The 50 most influential ESG corporate professionals in Australia named

The 50 most influential environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) professionals working at ASX-listed companies have been named by trade publication FS Sustainability in the inaugural ESG Power50 guide.

The ESG Power50 comprises a diverse group of professionals who are actively shaping the future for the companies where they work as well as for Australia’s future economy.

“When we came up with the idea of an ESG Power50, we wanted to call out performance across a broad definition of ESG and sustainability,” said Rachel Alembakis, managing editor of FS Sustainability.

“We were blown away by the diversity of skills, experiences and backgrounds from the people who live, breathe and implement ESG from a variety of positions across ASX-listed companies, from the big end of town to the small caps.”

The 50 professionals on this list work at a variety of companies from financials, to fast moving consumer goods to mining, with the common good of protecting the long-term performance of their companies across a vast range of material ESG issues.

“In addition to the professional work that our ESG Power50 finalists do, we were also impressed by the community and charitable work that our finalists conduct in their personal lives,” Alembakis said.

“The people reflect strong sustainability values in community work in environmental projects, pro bono and volunteer work with charities and working in local sporting clubs across the country.”

After gathering the long list of nominations, FS Sustainability worked with ISS ESG¹, a leading ESG rating and research company, to make sure that the nominees are employed at companies that meet minimum ESG criteria.

“It is not mandatory to be a participant from an ESG leader company, but we did use ISS ESG research to validate public-facing statements of sustainability,” said Alembakis.

Following this, the shortlist of corporate ESG leaders proceeded to the voting process, which was once again open to FS Sustainability readers, with participants able to vote for one or many ESG professionals featured in the shortlist.

All shortlisted candidates stand as individuals, FS Sustainability also used ISS ESG research to screen for potential controversies that would prove in conflict with the aims of the list.

The 50 individuals who attracted the highest votes and passed the final editorial vetting screen have been featured in FS Sustainability's ESG Power50 Most Influential ESG Professionals Guide, published on 23 May 2023.

“For their passion, their commitment and their hard work across a wide range of ESG activities, we congratulate our first-ever ESG Power50 finalists,” Alembakis said.

See the full ESG Power50 list below:

1.  FS Sustainability is owned by Rainmaker Information. Rainmaker Information and ISS ESG are both owned by ISS.

About FS Sustainability:

FS Sustainability reports on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues regarding Australian companies and institutional investors. The publication's unique, in-depth writing covers how investible Australian companies manage, disclose, and communicate their ESG risks and opportunities.

The publication also explores how Australian institutional asset owners, asset managers and financial advisers are using best-practice ESG principles to mitigate risk and provide sources of long-term investment returns.

Content is delivered through news, thought leadership articles and whitepapers.

www.fssustainability.com.au

Sharren Adiwongso
P: +61 2 8234 7569
E: sharren.adiwongso@financialstandard.com.au