ESG Matters @ Ashurst Podcast

In this special wrap-up episode, Ben McAlary joins Season 3 hosts Elena Lambros and Lorraine Johnston to reflect on the recurring themes that shaped nine thought-provoking conversations across the last 10 episodes of Game Changes.   Across sectors and geographies, one message came through clearly: ESG challenges are systemic. Whether discussing climate risk with Dariel De Sousa , sustainable...

Ashurst’s Lorraine Johnston  speaks with Claire Reid , Director of Strategic Partnerships at SNRG, about how smarter grid connections and shared renewable infrastructure can reshape the UK’s energy future. Claire explains how SNRG’s microgrid model works in practice, pooling solar generation across entire developments and storing excess power in communal batteries so that en...

Ashurst’s Elena Lambros sits down with Australia’s inaugural Anti-Slavery Commissioner, Chris Evans , for a grounded, practical conversation about why modern slavery is no longer just a compliance topic but a core business risk that belongs in every boardroom. Drawing on his work with major corporates, regulators and cross-sector groups, Chris explains why finding modern slavery in a s...

Ashurst’s Elena Lambros welcomes special guest Natalie Kyriacou OAM for a wide-ranging chat that encompasses financial innovation, supply chains, and crucially, how Australia’s legal system can be a powerful force for climate action. Having worked with corporates, government and charities, Natalie has seen what drives change from inside and outside the business world. In our podcast, s...

In this episode, Ashurst Head of First Nations Strategy Trent Wallace is joined by colleagues Natsuko Ogawa and Lea Constantine to reflect on their recent visit to Japan. As well as several productive meetings with clients in Tokyo, the trio also attended World Expo 2025 in Osaka where Trent spoke about engagement with First Nations people in Australia. Natsuko reflects on her work over the past t...

Ashurst’s Elena Lambros welcomes special guest Dr Dariel De Sousa , a former Director of Compliance and Enforcement at the Australian Energy Regulator, who is now a leading voice in climate risk, regulation and governance. Dariel draws on her deep professional and academic expertise to reveal the urgent need for regulatory reform in the face of systemic risks caused by climate change. The di...

Oliver Kade, Chief Technology Officer and UK Country Manager at Seven Clean Seas , joins Ashurst’s Lorraine Johnston to share how the organisation is addressing plastic pollution through a powerful mix of innovation, systems change, and strategic partnerships.  Oliver breaks down the core pillars of Seven Clean Seas’ work, from removing plastic waste from rivers and coastlines acr...

In this episode Elena Lambros , Partner in Ashurst’s Risk Advisory practice, speaks with Pauline Martin, Associate Director at Oxford Properties , and Becky Clissmann , Sustainability Counsel at Ashurst, about how Oxford Properties is embedding ESG into decision-making across its global real estate portfolio. Pauline shares Oxford Properties’ pragmatic, data-first approach to decarboni...

Sarah Lalor , General Manager ESG and Sustainable Finance at Commonwealth Bank Australia (CBA) explains the bank’s multi-pronged approach to supporting businesses at every stage of their sustainability journeys. It’s a wonderful case study of how one organisation can multiply its ESG impact by influencing the organisations it supports. In conversation with Ashurst’s Elena Lambros...

Sustainable procurement. Water and waste management. Regulatory compliance. Annual reports and climate action policies. Biodiversity programs. A community fund. It’s all in a day’s work for Conrad Energy’s Head of ESG, Nishikant Gupta ! In the latest episode of our Game Changers mini-series, Nish takes Ashurst’s Lorraine Johnston behind the scenes to reveal how he puts his...

On 23 July 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered a historic advisory opinion on climate change. While not legally binding, the opinion confirms that states have obligations under international law to prevent environmental harm, including from greenhouse gas emissions, and that these duties extend to regulating private actors. In this episode of ESG Matters, host Elena Lambros ,...

You can tell Charlotte O’Meara loves her job, from the way she champions collaboration across investment teams to the way she explains the nuts and bolts of integrating ESG into complex portfolios. In this episode, she joins Ashurst’s Elena Lambros to explain how Challenger is building climate-resilient investments that support long-term retirement security while navigating an evolving...

After a successful spell working in corporate law at Ashurst, today’s guest  Rebecca Ogg carved out a stellar career as a sustainable investing analyst. In this episode, she joins Ashurst’s Elena Lambros to explain how sustainable finance and smart policymaking can help redirect capital towards climate-positive outcomes. Rebecca has her finger on the pulse of changes in sustainabl...

