There is a growing awareness around the critical need for companies to adopt sustainable business practices, and ESG has been gaining momentum as a way to connect financial performance with social and environmental outcomes. Future-focused organizations are moving beyond incremental change, to strategic and operational shifts that can be measured, tracked and communicated. 

In this episode of ESG Insights, we’re joined by Trista Bridges, co-founder of the Japanese based coalition, Read the Air (Business, Sustainability & the SDGs | Read the Air | Japan) and author of Leading Sustainably: The path to sustainable business and how the SDGs changed everything. 

An accomplished strategist and sustainable business leader, Trista is passionate about sustainable business as smart business. Her career began in the United States and now spans from Europe to the Americas and Asia, and includes a variety of sectors such as consumer products, media and tech, healthcare and financial services. 

Join us for this episode as we explore the differences between sustainability and ESG (and how one supports the other), discuss how businesses at all stages can integrate ESG factors, and consider the role of global frameworks – such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – in supporting this vital shift.

Daily headlines remind us of the disruption in global supply chains all over the world, impacting virtually every industry and each one of us in some way.

Businesses are responding with innovative solutions to address these challenges.

In this episode of ESG Insights, I am joined by Cassandra Dorrington, President & CEO of the Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council (CAMSC). CAMSC helps address supply chain challenges by facilitating the growth of Aboriginal and minority owned businesses, by connecting them to procurement opportunities with companies and governments committed to a diverse and inclusive supply chain.

A long-time advocate for supplier diversity, Cassandra Dorrington brings her expertise and experience working in the corporate environment, as an international consultant and an entrepreneur, to her role at CAMSC. As a co-founder of Supplier Diversity Alliance Canada (SDAC) and Global Supplier Diversity Alliance (GSDA), Cassandra believes in the power of the collective to drive economic inclusion across Canada and beyond.

Join us for this episode of ESG Insights as we discuss diversity, inclusive supply chains and ESG, and explore how these factors are supporting organizations in their quest for innovative solutions to their supply chain challenges, cost savings, improved employee retention, local job creation, brand loyalty and more.

Venture capital is a vital part of the financial ecosystem and a significant engine for job creation and innovation. It is extremely influential in how we will all live in the future, plays a critical role by supporting the next generation of business leaders and companies, and it funds innovation to advance technological solutions that may help solve some of society’s greatest challenges.

While ESG has become increasingly mainstream for investors as part of a broader wave to embrace purpose and stakeholder capitalism, ESG adoption has tended to lag in venture capital. This is starting to change, however, with ESG moving from being a “nice to have” into a deeper understanding of the true value created by ESG integration, creating a sustainable culture that attracts investors, employees, and customers.

In this episode of ESG Insights, I am joined by Rhiannon Davies, Founding and Managing Partner of the seed-stage venture capital fund, Sandpiper Ventures. Rhiannon has over 20 years of experience as a leader in international business and holds/has held a number of executive and board director roles in private, public, and non-profit organizations. Rhiannon is an active volunteer and community leader working to promote diversity and sustainability in the early-stage technology ecosystem through her work with Sandpiper Ventures and more.

Sandpiper Ventures (Home - Sandpiper Ventures) unlocks capital and innovation through greater diversity of investors and strong connections to global markets, contributing to a stronger ecosystem, stronger economy, and an approach to investing with better businesses, deals and higher investment returns.

Welcome as we discuss ESG in venture capital, to understand the drive to incorporate ESG, the challenges, and the progress being made.