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Modern Slavery Risks and Compliance: What Boards and Executives Need to Know

ESG, LEADERSHIP
Modern Slavery is the umbrella term spanning  illegal acts that remove people’s freedomThe United Nations defines modern slavery as “an umbrella term covering practices such as forced labour, debt bondage, forced marriage, and human trafficking. Essentially, it refers to situations of exploitation that a person cannot refuse or leave because ...

Mandatory Climate Reporting is Looming: Are You Ready?

ESG, SUSTAINABILITY
In the rapidly evolving landscape of corporate responsibility and environmental stewardship, one certainty is changing boardrooms and C-Suites forever: Mandatory Climate Reporting.  In a keynote speech to Deakin University earlier this year, ASIC Chair Joe Longo spoke about how important it is, “the growing interest in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues ...

Maximising Impact: How External Consultants Drive Sustainability Initiatives Forward

ESG, SUSTAINABILITY
In today’s business landscape, sustainability has become a critical component of corporate strategy. Increasing pressure from stakeholders – including investors, consumers, and regulatory bodies – is driving companies to integrate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles into their operations.  However, navigating the complex terrain of sustainability requires expertise and resources that ...

Case Study: First Sentier Investors – Achieving B Corporation Certification

B CORP
About First Sentier Investors First Sentier Investors is a global asset manager with a strong culture of stewardship and a commitment to responsible investing principles. It has been a signatory to the UN Principles of Responsible Investment since 2007.  First Sentier Investors' active investment teams, whether in-house or individually branded, manage assets ...

Case Study: Bassike – Achieving B Corporation Certification

B CORP
About Bassike Bassike is an Australian designer fashion brand that champions local production of high-quality, sustainably-made wardrobe essentials. With eight stores across the country and products stocked by over 80 retailers worldwide, Bassike is regarded as an Australian leader brand in the designer fashion segment. The Challenge In 2019, Bassike made a strategic ...

Restarting a Stalled Business Impact Assessment (BIA)

B CORP
B Corp Certification journeys usually span 6 to 18 months, depending on a company's size, complexity, and existing sustainability practices. It’s also a self-paced process.  If you’ve already started the Business Impact Assessment (BIA) process but are not making much progress, or you have completely stalled, it’s understandable that you may ...

Elevate Your ESG Performance with a Best-Practice Materiality Assessment

MATERIALITY ASSESSMENTS
Materiality Assessments (MAT) are crucial for navigating the intricate landscape of sustainability and corporate responsibility. By analysing impact and prioritising critical issues around environmental, social, and governance (ESG), you can enhance your organisation's reputation, increase stakeholder relations, improve financial performance and create long-term value.  MATs also identify and manage risk, as ...

IWD: From Inspiration to Action – A Retailer’s Roadmap for Creating Change

ESG
Unlock the power to create authentic impact for women in retail! We're excited to invite you to our upcoming webinar on Thursday, 15 February, where we'll delve into the imperative for retail businesses to move beyond talk and embrace evidence-based action. Panellists Rosanna Iacono, CEO and Co-Founder, The Growth ActivistsJustine O’Byrne, ESG ...

Best-Practice Environmental Management Systems: How to use ISO 14001 as a framework for transformation

Environmental Management
As the global community grapples with the pressing challenges of climate change, sustainable business practices are no longer optional — they are essential.  The Australian government has responded to these challenges with new Climate Change legislation that places greater responsibility on businesses to minimise their environmental impact. The government is also ...

What is B Corp? The Revolution Redefining Business Purpose

B CORP
In an era where the global business landscape is rapidly evolving towards sustainability and purpose, there's a palpable momentum of companies not just chasing profits, but ardently pursuing a greater good. This commitment to positive change, transparency, and the common good has given rise to the transformative B Corp Certification. ...

5 Levers you can pull for explosive growth in your business

Growth Strategy
In a business environment obsessed with short-term business growth strategy, it's easy to fall into the trap of focussing on tactics that produce the fast results, such as direct response digital marketing. But this approach distracts businesses from putting focus into other tactics that may have a slower delivery but ...

Patagonia’s Big Move – When Stakeholder Capitalism Meets Legacy

LEADERSHIP
Patagonia’s recent announcement that the Earth would become its only shareholder sent shockwaves through the global business community. It was the ultimate throwdown to Milton Friedman’s long-standing edict that the sole responsibility of a business is to deliver profit to shareholders. This move is not only the most high-profile example ...

Elevating  the ‘G’ in ESG: The critical importance of good governance

ESG
It’s no surprise that the environmental and social performance of businesses has come under greater scrutiny in recent years. As we face up to environmental and social challenges as a global community, all stakeholders — consumers, employees, investors, shareholders and the community — demand higher standards and more transparency into ...

Five Sure-fire Ways to Supercharge Your Council’s Internal Communication

ENGAGEMENT
Council workers are responsible for delivering many public services, so it is essential they have access to up-to-date information about their role, their council and an appreciation for the challenges facing local government. Communication in the workplace was always a challenge and the pandemic, and the shift to remote work, ...

6 things to consider for your Sustainability Transformation

SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability Transformation is needed now Today, to stay competitive, every organisation needs an Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy. Not just for the social and environmental sustainability benefits, but for long term business sustainability too. It is now an integral part of how we do business and something that stakeholders expect. ...

