Andrew Marsh, Vistage of North East and Northumberland, NED, Entrepreneur, and mentoring facilitator of a number of peer groups for the region's leaders is always looking for new and innovative ways to inspire boards and senior personnel to improve the way they perform.
Keen on all things to do with sustainability in business Andrew has recently written articles on B Corp and a series in Northern Insight on ESG, its importance and its impact. He is also an advocate for DEI and has featured articles around that topic too.
He recently saw a presentation from Venture Zero, a company formed by two experts in different fields, which inspires people, through education and community connections, to contribute to healthier, more sustainable workplaces. This got him thinking about the importance of leaders tying in people and sustainability as imperative to the success of their organisation on a number of levels.
“It is the responsibility of all executive leaders and board members to continuously look for new ways to navigate change and disruption. Organisations of all size and sectors are facing new challenges, in an ever-changing world, including mental health considerations, global warming and climate change and new expectations of workers including hybrid working and four day weeks.
“Staff are looking for more than just good wages. They want to feel valued, be looked after and in the main feel that they are contributing to a purpose. New generations of employees are also demanding that all employers take seriously the impact that their business is having on the environment, along with of course, challenges from the government to minimise that impact.
“Which is why, when I met owners of Venture Zero, Clare Blunt and Claire Thew, I was so impressed with their offering and it got me thinking about what role leaders take in making these changes.
“Venture Zero encourage and enable organisations to positively invest in their people and the planet at the same time. But what would the benefits of this be?
Clare Blunt explained: “Organisations that do this are more likely to attract the best talent, retain like-minded members of the team, improve engagement with their employees and other employers, and reduce retention problems and absenteeism.”
“From my own perspective I have seen businesses that invest in both people and the environment thrive. They are more likely to hit targets, are viewed as a good employer and positively impact their bottom line.
“Subjects such as these are looked at regularly by the members of my Vistage cohorts, and we will certainly be exploring linking up health and wellbeing with sustainability in pending meetings. We have previously focused on ESG, DEI and B Corp, even having a speaker in from the organisation to talk to us about what we all need to do.”
Venture Zero offer several accredited training courses including Mental Health First Aid, MHFA Awareness, MHFA Refresher, and Carbon Literacy Training. They provide bespoke workshops/ webinars, alongside purpose driven team development and volunteer days. Venture Zero also have a bi-monthly Sustainable Wellbeing Business Forum which provides learning as well as networking opportunities. Some of Venture Zero’s clients include Newcastle Building Society, Sage, Ward Hadaway, Quorum Business Park, Newcastle University, Tyneside Cinema and Axa Health.
Clare and Claire were invited to present at a recent gathering of the three cohorts of The Experience Bank Groups peer groups for NEDs, Trustee and those operating at board level.
Andrew said: “We had over 40 people in the room and every one of them left with a buzz and an idea of how they wanted to improve what their organisation is doing around team wellbeing and sustainability. It is so much more than ticking a box now, people are truly invested and those companies who don’t move with the demands will start to find it hard to build their teams with dedicated staff or retain talent.”
Clare and Claire closed out the session by highlighting the 17 Goals to sustainability. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are these 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.
Andrew concluded: “The attendees were encourage by Venture Zero to start by picking even just one of the 17 goals and focusing on achieving that change. If we all did that, can you imagine the impact we would have?”
You can find out more about Venture Zero at www.venturezero.co.uk and you can contact Andrew on Andrew.marsh@vistagechair.co.uk