words

(4:00) Defining digital marketing and commerce

(5:45) Corporate demand for sustainability expertise

(11:52) The role of resale in sustainable commerce

(13:30) Sustainability challenge: data management

(14:59) Linking digital marketing, commerce and sustainability

(17:17) Navigating greenwashing as a consumer

(20:00) The role of consumer pressure in more responsible business practices

(22:15) Technology to accelerate pace of sustainability within digital marketing and commerce worlds

(24:55) What shifted Ahmed's consulting work towards sustainability

(27:13) The importance of listening to a plurality of opinions

(33:45) What it will take for businesses and leaders to be resilient going forward

Message us your thoughts!

If you or your company are interested in reducing your environmental impact, you have likely already heard the term “Net Zero”. These commitments to reducing emissions can be made by organizations, municipalities and even counties. 

Furthermore, if you are someone who is looking to invest in environmentally-responsible companies, this is likely a term that you are on the lookout for.

That being said, reading through countless corporate sustainability reports can be a very long, somewhat confusing process. Even the best intentioned investor might not have the full time or understanding to decipher real, meaningful commitments from straight up greenwashing.

Enter the world of climate shareholder activist organizations.

In this episode, our guest Kyra Bell-Pasht, Director of Policy and Research at one such organization, dives into what Net Zero means, the steps organizations like hers take to hold companies accountable for their pledges, what steps leaders can take to get started on their sustainability journey, and the fascinating overlap of law, capitalism, and climate mitigation. 

(0:00) Intro
(2:25) Kyra in her own words
(4:58) A duty to help others
(6:42) Defining Net Zero
(9:54) Greenwashing in the world of Net Zero Claims
(12:46) The role of climate shareholder activist organizations
(17:48) Private equity, Net Zero claims, and avoiding regulatory disclosures
(19:17) The Canadian economic landscape, oil sands and climate claims
(20:17) The biggest obstacle and opportunity for companies on the path to Net Zero
(23:18) Steps investors can take to navigate ESG reports
(27:54) How recent law grads or mid-career lawyers can transition to the world of sustainability
(30:30) What it will take for businesses and leaders to be resilient going forward

Message us your thoughts!

Hassan Shahriar has over a decade of experience in the renewable energy sector, and is the founder of ADAPTR Inc., a tech company providing solutions for the rapidly-growing hybrid renewables and microgrid markets in Canada and abroad.

In this episode, he and host Lauren Scott talk about the state of renewables in North America, the complexities of integrating into the grid, his work at Toronto’s WindShare Co-operative, and how he ended up in this field.

(0:00) Intro
(2:23) Hassan in his own words
(3:46) When a TED talk sparks a career path
(4:54) The state of renewable energy in Canada
(7:33) Challenges and opportunities for renewables
(9:47) Hybrid renewables and microgrids
(12:06) Taking the leap from the corporate world to becoming an ecopreneur
(13:49) The role of ADAPTR
(15:34) Emerging technologies in the renewables sector
(19:18) Being an entrepreneur in 2023
(20:49) Toronto's WindShare Cooperative
(22:45) Mechanical engineer careers in the renewables sector
(25:45) What it will take for businesses and leaders to be resilient going forward

Message us your thoughts!

Chantal has spent the last two decades designing solutions to activate sustainability across the globe. She has implemented projects with momentous impact tracking CO2 equivalents and benefits to people and communities along with cost savings as key success metrics. Currently serving as Head of ESG at Knight Frank Investment Management, Chantal has experience in the real estate, hospitality, and higher education sectors. Her resume includes highlights such as having launched the world's first whole life Net Zero carbon hotel as well as overseeing packaging and recycling as well as SBTi climate goals for McDonald's UK just to name a few. 

This episode of The Resilience Report is really a special one for me. I met Chantal over 15 years ago when we were both studying at university in Montreal, Canada. Chantal was absolutely one of the first people I met that was combining the idea of business and commerce with sustainability. It was through our conversations that I was really able to successfully set out on my own path of trying to discover how these worlds can intersect. Seeing how she has moved through various Industries since then has been really inspiring. 

(2:36) Getting to know Chantal Beaudoin
(3:26) How her career got started in sustainability
(5:52) Transitioning from higher education to the private sector
(6:59) Quietly joining McDonald's
(8:57) The difficult conversations that create change
(24:09) Landlord black hole: building energy consumption
(27:37) AI to optimize building management systems
(29:36) Seeing the light: the business case for solar
(31:55) Sustainability: North America vs Europe (UK)
(35:21) Quantifying the value of energy efficient assets
(39:24) Staying motivated and informed
(41:37) Embodied carbon: the next frontier for buildings
(45:22) Carbon budgets
(47:10) How to kickstart ESG within your organization
(50:10) Resilience and corporate culture, supply chain

Message us your thoughts!

Welcome! In this first episode, host Lauren Scott shares the "why" behind The Resilience Report. Are you a business leader or an entrepreneur keen on making a positive environmental impact, but not sure where to start? Are you perhaps feeling overwhelmed with the current state of the climate and have moments of feeling helpless? Then you have come to the right place!

Our guests are business leaders and entrepreneurs (or, as I like to call them, ecopreneurs!) that are disrupting the corporate world with innovative, sustainable solutions for a more resilient world.

(0:42) The TRR backstory
(2:28) The need for sustainability success stories
(3:09) Why a podcast?
(3:56) TRR Guests: Ecopreneurs and lighthouse leaders
(5:06) Why share these stories?

Message us your thoughts!