ESG Matters @ Ashurst Podcast

In this episode, Global ESG/Sustainability Partner Anna-Marie Slot is joined by Louise Wilson, Founder and Managing Director of Abundance Investment . Louise co-founded Abundance after leaving a successful career structuring and managing multi-million pound investment offerings at a major bank in the City. She is also on the Advisory Board for the Centre for Climate Finance & Investment at Imp...

In our latest podcast, Global Sustainability Partner Anna-Marie Slot speaks with Harriet Lamb and Roger McKerlie about how SMEs fit into the solution for climate change. Hear from Harriet Lamb, CEO of Ashden, an organisation that supports and promotes sustainable energy enterprises from around the world and Roger McKerlie, Founder and Managing Director of The Environmental Business Network. The tr...

Matthew Le Merle, Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Blockchain Coinvestors – a leading blockchain venture fund of funds and coinvestment programme explains how energy is becoming an increasingly important narrative for everyone. Matthew discusses the societal changes we are going through, the economic changes that follow and the opportunities for investors. In this fantastic episode, Matt...

The Ashurst 30 for Net Zero 30 podcast series is all about speaking to climate action champions across the globe about real steps to take now in order to reach 2030 goals. Anna-Marie Slot, Global Sustainability Partner at Ashurst and creator and host of the series, discusses the key takeaways from the first ten episodes. Anna-Marie also touches upon the prominent themes that have been highlighted...

In this special episode, Ashurst Global Sustainability Partner Anna-Marie Slot speaks with Ellie Reeves, Real Estate Partner and Will Chalk, Corporate Transactions Partner at Ashurst on the issue of climate risk and climate opportunity at the Board level. The trio discuss the key issues Board members should be focused on and the importance of evaluating business models and strategies. They also to...

Lord Barker, Chairman of En+ Group, the world's largest producer of carbon aluminium and private sector Hydropower explains why the aluminium industry is critical to the transformation of the global economy onto a low carbon basis. Lord Barker also discusses how cross sectoral partnerships must drive progress through whole industrial supply chains, and shares his thoughts on sustainable finance. T...

To mark PRIDE Month 2021, Ashurst’s Gabriel Leung, Administrative Support and LGBTIQ+ champion at Ashurst in New York, discusses the lives, careers and rights of trans people around the world. Gabriel hears first-hand what life is like for trans people in Singapore (from Evan Lam, Ashurst Financial Regulatory and OTC Derivatives Partner and LGBTIQ+ champion) and in the UK (from Rachel Reese,...

Based in Finland, Suvi Collin is Legal Counsel at Mandatum Life Insurance and has spent the last two years implementing the EU's legislative framework on sustainable financing into business operations. Suvi speaks about the significant legislative changes that have happened, upcoming legislation  and the action she'd like businesses to take to deliver on net zero. "The Principal Adverse Impac...

Reconciliation Week is a time for Australians to reflect on their shared history, cultures and achievements. It’s also the time to discuss how all Australians can contribute to reconciliation – and make commitments towards achieving it. In this bonus podcast episode, Commissioner Andrea Mason OAM yarns with Ashurst’s First Nations Adviser, Trent Wallace. With Reconciliation Week...

In our latest podcast, NatWest's James Close explains the power of finance in helping us make this transition to a lower carbon future. James has been involved in climate change since hearing Al Gore give a speech in Sheffield on 'An Inconvenient Truth' and is Head of Climate Change at NatWest. James discusses the huge amount of innovation over the past 18 months in the finance sector and the posi...

In our latest podcast, Ashurst Associate Nathan Huynh chats with Yanki Tshering from Accompany Capital about Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.  In this special episode, Ashurst Associate Nathan Huynh chats with Yanki Tshering from Accompany Capital, a New York based and award winning microlender for refugee and immigrant owned businesses and a pro bono client of Ashurst's. Y...

In our latest podcast, Denise Chen Chief Sustainability Officer at Melco Resorts & Entertainment discusses the return of investment (ROI) from implementing sustainability solutions and the importance of hard data. In this episode, Ashurst Global Sustainability Partner Anna-Marie Slot chats with Denise Chen Chief Sustainability Officer at Melco Resorts & Entertainment. Based in Hong Kong, D...

Former UK minister, the Rt Hon John Gummer, Lord Deben shares an eye-opening insider’s perspective, informed by two of his current roles: Chair of the UK government’s Committee on Climate Change and Chair of sustainability consultancy Sancroft. While welcoming the government’s commitments to net zero targets, Lord Deben emphasises that the real test still lies ahead: “I thi...

In this bonus episode, Ashurst partner Anna-Marie Slot chats with Patrick Temple-West from The Financial Times in New York. Patrick recounts his journey as a reporter and the shift he’s seen from ESG being dismissed as PR spin to it being taken more seriously in business, media and politics. He describes how shareholder voices on ESG are forcing businesses to act and editors to pay attention...

In this bonus episode, Ashurst partner Anna-Marie Slot chats with Responsible Risk Ltd founder Richard Peers about the past, present and future of sustainable finance. Peers emphasises that the capability now exists to increase transparency in the circular economy. “We need to put a sort of vaccine shot in the arm of our response to data needs for climate change by bringing in satellite and...

Based at HSBC in Hong Kong, Wai-Shin Chan is proudly “the geek on the team” advising on ESG integration for the bank and also for businesses, economies, and societies more broadly. He is Global Head of the HSBC Climate Change Centre of Excellence and Global Co-Head of ESG Research. Chan discusses how investors, corporations and regulators need to work in tandem to implement sustainable...

Elizabeth Broderick AO, Chair-Rapporteur of the UN Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls, the longest serving Sex Discrimination Commissioner (2007-2015) in Australia as well as former partner and board member at Ashurst, reflects on her exceptional career and her decision to move from Law to focus on gender equality. In this special episode, released on International Women&rsquo...

Eugene Wong, CEO at the Sustainable Finance Institute Asia, discusses climate action from a macro and micro perspective. Along the way, he shares some astute ESG observations for policymakers, business leaders, investors and citizens. “There is a need to connect the financial sector and the real economy in a mutually reinforcing manner to promote sustainability,” says Eugene, who also...

Esther Pan Sloane, Head of the Partnerships, Policy and Communications at the UN Capital Development Fund, reflects on how businesses, consumers and investors are embracing social justice and climate targets. In this episode, Esther discusses ESG commitments from a macro and micro perspective. She shares the inside view of how nations came together to set ambitious and wide-ranging UN sustainable...

While awareness is growing about the unsustainable nature of the financial system, many corporates struggle with quantifying (and predicting) their impact. In this episode, Arcturus CEO Jonathan McCullagh discusses how data analytics help organisations understand the risks embedded in their portfolios and engage with stakeholders in a more meaningful way. The conversation explores recent developme...

Sean Kidney, CEO at Climate Bonds Initiative, shares the inside story of sustainable finance and the extraordinary growth of capital allocated to climate solutions. Our discussion covers investor expectations, climate risk, regulatory action, and more. “We have been caught up in the blame game of individual activity, which is a red herring”, says Kidney. “Most of what we have to...

We're hearing a lot about ESG in the news and elsewhere, but how are they impacting your business? Join us for our first podcast series, ESG Matters @ Ashurst as we go searching for answers and providing practical advice to help you address the challenges facing your organisation. Our focus will be on the global energy transition, financial regulation, the challenges facing infrastructure and the...