Sustainable Business Council appoints new chair

The Sustainable Business Council will focus on continuing to lead economic, social and environmental sustainability under the organisation’s new Chair, Alistair Davis - Chief Executive of Toyota New Zealand. 

The Sustainable Business Council is an executive-led organisation that advocates a better way of doing business to create a sustainable future for New Zealand. It has 79 members who have a collective turnover of about $69 billion, or a third of private sector GDP. 

Alistair Davis said the organisation has made huge strides in putting sustainability on the agenda for business over the last few years. 

“The topic of sustainability has become mainstream. But we still have a long way to go before all New Zealand businesses are thinking sustainably as a matter of course. Over the next four years I want to see us make concrete progress on improving resource use and ecosystem health, the social impact of business and addressing climate change in New Zealand.  Given our emissions profile, one of the main areas of focus within the climate discussion will be on transport, where I obviously have some interest.” 

Toyota New Zealand has had a longstanding involvement with the Sustainable Business Council, and was a founder of its predecessor, the New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development.  Internationally Toyota was also a founder of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. 

Alistair Davis said “Both the executive and I are committed to action.  You can’t build a sustainable business or sustainable society alone – it requires collaboration whether that is across businesses or within a value chain. Business can’t succeed on a planet or in a society that fails.  Business has a role to help improve the society in which it operates.”  

Alistair Davis takes over as Chair of the organisation from Deloitte’s Brett Tomkins, who has stepped down as Chair. Mr Davis said Brett had done a great job leading the Board, including overseeing the merger between the New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Business Forum to become an influential division of BusinessNZ. 

Other Board members appointed for 2015/2016 include Jacqueline Robertson (Partner, Deloitte), Mike Sang (CEO, Ngāi Tahu Holdings), Richard Manaton (GM Strategy and Corporate Affairs, Countdown), Karen Fifield (CEO, Wellington Zoo), Miles Hurrell (Group Director Corporate Affairs, Fonterra) and Volker Kuntzsch (CEO, Sanford). In addition, Lee Bint from BRANZ has been appointed an SBC Future Leader Alumni representative.