Episode 79: Honing in on the ‘S’ of E S G – a critical component of the sustainability journey with Beth Knight, Social Impact and Sustainability Director

Honing in on the ‘S’ of E S G – a critical component of the sustainability journey ESG – environmental, social, governance, a subject that has been an increasing topic of debate and discussion, but what about the S? In this episode we speak to Beth Knight, a leading figure in social impact and sustainability, with over 15 years’ experience in purpose-led business transformation – Beth shares incredible insights as we take a deeper diver into the ‘S’ for social - an area that, whilst often the least talked about, is critical for key stakeholders (employees, customers, communities) who are looking to gauge whether they want to engage. With information being more accessible, people are more vocal, and therefore, it is no longer enough for organisations to simply broadcast messages that stakeholders take at face value, without question. Beth speaks about the rise of data and sentiment monitoring to understand if your brand is doing well beyond the campaigns and how looking at the full health of your organisation is now a critical part the sustainability journey. We discuss the challenges faced by large corporations who have teams dedicated to ESG and sustainability and Beth shares some insightful ‘hacks’ for SMEs who perhaps don’t have the resources, but need to start or accelerate their journeys. Beth’s commitment to making a positive impact is unwavering – and with her wealth of experience, we could have picked Beth’s brains for hours – so many insights and examples. Tune in to hear Beth talk about: How we raise the profile of the S in ESG? The acceleration of the social impact conversation and the opportunities that align with that social side. How we advance the conversations and narrative both internally and externally. The importance of understanding the materiality assessment of an organisation and the social impact indicators within that. How as a Marketer you should be helping your organisation plan how you're going to proactively engage with key stakeholders on the ‘Social’ topics. The challenges being faced by SMEs and the ‘hacks’ to navigate them. The role of Social Marketing (not to be confused with social media marketing) in educating, driving awareness and changing behaviours. For more information about Beth Knight - you can visit her site. Enjoy… ________________________________________________________________________________ You’ll find the Podcast on all the usual pod platforms - and also on The Global Player and via The Marketing Society. If you love it, do share it and spread the word. Talking about climate change and the role we play is one of the most important things we can do. So join the conversation. We’re all in this together. Our podcasts are recorded purely via online conferencing platforms, we apologise for any minor sound quality issues.