Esg Unlocked - by Josh Dowse & Ian Woods (Paperback)

About the Book

This book helps you understand what ESG is, why it is here to stay, and how you can use it to add value to your business, your investments and your family decisions.

Book Synopsis

This book is a ground-breaking exploration by author Josh Dowse and Ian Taylor, readers embark on a transformative journey into the realm of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles. Dowse & Taylor are laser focussed on how ESG represents the last chance for capitalism to redeem itself from its past pitfalls and embrace a more sustainable future. The book emphasises the pivotal role individuals and businesses play in this paradigm shift. It empowers readers to become catalysts for positive change by embracing ESG values in their decision-making processes. It explains how ESG builds and gives greater access to financial, human, social and natural capital - the assets organisations so desperately rely upon This book helps readers understand what ESG is, why it is here to stay, and how it can be used to add value to business and investments, and co-create a better form of capitalism. For organisations, it explains how ESG builds and give greater access to financial, human, social and natural capital - the assets the organisation so desperately needs For investors and their advisers, it sets out the different ways of valuing the ESG performance of a company, and engaging with it to improve that performance For employees and consumers, it offers ways in which you can 'look under the hood' of a company's ESG story, to see whether it's a place you would want to work in or buy from At its core, this book showcases how ESG acts as a powerful enabler for businesses to maximise their potential, tapping into previously underutilised resources and aligning their goals with those of their stakeholders

Review Quotes

"This book is an essential read for anyone seeking to understand the evolution, impact, and future of ESG. It offers a comprehensive, clear, and balanced overview from multiple perspectives-investors, businesses, policymakers, and citizens-making it a valuable resource for both seasoned professionals and those new to the field. At a time when ESG is at a crossroads and under more scrutiny than ever, Dowse and Woods provide a rigorous, insightful, and pragmatic guide to why ESG matters, how it has shaped markets and investment decisions, and where it goes from here. A timely and necessary contribution to the ESG conversation-I encourage everyone to read it." Fiona Reynolds, former CEO of the PRI (Principles for Responsible Investments)

About the Author

Josh Dowse is Head of ESG and Sustainability at the communications firm SenateSHJ. Over the past 30 years, Josh has been one of Australia's most trusted thought partners and communicators on ESG, sustainability, energy, and climate change. He has prepared or reviewed dozens of ESG or sustainability strategies, facilitated and/or ghosted significant public documents such as AEMO's Integrated Systems Plan (Australia's national energy plan) and CSIRO's Australian National Outlook.
After a brief stint as a lawyer and authoring Australian Corporate Practice, he has focussed on helping specialists develop their ideas, as a publisher with Allen & Unwin, an editor of the McKinsey Quarterly and a communication consultant with McKinsey & Company. In doing so, sustainability and ESG have become his focus and passion. His other formal roles are as a thought partner with Clarity Thought Partners, and co-director of St Andrew's College (Sydney University) course on Complex Problem Solving.
Josh has an Honours degree in History, an LLB and a Master's in environmental law and Economics, and learned as much as a father of four, a director of a disability NGO and a long-time coach and president of a junior rugby club.

Ian Woods is Principal of Ian Woods Advisors, advising asset owners, asset managers and investment industry associations on responsible investment strategies. He is a global leader in responsible investment strategies, having been Head of Responsible Investment at AMP Capital for 19 years, and co-founder of the Investor Group on Climate Change (IGCC) and its Deputy Chair for 13 years. He is currently a member of Chronos Sustainability's expert network and serves on the Technical Advisory Group for the ASFI Taxonomy Project and was a member of the Coordinating Working Group for the Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative (ASFI).
Before entering the finance sector, Ian was a manager at a leading environmental consulting firm, assisting companies with the assessment and management of environmental issues, and spent three years at an environmental and safety risk consulting firm in London.
He has a PhD in Chemical Engineering and a Masters of Environmental Law, an Executive MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.