Well that’s another week down. A blend of remote and office based working. Time in London – meeting clients and my teams in real life (and a cheeky celebration too). There has been a lot of focus on climate change and sustainability this week in various mediums.
With #COP26 commencing there is a lot of material out there to further understand everything from Net Zero to wider ESG challenges. I like to think I know some things but also keen to understand how I can further help myself, my family and my clients. In this PwC UK podcast a discussion is held between Rowena Morris, Rob Smith and Claire Reid on the accelerating the move to Net Zero. There is a transformational role finance teams can play by using data to help drive better business decisions. The use of data can really help transform businesses but they need to ensure that the data used is accurate and through assurance this can be provided. A need to think differently about how decisions are made is key.
There is significant attention given to Climate Change at the moment (and rightly so) but as we return back from a global pandemic, the rising challenges of managing risk for businesses is becoming even more important. In this PwC UK podcast Emily Khan is joined by Stephanie Bruce (CFO of Abrdn) and PwC’s Chief Economist discuss navigating the new risk landscape. Regulation usually helps businesses move forward – basically the stick approach – but with the world changing so much there is a need for organisations to rethink how they approach. This is a change in culture for most businesses – the discussion shares thoughts and examples of how organisations can take this forward.
I have a close eye on healthcare. My wife is heavily involved in it and therefore colliding buildings with healthcare has a special place in my heart. So Qatar to build the hospital of the future – but what makes it a hospital of the future? Earlier in the year, Assura plc released insight into how community medical centres will evolve (Practising connection: the Surgery of the Future 4.0) which has some good examples of how healthcare should be. The key design features include modular units that allow for quick responses to advancing medical innovations. The materials are affordable and therefore provide healthcare at the highest level at a low cost. Solving the great mysteries of how to fund healthcare in the future will continue to remain a challenge.
But back to COP26. Building has started a podcast series around sustainability. Episode 1 covers a broad ranging introduction. Personally I found the jargon busting useful. Like many I’m sure, lots of terminology can be confusing and having clarity around this prevents greenwashing.
This is my last summary of the week as I look to alternative ways to share updates.
Words of Wilko 