

Sustainability Delivery Group
Harnessing the expertise to deliver sustainability
Member-only roundtables
Our Executive Roundtable Briefings bring together practice leaders within environmental and sustainability consulting firms with clients, regulators and other stakeholders, giving both parties the opportunity to listen to each other’s perspectives on pertinent issues and discuss solutions and ways forward in an informal setting. We have had a range of diverse speakers, the write-ups from these discussions can be accessed below.
To ensure optimum discussion, places at these briefings are limited, although we will endeavour to share access fairly between Environment Analyst members, plus carefully selected guests.
Access to meetings depends on membership tier - please contact Lisa Turner, Membership Development Manager for details at lisa.turner@environment-analyst.com.
Previous roundtables
IES Diversity Initiatives Phase 2 – From research to action
14:00 GMT on 23 February, online
Following the publication of their research report 'A Challenging Environment: Experiences of Ethnic Minority Environment Professionals', the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES) has launched phase 2 of its Diversity Initiatives, which is looking to take forward some of the recommendations of the report focused on inspiring those from diverse backgrounds to begin and sustain a career in the environment sector.
In this roundtable discussion, Ethny Childs, Communities & Partnership Lead at the IES, provided an overview of the Initiative, plans for 2023 and ways organisations within the sector can get involved.
Sustainability Delivery Group Roundtable
10-11:30 GMT on Wednesday 16 November, online
George Davies, Director of Sustainable Development, Rail Safety and Strategy Board, introduced this meeting, alongside two of his topic experts - Brian Clarke and James Wright. They gave an early preview of the Sustainable Rail Strategy (SRS). Developed by RSSB with the rail industry, the SRS is the blueprint for a cleaner, greener and more socially positive railway.
The briefing covered three strategic areas: social responsibility, emissions and the natural environment, as well as identified common solutions and example routemaps. This private roundtable provided an opportunity to learn about how the industry is coordinating its approach and the challenges it faces.
The key questions we explored are:
-
How can we best secure delivery of the Sustainable Rail Strategy, embedding it into the railway and its supply chain?
-
How can the E&S consultancy sector support this process?
Sustainability Delivery Group Roundtable
27 January 2022 at 2pm GMT
Jo Gilroy offered insight into the challenges that Kier and the wider construction industry are facing and how, amidst the pressures they are facing with supply chains, Scope 3 emissions and Biodiversity Net Gain, she sees collaboration, not competition as a positive way forward, using the UN SDGs as a roadmap.
Speaker: Jo Gilroy, Head of Sustainability, Kier Group
Sustainability Delivery Group Roundtable
Tuesday 23 November 2021 at 4pm GMT / 11am ET / 8am PT
Matthew provided an update on Sustainability Reporting Standards, including new Universal Standards being introduced this month, the current and future reporting landscape, and drivers for further adoption. This led into a discussion on how to reduce confusion in the use and application of standards and increase the availability of transparent, usable metrics for ESG reporting.
Speaker: Matthew Rusk, Head of North America Regional Hub, Global Reporting Initiative
Investor Perspectives: Growing Momentum for ESG Analysis and Systemic Action on Climate Change
Wednesday 29 September 2021
Kirsten Spalding, Senior Program Director at Ceres Investor Network, joined us for this roundtable and gave a short talk on the growing momentum for ESG analysis and systemic action on climate change. Kirsten looked at how investor demands of corporate leaders are getting clearer and how collaborative actions between investors and companies, policy makers and regulators are having real economy impacts.
Speaker: Kirsten Spalding, Senior Program Director, Ceres Investor Network
From SDGs to Action: Benchmarking for a Better World
Thursday 15 April 2021
COVID-19 is delivering the final blow to an economic model that is no longer environmentally or socially sustainable. We have an opportunity to rebuild a more inclusive, just, and sustainable world – with business as the engine of the reset – but greater transparency, guidance, and accountability is needed to enable companies to lead by placing people and the planet at the heart of the recovery.
Speaker: Gerbrand Haverkamp, Executive Director, World Benchmarking Alliance
Purpose-Driven Transformation: Delivering Wellbeing over Time
Wednesday 3 March 2021
To achieve wellbeing goals sustainably, organisations need to be armed and fully prepared to make the scale of strategic transformation necessary. In doing this, business leaders need to recognise the scale of change becoming purpose-driven represents; hence why it is both difficult and a huge opportunity and use this awareness to smooth the path and drive the change. Then the ground can be set for deeper, long-term success and not just surface change.
Speaker: Dr Victoria Hurth, Fellow, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)
Embedding Sustainability in the Board Room
Tuesday 8 December 2020
Speaker: Jaclyn Bouchard, Director of ESG Products, S&P Global Ratings
Sustainability Services in the Exponential Decade
Wednesday 5 August 2020
Speaker: John Elkington, Founder, Volans
Leading the Transition to Net Zero Through the Lens of COVID-19
Tuesday 14 July 2020
Speaker: Mark Lewis, Global Head of Sustainability Research, BNP Paribas