Two parallel challenges are dominating my conversations with clients at the moment – the Ukraine crisis and the rising cost of living. The events in eastern Europe are not only having a humanitarian impact but also showing the further challenges of our globalised supply chains following the pandemic. Meanwhile the cost of living crunch is putting a major squeeze on spending as many households try to make ends meet.
Against this backdrop, you may ask whether the environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda – should be put on the backburner?
My answer to that is: No. We need to pursue the ESG agenda more than ever. Not because it is the right thing to do (it is) but because it can make important contributions to addressing these situations around us through economic investment and business resilience.
I was therefore pleased to be joined at our latest In Conversation event by Emma Keller, Head of Sustainability at Nestlé UK & Ireland and Nathan Beaver, Head of ESG Consulting at KPMG to discuss how to embed ESG more strongly into organisations and make real headway against key goals.