‘G’ is the common thread

The pace of change is a widespread pain point for clients at the moment, says Pugsley. “They are eager to move out of ‘respond and react’ mode, and to see what’s coming further down the pipeline so that they can seize control and be more proactive in developing their strategy.” While ESG issues inevitably require a level of resilience and agility given the range of dependencies, uncertainties and pace of development, a strong governance framework can help cut through the ‘noise’ and give confidence to top level executives with accountability for ESG performance. Stutt notes that the same governance framework can be applied to most ESG issues, whether it be cyber or climate change, with only minor tweaks required for the specific topic at hand. “Applying a consistent framework across each individual ESG subject area can bring order and focus – all of a sudden, the wood can be seen and not just all the trees.”