[Music]
so let me start with a very simple
scientific fact we have one planet you
probably can’t see it it’s very small
but I can guarantee you it’s a planet
where we are is up here on the top where
I come from is down there on the bottom
and even my scientists who I work with
two or three hundred of them I normally
say don’t go around saying things about
science you need to get them
peer-reviewed for a year I asked a
couple of them this morning they’re here
so can I say one planet I said go for a
boss tell glows go there’s only one
planet so let’s move to a second
scientific fact if everyone in the world
live like we do here in Scotland and the
UK all seven billion people we would
need three planets scientific fact now
if you’re a poor leader you can look at
this and say I’m going to ignore that
I’m going to pretend it doesn’t exist
I’m going to leave as if there’s three
planets but there’s only one good
leaders say there’s only one game in
town this one there’s one planet you
have to face the reality you have to
work within it great leaders will say
how do we turn this from a threat into
an opportunity for our organizations
whether you’re leading organizationally
or whether you’re somewhere in the
organization so I want to talk to you
about what we can all do to be great
leaders and tackle this as a great
opportunity not a great threat so let me
give you some examples of what I’ve seen
from around the world I worked for the
Northern Ireland Environment Agency
before I came to Scotland most
Australians paid to travel around the UK
I’m getting UK governments to pay for me
to travel around the UK have got England
and Wales to go yet and when I was there
we had a cement company cement
manufacturers very energy-intensive and
they said to us we’ve got a big problem
energy costs are very high in Northern
Ireland very high in greenhouse gases so
that’s a big commercial problem for us
can you help us and we said here’s a
thought find unusual partners that’s my
first thought for leadership to tackle
this and they said what can we do I said
the biggest chicken meat producer in the
UK is in Northern Ireland because of the
horse meat scandal we had a few years
ago they can help and the cement
manufacturing chief executive looked at
me and said really how does that help us
said well because of the horse meat
scandal you might recall a couple of big
UK buyers said to ensure that doesn’t
happen again to get a security of supply
we’re going to buy all our meat from
just inside the UK so we can guarantee
its quality in its source this big
chicken producer in Northern Ireland was
already over the nitrates limit nitrates
is a particular type of pollutant when
you feed a chicken that either comes out
as chicken meat or chicken waste so even
with their current level of production
it was difficult they were running up
against the regulatory constraints so we
said to the cement manufacturer could
you trial taking their chicken waste and
use that as an alternative fuel source
much cheaper much lower green greenhouse
gas content they said we’ll have a go at
that the chicken producer said we’ll
have a go with that as well because if
they can find a solution for their
problem their environmental problem
nitrates that would mean they might
potentially be able to take this
expansion opportunity for us as the
regulator over there we were starting to
solve two environmental problems for
this for both companies we were creating
commercial gain so find unusual partners
there was no reason for a cement
manufacturer and a poultry producer to
ever talk to each other we said we
talked to you both
why don’t the three of us get together
maybe once a month just go and talk to
an organization that you would normally
have nothing to do with I guarantee you
if you do that three or four times you
will find some opportunity of mutual
benefit to tackle this problem the
second message I have for you is that
disruptive business models will be the
norm in this century if we only have one
of these and we’re currently operating
as if we have three and we’re all going
in the wrong direction there are almost
no countries turning that around then
just for every sector will be disrupted
so get the advantage of being one of the
first movers to work out how in your
sector you have to operate within one
planet let me tell you about a pension
fund in Australia a friend of mine
called Bob this guy Bob was running a
pension fund in the year 2000 successful
pension fund returned good money to its
members and he heard a guy called Paul
Hawken speak famous environmentalist
Paul talked about this problem in 2000
and it was a road a Damascus moment for
Bob he realized that he was creating
monetary
income for people to enjoy their
retirement his members but what happens
if you get that monetary income in 20 or
30 years time and the planet is three or
four degrees warmer and life is
unbearable what’s the point in having
40,000 Australian dollars or thirty
thousand English pounds
there’s no point at all so he set out to
create the first sustainable pension
fund on the planet now Bob did a whole
bunch of things I just mentioned too he
only gave their pension money to
property investors who had ways of
reducing the water and energy use in the
commercial properties they invested in
about a billion or $2 worth of
properties in Australia another thing he
did was they only started buying shares
in companies that had an environmental
policy an environmental plan and
importantly an environmental plan that
unleash commercial opportunities not
environmental plans that caused damage
to the commercial viability of the
company lots of other things he did one
of the keys of this story about
leadership is I used to meet Bob –
Australian blokes of meeting I’d say
g’day Bob hey gone and we’d have a chat
we’d have to talk about business and
what to do but when he started doing
this stuff with his pension fund he
became donors sustainability Bob and
everyone in the environment movement
would talk about sustainability Bob with
this great admiration for what he was
doing and other people called him
sustainability Bob behind his back to
mock and ridicule him other people in
the pension fund sector in Australia
because they thought it was a nutter
doing all this stuff for the environment
I was actually on holiday with my wife
in Canada the rocky mountaineer train
across to Vancouver through the Rocky
Mountains and I just happened to be
sitting next to this Australian guy he’s
from Melbourne or what do you do we chat
he ran a pension fund he was a chief
