Shaping sustainable impact

From 23-24 July, an international delegation of KPMG advisors attended The Impact Circle and the Love Tomorrow Summit, where they took part in two inspiring days of dialogue, learning, and vision. The inaugural Impact Circle aims to bring together Europe’s most impactful startups, investors, changemakers, and corporates, all of whom are committed to building a more sustainable future.

Across both days, a diverse audience came together at the intersection of business, sustainability, and innovation. Attendees shared a desire to reshape systems, values, and mindsets toward long- term impact. The two events had a common purpose, which can be summarized in a few key words: networking, investment, collaboration, and opportunity. The KPMG team played an active role and made powerful contributions to the program.

During the first day of The Impact Circle, Simon Weaver, KPMG’s Global Head of ESG Advisory, organized an engaging workshop titled The Value Revolution: Building a Business Case for a Sustainable Future. With this presentation, he aimed to reflect on how financial valuations can better account for ESG risks and opportunities, and the role both citizens and companies play in driving this shift. His core message was clear: the way we value corporates must evolve. While the world has changed significantly over the past 15 years, financial valuation models have remained largely static, failing to reflect how sustainability performance fundamentally influences long-term value. Simon highlighted the importance of moving beyond the current ‘triangle of inaction,’ where governments, corporate and financial institutions, and citizens all wait for one another to take the first step, and instead lean into collective accountability. Quoting Jon Alexander, he emphasized that “we need to become citizens and actors in the response to the climate crisis, not just consumers and spectators”, underlining that we as citizens have a crucial role to play - and prompting the question: how can we take on this role more actively and become a driving force in the response to the climate crisis?

Simon framed this challenge through the lens of the ‘3 C’s’:

1. Complexity: Sustainability is multi-layered and systemic.
2. Coordination: Real progress requires cooperation across sectors, countries, and communities. Simon referred to the tipping point in history, when our ancestors understood they were more successful once they started hunting together.
3. Confidence: Trust in institutions and climate action has been declining in recent years, evidenced by pushbacks like the Omnibus initiative in Europe. Restoring and maintaining confidence is essential if we are to accelerate the sustainability transition.

Avery Johnstone, Global Lead of Leaders 2050 at KPMG, took the stage on the second day at the Love Tomorrow Summit, bringing a message grounded in courage, optimism, and people-centered leadership.

She emphasized the importance of a just transition, one that ensures climate solutions are inclusive, equitable, and anchored in the lived experiences of communities. She also highlighted the role of young professionals in driving this shift: to speak up, push boundaries, and question established norms. Her message encouraged the audience to reflect not only on the need for change, but also on the responsibility to actively challenge the status quo and ask: why do we continue to do things the way we currently do?

The event’s final keynote was delivered by renowned entrepreneur and Diary of a CEO podcast host Steven Bartlett. He discussed the valuable lessons failure teaches and why embracing these lessons is essential for innovation and success. He emphasized the importance of experimentation and creating space to fail. His message went beyond business, highlighting the roles of resilience and purpose in achieving lasting impact.

Michael Wagemans, Head of ESG at KPMG Belgium, had the opportunity to ask Steven a pointed question: “Having interacted and spoken to some of the most influential business people, entrepreneurs, scientists, and experts in a range of fields, are there any insights you can share with us from those conversations that can help us not only raise awareness more effectively, but especially take decisive action on the challenges of planetary and human health breakdown?”

Steven highlighted a significant challenge: although many claim willingness to engage with differing perspectives, meaningful dialogue between opposing sides remains limited. Fundamentally, most people share the same goals regarding climate change, but a lack of open communication hinders progress. Steven mentions that accelerating the process of viewing others as neighbors rather than opponents and fostering genuine collaboration is essential to effectively address these challenges. Events like this, which bring people together and encourage active listening, represent an important step in the right direction.

As KPMG, we attend and actively participate in events such as Love Tomorrow and The Impact Circle to deepen our understanding of evolving sustainability challenges and opportunities and to stay at the forefront of conversations around sustainability, innovation, and societal impact; themes that are increasingly central to our clients and our own strategy. These events bring together diverse voices across sectors, offering valuable insights into emerging trends and stakeholder expectations. By being present, we strengthen our positioning as a trusted advisor on ESG, impact, and transformation. It’s also an opportunity to build relationships with forward-thinking organizations, identify potential partnerships, and demonstrate our commitment to driving sustainable change.

Throughout both days, speakers from diverse backgrounds, including financial reform, youth leadership, and entrepreneurship, offered unique perspectives that converged around a shared vision. All called for a shift away from outdated systems and towards inclusive, forward-looking collaboration. A common thread throughout the discussions was the emphasis on coordination, unity, and challenging the status quo. The keynotes highlighted the importance of cross-sector engagement and a shared commitment to purpose, empathy, and bold leadership in driving sustainable impact.

Amber Thoelen, Junior Advisor & Kaat Vanoppen, Junior Advisor