Good stories of sustainable business

Sustainable business leaders will be assembling at the Sustainable Business Network Conference to share their great stories which others can learn from. Photo / Getty Images

Content is king in the world of business right now. That’s why the Sustainable Business Network Conference is entitled: Project NZ: Telling Good Stories.

Businesses will have the opportunity to learn how to effectively communicate their sustainability progress, both to their markets and internal teams, at the Project NZ: Telling Good Stories conference at AUT University, Auckland on September 3.

Rachel Brown, CEO of the Sustainable Business Network (SBN), which is organising the conference, says brands that are telling their sustainability story in a compelling way are becoming more powerful.

"There are a growing number of New Zealand organisations that have made good progress in a host of clever, purpose-led initiatives in recent years. Yet market research shows there is a gap in public awareness and, when asked, Kiwis find it very hard to name one company doing good work in this area.

"We are not great storytellers, particularly when the stories are complex. Most businesses prefer to keep their good works under the radar because they don't know how to talk about them," she says.

Colmar Brunton's 'Better Business, Better Future' research shows that while 90 per cent of consumers say their purchasing behaviour is influenced by (social or environmental or health related) issues, two in three people can't name a leader in sustainability.
Brown says she wants the Project NZ: Telling Good Stories conference to turn that figure around.

Find out more: sustainable.org.nz

SPEAKERS

Matthew Yeomans - CEO, Sustainly
Yeomans is the founder of UK-based Sustainly, a media platform providing companies and agencies the information they need to deliver authentic and creative sustainability content. He has contributed to publications including; Time, The New York Times and National Geographic.

Nicky Bell, CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi
Since 2010 Bell has led the agency through a transformation to become a thriving, innovative business oriented around the creation of 'ideas worth sharing'. Nicky is a member of the Global Women Organisation and is an alumni of the Stanford University Graduate Business School.

David Trubridge
David is New Zealand's best known furniture/lighting designer. His work, manufactured by his company in Whakatu NZ, is sold around the world.

Alicia Darvall - executive director, B Corps Australia
In her role with B Lab Australia, Darvall is building a community of values-driven businesses and working to benchmark their great work. B Lab makes it easier to tell the difference between good companies and good marketing.

Angela Buglass - chief executive, Trilogy International Ltd
Buglass' experience includes roles with leading players Procter & Gamble, L'Oreal and Estée Lauder and she's an expert in sales, brand marketing, product sourcing/new product development, merchandising and display and new market expansion.

Mike Pollok - managing director, Ricoh
Pollok has been the managing director of Ricoh New Zealand for 30 years and has successfully navigated the shift from paper to digital by its customers.

Guy Ryan - CEO and founder, Inspiring Stories
Young New Zealander of the Year 2015, Ryan is an entrepreneur and the CEO and founder of Inspiring Stories, a charity with a vision to see every young New Zealander unleash their potential to change the world.

Rod Oram - business journalist
Oram has 40 years' experience as a journalist, columnist; broadcaster on radio and television; and a frequent public speaker on business, economics, innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship.

James Russell - editor, Element Magazine
Russell is the founding and current editor of Element - the digital edition of which you're reading right now. Element is New Zealand's largest sustainable business and lifestyle magazine.

Gerri Ward - sustainability manager, Z Energy
Ward leads and implements Z's sustainability commitments. She has a background in business opportunities out of sustainability and climate change, and has previously worked in government roles.

Sophie Heighway - corporate sustainability specialist
Heighway has held roles with national corporations such as Downer, NZ Post Group and Air New Zealand, managing programmes including social and community engagement, corporate responsibility and supply chain management.

Nevil Gibson - editor at large, National Business Review
Gibson has been a professional journalist since 1968, working mainly in print and radio.

Barbara Nebel - managing director, Thinkstep
Thinkstep enables companies worldwide to recalibrate their strategies and operations for long-term sustainability success with data, technology and services. Nebel has 15 years' experience improving business sustainability performance management.

Kath Dewar - managing director, GoodSense
Dewar has more than 25 years' experience of marketing. Her business GoodSense provides expertise to progressive organisations and her training business GoodSense Learning offers a unique online course in green marketing.

Leanne Frisbie - Director, Passion PR
Passion PR aims to work with organisations and brands dedicated to making a positive difference in the world from an environmental, social, and cultural standpoint. Frisbie has over a decade's experience in the area of marketing, communications and journalism.

Fiona Stephenson - national communications manager, SBN
Fiona has been communicating sustainability for more than 15 years. Her past roles include speech writing for the UK Government's chief sustainability advisor and communications for the University of Oxford's Environmental Change Institute.

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