executive of pension fund in fact I
think he was just about to lose his job
and I mentioned Bob he said are that
nutcase the important thing about this
story is for that entire period that bob
was running that pension fund in that
way it was one of the fastest growing
pension funds in Australia at above
market rates of return by the two key
measures of pension fund success around
the world he was running a highly
successful pension fund but he was
mocked in his own sector because he had
the courage and vision to say there’s
got to be a different way because of
this and I will find a way that
works and works for my pension fund
members disrupted Biddle business models
will be the norm be one of the first to
find yours in your sector final story
might sound difficult meet unusual
partners come up with the first
disruptive business model in your sector
one of the first sets difficult here’s a
leadership challenge if that all sounds
too hard just think of one thing your
organization can do that will create
organizational success and tackle this
planetary challenge there was a high
street bakery in Australia like Gregg’s
here and the chief executive said I get
this environment challenge what do we do
and he talked to some people and they
said are you baked all your pies and
your cakes in these three or four
industrial type factories and you chuck
them out to the shops on the high street
how often you do that or twice a day
oh is that to ensure that they’re fresh
etc no no go through at all why do you
do it I’ve always done it that way why
you just do it once that’s what they did
and they did it before peak hour traffic
in the morning more than half cut fuel
costs more than half cut there in
greenhouse gas emissions improved health
and safety for their drivers because I
weren’t driving around twice a day in
peak hour traffic though driving at 4:00
in the morning outside those charm those
challenges in traffic and they also
massively expanded the extent of the
life of their vehicles very simple
didn’t need to get McKinsey’s in to do a
big study didn’t need to invest in
capital just thought what is one thing
we can do that will improve the planet
will help us live within the planet
means and improve my profitability now
I’ve told three business stories because
when you work for EPA’s you mainly
regulate business we work with everyone
but my my best experiences of seeing
leadership is in business you can do
this if you’re running a hospital if
you’re working in a school is always
opportunity cuz every single human
activity uses this planet so there’s
endless opportunities to tackle this
challenge and the key message I would
say to you is it’s about changing our
mindset too many people think of this as
a big threat we heard this yesterday
from one person this is a threat to the
economy this is a huge opportunity for
economic and social success and
every single one of us has the skill
ability and experience to bring to this
challenge to create a very different
future because if we don’t this will
turn into a threat and damage our future
if we sit back tip back and treat it as
something that can’t be tackled have the
leadership have the courage have the
vision to say we can do it thank
[Applause]
so let me start with a very simple
scientific fact we have one planet you
probably can’t see it it’s very small
but I can guarantee you it’s a planet
where we are is up here on the top where
I come from is down there on the bottom
and even my scientists who I work with
two or three hundred of them I normally
say don’t go around saying things about
science you need to get them
peer-reviewed for a year I asked a
couple of them this morning they’re here
so can I say one planet I said go for a
boss tell glows go there’s only one
planet so let’s move to a second
scientific fact if everyone in the world
live like we do here in Scotland and the
UK all seven billion people we would
need three planets scientific fact now
if you’re a poor leader you can look at
this and say I’m going to ignore that
I’m going to pretend it doesn’t exist
I’m going to leave as if there’s three
planets but there’s only one good
leaders say there’s only one game in
town this one there’s one planet you
have to face the reality you have to
work within it great leaders will say
how do we turn this from a threat into
an opportunity for our organizations
whether you’re leading organizationally
or whether you’re somewhere in the
organization so I want to talk to you
about what we can all do to be great
leaders and tackle this as a great
opportunity not a great threat so let me
give you some examples of what I’ve seen
from around the world I worked for the
Northern Ireland Environment Agency
before I came to Scotland most
Australians paid to travel around the UK
I’m getting UK governments to pay for me
to travel around the UK have got England
and Wales to go yet and when I was there
we had a cement company cement
manufacturers very energy-intensive and
they said to us we’ve got a big problem
energy costs are very high in Northern
Ireland very high in greenhouse gases so
that’s a big commercial problem for us
can you help us and we said here’s a
thought find unusual partners that’s my
first thought for leadership to tackle
this and they said what can we do I said
the biggest chicken meat producer in the
UK is in Northern Ireland because of the
horse meat scandal we had a few years
ago they can help and the cement
manufacturing chief executive looked at
me and said really how does that help us
said well because of the horse meat
scandal you might recall a couple of big
UK buyers said to ensure that doesn’t
happen again to get a security of supply
we’re going to buy all our meat from
just inside the UK so we can guarantee
its quality in its source this big
chicken producer in Northern Ireland was
already over the nitrates limit nitrates
is a particular type of pollutant when
you feed a chicken that either comes out
as chicken meat or chicken waste so even
with their current level of production
it was difficult they were running up
against the regulatory constraints so we
said to the cement manufacturer could
you trial taking their chicken waste and
use that as an alternative fuel source
much cheaper much lower green greenhouse
gas content they said we’ll have a go at
that the chicken producer said we’ll
have a go with that as well because if
they can find a solution for their
problem their environmental problem
nitrates that would mean they might
potentially be able to take this