Solving the Social Dilemma: Best-practice ESG management for business

ESG
The fight against climate change has proved business can be — and must be — a force for good. Look around and you’ll see commitments to sustainability transformation in just about every aspect of business. From organisation-wide carbon audits to powerful decarbonisation strategies, so many businesses are putting their best ...
A sunset view over a line of windfarm turbines demonstrates renewable power generation for your decarbonisation strategy

5 Tips for Bringing Your Brand’s Decarbonisation Strategy to Life

ESG
After ranking last for climate policy among more than 60 nations, the Australian government’s climate change performance was widely slammed at the recent UN COP26 summit.  Fortunately, the Australian business community has its eyes wide open to the climate challenge. According to a global Deloitte report, 81 percent of Australian business ...
B Corp Certification Process

Key tips to accelerate the B Corp certification process

B CORP
That old adage of ‘the first step in running a marathon is the hardest’ definitely applies to starting B Corp certification. It’s a complex process that can take an average of six to 12 months from initial assessment to submission.  But there are some critical things you can do to accelerate ...
B Corp Certification

Understanding B Corp certification for large enterprises

B CORP
Completing a Business Impact Assessment (BIA) is a critical step in your B Corp certification journey. But for large businesses, it is not the first step. It’s not the second step either. In fact, it could be up to the seventh step on your certification pathway.  The BIA is a free ...
A businessman walking

Bringing the Humanity into SME Banking

PURPOSE
Consumer banking is well and truly entrenched into the world of self-service, online, faceless, commoditised financial services products.  When it comes to SME banking, this segment in which businesses can range from a one-person florist to a construction company with revenues of $45 million, a counter trend is emerging.  Bringing the ...
woman in shopping during pandemic

How To Understand Shopper Behaviour During A Pandemic

RESEARCH
Covid-19 has changed many things in 2020, and shopper behaviour is high on the list.  With the pandemic still hanging like a dark cloud over the bricks-and-mortar retail environment, shoppers’ expectations have shifted.  Relaxed in-store browsing has largely given way to a more focused approach. Consumers are now more likely to ...
GenZ girl in grocery store

Why Gen Z Hates Your Brand – And How to Win Them Over

BRAND
In 2019 Generation Z surpassed Millennials as the most populous generation, currently making up 32% of the 7.7 billion humans on the planet. Here in Australia those born between 1995 and 2010 make up 20% of our population and are set to  grow as a group by 17% over the ...
businessman walking with his leather bag

Retail Leadership Skills of the Future

LEADERSHIP
The future is already here - it’s just not evenly distributed. William Gibson The rapid acceleration of trends we’ve seen in the first half of 2020, thanks to COVID-19, prove Gibson right. The speed of adoption of new behaviours was only possible because the ideas and technologies applied ...
cash register in the shape of a unicorn

Hey, Retailer – Is a Unicorn Eating Your Lunch?

STRATEGY
A new breed of retail business is emerging to take the place of those who failed to innovate for the new economy. The failure of traditional retailers to evolve and adapt to the new economy has been well documented. Far less attention has been given to the key characteristics of the ...
a woman in a liquor store

The Top 5 Things to Consider When Choosing a Business Consultant

STRATEGY
At one point or another in its journey, every business will need to reach out for help to improve its performance. Whether the problem applies to the total business or to one division, once it's clear that internal attempts at improvement are failing, it becomes necessary to search out expert ...
spilled milk on the table

Insight on Research Insights

RESEARCH
A while ago, I was working on the strategy team of a large media buying company. A media buyer, in a panic, came running up to our desks. ‘I need some insights.’ ‘What?’ was my response, obviously not having noticed the ‘Take a Number for your Insight’ queue that had been set ...
loudspeaker on purple background

When CEOs Become Activists

PURPOSE
Why more business leaders are putting Purpose first. There was a time when no CEO in their right mind would dare make a statement that risked customer alienation. Back in 1990, when Michael Jordan was asked why he failed to endorse a local black candidate running against an openly racist incumbent, ...
Birds eye view of a 6 way pedestrian crossing in Japan. There are lots of people walking in all sorts of confused directions.

CSR is Dead

STRATEGY
Why Purpose is moving from the sideline to the core of business strategy When the Royal Commission into Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services published its final report in February 2019, the death knell sounded loudly for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Kenneth Hayne’s report implicated Australia's largest financial institutions as having engaged in ...
Hand and 3D earth representing Cloud Technology

Case Study: Brand Strategy Driving Growth

CASE STUDY
Driving growth with brand strategy The challenge: FirstWave is an ASX-listed provider of cloud-based cybersecurity. Central to the business’ success is the technology IP that powers their solution. For over 10 years FirstWave had only one customer, Telstra, who white-labelled their product, selling it to SMEs as a Telstra product. Despite a ...
products on the shelves

Case Study: Maximising Sale Price Through Brand Equity

CASE STUDY
 JURLIQUE The challenge: Jurlique was Australia’s largest global beauty business with operations in 22 countries. In Australia the brand had plateaued at number 3 for skincare behind Clarins and Clinique, and in other markets it lacked the brand clarity required to drive rapid customer adoption. The challenge was to significantly accelerate brand-led ...