Chapter Zero

There’s no kicking the can down the road. This week’s Financial Times ad created by Mother reminds us that the buck stops with us. For NEDs, understanding the impact of climate change and addressing it is their responsibility, says Chapter Zero Fellow Laurel Powers-Freeling. So, they must own it. She asks: does your board have both a clear understanding of the strategies required to not only firefight a sudden climate-induced operating problem, but also of what is required to shoulder the climate-driven longer-term risks and business opportunities? Or has a ‘grown-up’ decision been made to wait until push comes to shove? Until regulation makes it a ‘level-playing field’ and everybody takes the hit for the required investment in change? Or until some ‘magic’ arrives that creates or enables cheaper, cleaner power globally? Maybe you’ve now caught the can that was kicked down the road a decade ago. Read more about what she says at https://bit.ly/3YeeoZZ Climate action. It’s not just a moral argument. It’s a business one too. #ClimateAction #ItsABusinessArgumentToo

Severe storms, wildfires, drought – these are all causing the private sector insurance markets to refuse cover or raise premiums. This week’s Financial Times ad created by Mother reminds us of this. In many locations, insurance is no longer affordable, which is impacting the desirability of those locations for both residential and commercial uses, says Chapter Zero Fellow, David Carlin. We saw this post-Katrina in New Orleans and, increasingly, we are seeing that Gulf Coast insurance costs may cause business relocations or closures. Boards are increasingly aware of the rising costs of insurance – there is plenty of evidence that premiums are up – even if they are not as knowledgeable about the impacts of climate change. What is concerning is that the insurance market is itself likely behind the curve when it comes to fully pricing in and accounting for the extent of climate risks many places will face. Climate action. It’s not just a moral argument. It’s a business one too. Read what he has to say at https://bit.ly/4eGfwuG #ClimateAction #ItsABusinessArgumentToo

How to measure and manage your company’s impact on global biodiversity was the topic of a packed Chapter Zero event run in collaboration with the Heidrick & Struggles Board Practice and the Natural History Museum. Thank you to the Natural History Museum’s Doug Gurr who talked us through its Biodiversity Intactness Index that emphasises the importance of ‘place’ when measuring impacts. Ultimately, small wins have big gains (protecting and regenerating as little as 30% of the world's crucial land and ocean ecosystems by 2030 could play a major role in biodiversity and climate change mitigation). Importantly, Doug pointed out how to measure those impacts, why biodiversity is a board issue and what boards should do. And thank you to Chapter Zero Chair Julie Baddeley and Fellow Orna NiChionna for their excellent contributions, as well as H&S’s Kit Bingham for his great introduction. https://bit.ly/47CLCFv https://lnkd.in/eKdUT9eh

Really excited to work with you. A really fun way to approach a very important issue.

Such important messages and reflections Julie Baddeley

Third module now live! Read the summary and watch the recording from the latest module in our Transition Planning series for #NonExecutiveDirectors.   In collaboration with Boston Consulting Group (BCG), we share practical tips on how to fully integrate climate transition planning into business strategy.   In our 'Setting your strategic ambition' webinar, we were joined by expert speakers Ruth Cairnie, Chapter Zero Supporting Chair, Chair of Babcock International Group and SID of BT Group, James Close, Head of Climate Change at NatWest Group, Kirstie McIntyre , Group Head of Sustainability at Pepco Group, and Michel Frédeau, Olga Galin and Monica Kuroki of Boston Consulting Group (BCG), who explored defining your strategic vision when setting a transition plan, and identifying objectives and priorities for managing that change.   "The reality is this is hugely challenging… You have to keep the mindset that you get started and keep pushing ahead." - Ruth Cairnie, Chapter Zero Supporting Chair "The key is to set your ambition at the beginning ... The transition plan is a great platform for changing the way in which the organisation thinks about climate and how it can respond to it." - James Close, NatWest Group ➡️ View the module here: https://lnkd.in/esXAttQt #ClimateTransition #BusinessStrategy

It’s not enough to just speak of climate change – now is the time for inspiration, innovation, creativity and transformation to bring about change. It’s not just a moral argument. It’s a business one too.     This week’s Financial Times ad created by Mother says non-executive directors and chairs should up the ante, shift the dial and do things better. And Chapter Zero Fellow, Nigel Topping, CMG tells courageous boards to recognise and prepare for economic transformation. He says companies must transform because they are part of the wider economic transformation that is affecting global business. Whole markets are transforming. It started with energy, now it's transport, but most sectors are affected. Economic transformation calls for a different type of leadership, and it requires courage to allocate resources in a way that’s appropriate for transformation. Boards of companies in all sectors must think exponentially. We have the solutions – extraordinary transformations are already happening faster than we think. We are building more than we need for net zero and courage will become the common currency for bringing about further change.     You can read the full article here: https://bit.ly/4djs36j #ClimateAction #ItsABusinessArgumentToo 

Technologies that enable the transition to #netzero were under the spotlight at our event for NED members with McKinsey & Company last night.   Can new sustainability technologies enable the 1.5 degrees path to net zero while creating massive shareholder value?   Our planet has a scaling problem, not an invention problem. The evidence of humanity's ability to invest solutions to the climate crisis is clear, but scaling is not easy and hyper-scaling is even harder.   It takes leadership to achieve net zero - and it is possible that ambitious leaders will not be in post to see the results of their endeavours given the extended time horizon for returns. But this does not mean they should not act.   Thanks to all our expert speakers Jayanti Kar, Harry Bowcott, Chris Bradley, Susan Hooper, Vicky Moffatt, Tom Delay CBE, James Samworth, and Christopher Milne for your insights. We are looking forward to the next session in our 'Out-competing to win' series with McKinsey in December. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/ec796GF2 #NonExecutiveDirectors #EnergyTransition #ClimateTech

Talking climate in a board meeting – not always easy. But the rewards are great. It’s time to act…and there are many reasons why. It’s not just a moral argument – it’s a business one too.    In today’s Financial Times ad created by Mother, we are urging non-executive directors and chairs to land sustainability at the core of the business agenda. Chapter Zero Fellow, Jock Lennox, says it’s for boards to help put it there, even at the risk of being challenged. He says that when investors began valuing companies according to their sustainability performance, the goal posts moved. They saw poor sustainability performance as an indication of risk that could have a negative effect on business resilience. But companies that could explain their impacts on climate, nature and people, were in a more robust position. If they could manage and communicate their impacts, they could be valued at a premium. And they could differentiate themselves from the competition. It takes leadership, innovation and commitment. And it means companies must empower teams throughout the business to embed sustainability thinking into the DNA of an organisation. You can read the full article here: https://bit.ly/4ev329e #ClimateAction #ItsABusinessArgumentToo 

📢 Chapter Zero is hiring! 📢 We have an exciting opportunity for a Programme Manager to join our high impact team to design and deliver a programme of masterclasses, roundtables, toolkits and content to support the delivery of an exciting new Financial Services (FS) Programme targeting UK Non-executive Directors.  This role will work directly with an ecosystem of FS partners and our global hub. Good knowledge of the FS sector and climate-related issues is desired. Can you see yourself working at the centre of a network helping senior leaders embed climate into business strategy? Could you be, or do you know, the right person to join our dynamic team? The deadline for applications is midday on Monday 23 September 2024. Read below for more information and how to apply: https://lnkd.in/gy7K4Prq