After a range of insightful conversations with innovators in the ESG space, series co-hosts Elena Lambros and Lorraine Johnston are back to reflect on their key-takeaways from season two of the Game Changers and Transition Makers series. Guests such as John Mellowes (BioCarbon) and Poppy Mardall (Poppy’s Funerals) illustrate how meeting industries where they are and prioritising human-center...

In this episode, Ashurst’s Lorraine Johnston chats with Taranpreet Rai from Epson UK about how to integrate sustainability into the very core of a business. Taran describes Epson’s innovative approach to ESG, including its groundbreaking micro piezo printing technology which reduces energy consumption compared with traditional printing methods. Taran also explains Epson’s dry fib...

What does it take to bridge the gap between environmental concerns and commercial priorities? In this episode of Game Changers and Transition Makers, Lorraine Johnston speaks with Roger McKerlie, a seasoned sales and marketing entrepreneur and founder of EBN , a movement uniting 1,800 businesses to prepare for a lower-carbon, nature-positive future. Roger explains how the EBN helps businesses&mdas...

For passionate surfer Joel Tasche, co-CEO of CleanHub, the groundbreaking work his company is doing to combat ocean plastic pollution before it even reaches the ocean just makes sense. CleanHub connects brands committed to sustainability with waste management services in underserved coastal communities, helping to prevent plastic from entering the ocean. During the discussion with series co-host E...

In this episode of Game Changers and Transition Makers , you'll discover how Akaysha Energy is pioneering mega-scale battery projects essential for stabilising and decarbonising electricity grids. Host Elena Lambros speaks with Paul Curnow, Managing Director and Chief Commercial Officer of Akaysha Energy, about the company's rapid rise and innovative approach to grid-connected batteries. During th...

“A lot of the keys to decarbonisation are really simple, cheap ones if only we could break ourselves out of our normal patterns,” says Arup ’s Joan Ko in this illuminating episode of Game Changers and Transition Makers. In conversation with Ashurst’s Elena Lambros , Joan describes how Arup works with clients to engineer more sustainable environments and communities. Joan advocates a place-based ap...

Perhaps surprisingly, this is one of the most uplifting and positive episodes of Game Changers and Transition Makers to date. If you’re wondering how that’s possible – when talking about death, bereavement and funerals – then you probably haven’t come across our guest, Poppy Mardall . Poppy is the inspirational founder of Poppy’s Funerals in London. Since 2012, she’s made it her mission to offer L...

As Ash Knop, CEO and Co-Founder of Wilderlands, tells host Elena Lambros, the vision to create a simple yet powerful way to value and protect nature through the introduction of one of the world's first voluntary biodiversity credits, the Biological Diversity Unit (BDU) was one made to recognise the value of nature and to put a price on it. Throughout the discussion, Ash highlights how Wilderlands...

How do we produce the essential materials for electric vehicles without adding to the world's carbon footprint? Host Elena Lambros explores this critical question with Dr Francis Wedin, founder and executive chair of Vulcan Energy Resources . Dr Wedin shares the innovative approach behind Vulcan's Zero Carbon Lithium Project, which aims to supply lithium with a net-zero carbon footprint while also...

Ashurst's Johnston chats with Climate Impact Partners' CFO ShanMae Teo about voluntary carbon markets and how businesses can purchase credits from carbon projects that align with their goals and values. And opportunities for companies to finance the development of new high-impact projects. In an unflinching discussion, Lorraine and ShanMae dissect media scepticism of carbon offsetting and consider...

Proven tips and real-life examples of how to expand business procurement in a culturally safe and sensitive way that builds lasting relationships with the First Nations businesses. Ashurst’s Head of First Nations Strategy, Trent Wallace , is joined by Ashurst Procurement Lead APAC Will Houston to explain how the firm has expanded its procurement with First Nations businesses in Australia and share...

In this episode, Kyle Bolto takes Ashurst’s Elena Lambros on a journey through the past, present, and future of city transport. It's a tale of inspiration and perspiration that leads towards Kyle's "audacious vision" of flexible, affordable, greener transport options for those who live and work in built-up cities. As CEO and founder of  Ohmie GO , Kyle provides e-mobility solutions to get large co...