expansion opportunity for us as the
regulator over there we were starting to
solve two environmental problems for
this for both companies we were creating
commercial gain so find unusual partners
there was no reason for a cement
manufacturer and a poultry producer to
ever talk to each other we said we
talked to you both
why don’t the three of us get together
maybe once a month just go and talk to
an organization that you would normally
have nothing to do with I guarantee you
if you do that three or four times you
will find some opportunity of mutual
benefit to tackle this problem the
second message I have for you is that
disruptive business models will be the
norm in this century if we only have one
of these and we’re currently operating
as if we have three and we’re all going
in the wrong direction there are almost
no countries turning that around then
just for every sector will be disrupted
so get the advantage of being one of the
first movers to work out how in your
sector you have to operate within one
planet let me tell you about a pension
fund in Australia a friend of mine
called Bob this guy Bob was running a
pension fund in the year 2000 successful
pension fund returned good money to its
members and he heard a guy called Paul
Hawken speak famous environmentalist
Paul talked about this problem in 2000
and it was a road a Damascus moment for
Bob he realized that he was creating
monetary
income for people to enjoy their
retirement his members but what happens
if you get that monetary income in 20 or
30 years time and the planet is three or
four degrees warmer and life is
unbearable what’s the point in having
40,000 Australian dollars or thirty
thousand English pounds
there’s no point at all so he set out to
create the first sustainable pension
fund on the planet now Bob did a whole
bunch of things I just mentioned too he
only gave their pension money to
property investors who had ways of
reducing the water and energy use in the
commercial properties they invested in
about a billion or $2 worth of
properties in Australia another thing he
did was they only started buying shares
in companies that had an environmental
policy an environmental plan and
importantly an environmental plan that
unleash commercial opportunities not
environmental plans that caused damage
to the commercial viability of the
company lots of other things he did one
of the keys of this story about
leadership is I used to meet Bob –
Australian blokes of meeting I’d say
g’day Bob hey gone and we’d have a chat
we’d have to talk about business and
what to do but when he started doing
this stuff with his pension fund he
became donors sustainability Bob and
everyone in the environment movement
would talk about sustainability Bob with
this great admiration for what he was
doing and other people called him
sustainability Bob behind his back to
mock and ridicule him other people in
the pension fund sector in Australia
because they thought it was a nutter
doing all this stuff for the environment
I was actually on holiday with my wife
in Canada the rocky mountaineer train
across to Vancouver through the Rocky
Mountains and I just happened to be
sitting next to this Australian guy he’s
from Melbourne or what do you do we chat
he ran a pension fund he was a chief
executive of pension fund in fact I
think he was just about to lose his job
and I mentioned Bob he said are that
nutcase the important thing about this
story is for that entire period that bob
was running that pension fund in that
way it was one of the fastest growing
pension funds in Australia at above
market rates of return by the two key
measures of pension fund success around
the world he was running a highly
successful pension fund but he was
mocked in his own sector because he had
the courage and vision to say there’s
got to be a different way because of
this and I will find a way that
works and works for my pension fund
members disrupted Biddle business models
will be the norm be one of the first to
find yours in your sector final story
might sound difficult meet unusual
partners come up with the first
disruptive business model in your sector
one of the first sets difficult here’s a
leadership challenge if that all sounds
too hard just think of one thing your
organization can do that will create
organizational success and tackle this
planetary challenge there was a high
street bakery in Australia like Gregg’s
here and the chief executive said I get
this environment challenge what do we do
and he talked to some people and they
said are you baked all your pies and
your cakes in these three or four
industrial type factories and you chuck
them out to the shops on the high street
how often you do that or twice a day
oh is that to ensure that they’re fresh
etc no no go through at all why do you
do it I’ve always done it that way why
you just do it once that’s what they did
and they did it before peak hour traffic
in the morning more than half cut fuel
costs more than half cut there in
greenhouse gas emissions improved health
and safety for their drivers because I
weren’t driving around twice a day in
peak hour traffic though driving at 4:00
in the morning outside those charm those
challenges in traffic and they also
massively expanded the extent of the
life of their vehicles very simple
didn’t need to get McKinsey’s in to do a
big study didn’t need to invest in
capital just thought what is one thing
we can do that will improve the planet
will help us live within the planet
means and improve my profitability now
I’ve told three business stories because
when you work for EPA’s you mainly
regulate business we work with everyone
but my my best experiences of seeing
leadership is in business you can do
this if you’re running a hospital if
you’re working in a school is always
opportunity cuz every single human
activity uses this planet so there’s
endless opportunities to tackle this
challenge and the key message I would
say to you is it’s about changing our
mindset too many people think of this as
a big threat we heard this yesterday
from one person this is a threat to the
economy this is a huge opportunity for
economic and social success and
every single one of us has the skill
ability and experience to bring to this
challenge to create a very different
future because if we don’t this will
turn into a threat and damage our future
if we sit back tip back and treat it as
something that can’t be tackled have the
leadership have the courage have the
vision to say we can do it thank
[Applause]
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