Podcasts · The Inspire Podcast

S4 E9 - How You Can Integrate ESG Into Your Leadership with Larissa Maxwell

30 Jun 2022 · 38 min

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) is an increasingly-used term.... but what does it mean and how should leaders think about its objectives? In this conversation Bart speaks with Larissa Maxwell about why companies are embracing ESG and how they begin integrating it into their work (proactively and reactively). She then explores what role leaders have to play in ESG and what kind of leadership best leads to lasting impact. Larissa draws on her extensive experience in advising companies to share valuable tips for anyone hoping to lead in a more socially responsible way.

00:19 Intro 00:54 Introducing Larissa 01:22 About Larissa's background 01:51 Responsible business practice 02:17 What is ESG? 07:22 Why are companies drawn to ESG? 08:52 Public pressure leading to ESG work 09:12 Example of tech diversity issues 11:03 How do you start doing ESG work in a company? 11:16 Proactive vs reactive approaches 12:12 Proactive (foundational) approaches 12:44 Example of apparel industries 13:57 Materiality 15:32 How do leaders need to prepare themselves? 13:59 Are you living a purpose driven life? 17:37 Is ESG against profit? 19:38 ESG strategy and tools 20:40 Examples of impact projects 22:23 What leadership is required for good ESG work? 23:49 The quality test 23:55 You need brave executive champions 26:29 Example of involving community stakeholders 27:32 Lived experiences 28:51 Is ESG too overwhelming for some companies? 29:46 You can go too fast/far with ESG strategy 31:21 Advice on building purpose driven living 34:47 How to find out more about Maxwell Group and ESG 36:49 Thank yous 37:13 Outro

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