At Wilful Group we believe communications has a key role to play in accelerating a just and green transition, and as a PR firm that operates in this sector, we can play our part by hosting and convening conversations on key aspects of sustainability best practice. On 27th March, alongside private equity firm, Future Business Partnership, we co-hosted a panel discussion to address the question: D&I and Sustainability: Is it time to break down the silos? We wanted to explore whether closer collaboration between the business functions of diversity, equity & inclusion, and sustainability could help accelerate the transition to a fairer and more sustainable economy.
Aligning with B Corp Month and its theme ‘This Way Forward’, an audience of over 50 at Sustainable Ventures heard from a panel featuring representatives from four B Corps alongside workplace disability activist and campaigner, the Valuable500. Our panel comprised:
- Beth Powell, VP People and Reward, Natura& Co and Avon, leads Human Resources at the Holding company with responsibility for executive pay and talent across Natura &Co, its DEI commitments, and all HR activities for the Holding Team. She also represents Natura&Co-wide HR at the Board’s People Committee. Natura was the first listed company to certify as a B Corp. Today it operates in more than 70 countries, with 20,000 employees and 7 million Representatives and Consultants.
- Katy Talikowska, CEO Valuable500, leads an ambitious strategy guiding 500 of the world’s largest companies to make disability a boardroom priority. Katy campaigns for workplace inclusion for people with disabilities trying to bring about change from the top down by engaging with currently 529 CEOs which makes Valuable500 the second largest global business movement after the UN Global Compact.
- Tracey Huggett, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Future Business Partnership. Tracey Co-founded Future Business Partners with Vish Srivastava to disrupt traditional private equity with a unique business model that links 100% of its fees to the impact as well as the financial performance of the companies it invests in. In February 2024, FBP certified as the highest scoring B Corp in the UK and globally as the highest scoring equity investor. Their business model is focused on impact–scaling brands that are reducing carbon in household consumption which is responsible for 40% of emissions.
- Angela Farrugia, Non-Exec Board Director, INSPECS plc, Prota Fiori and LØCI. An award-winning entrepreneur and successful businesswoman, Angela was co- Founder of the most successful Global Brand Management company in the world with over 22 years’ experience establishing global brand extension platforms and the creation of a new breed of agency ready to tackle the challenges of modern-day business.
- The panel was moderated by Managing Editor of Raconteur Media, Fran Cassidy (which certified as a B Corp in 2023) and opened by Narda Shirley, Co-CEO of the Wilful Group (a B Corp) whose career has seen her working alongside countless innovators and corporations in sustainability, diversity & inclusion and ESG space.
The event continued a conversation that kicked off in November where DEI and sustainability leaders considered the central promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development “Leave no one behind (LNOB)”, assessing if the business functions of sustainability and D&I should be brought together to address some of the biggest global challenges. You can read more about that discussion here.
Over the next few weeks, we will be delving into each of the key topics discussed in more detail, featuring views from audience members on topics including:
- Should D&I and Sustainability be part of the same function in a business?
- Why is it easier to do the right thing by the planet, your supply chain, and your employees, if you adopt a human-first approach?
- Is having the ear of the CEO the key to driving change? Or should it come from the grassroots of the organisation too?
- How do incumbents keep pace with challenger brands if DEI and sustainability hasn’t been baked in from the start?
- Is remuneration and incentivisation the key to driving behaviour change within an organisation?
- The importance of a two-way conversation where leaders listen as well as lead.
- Diverse groups of people make better decisions – to give ourselves the best chance of addressing the climate crisis, we need diverse groups of people at the table
We are looking forward to sharing more. Stay tuned.
