ESG and sustainability began as nascent topics (alien to many corporates) and have been propelled on a meteoric path in a short time – from being infrequently talked about, to becoming topics that are constantly discussed and debated in multiple forums.

Leading stock exchanges around the world have helped to accelerate the pace of ESG, making it mandatory for listed issuers to publish annual sustainability reports and, going forward, requiring Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) in the form of climate reports – which will become a staple disclosure, alongside financial ones.

In essence, sustainability, ESG, climate change have all become an important part of an organisation’s corporate strategy -- requiring oversight from the board (like financial matters and ethics) and no longer a “nice to have” but a “must have”.