Introduction
Objective and origin
This paper explores the different roles external consultants play in disseminating concepts, best practices and strategies pertaining to corporate sustainability. The study traces its roots to findings by Young et al (2003) on the UK's corporate social responsibility (CSR) consultancy sector.
Motivations
Organisations implement sustainable practices for compliance, competitive advantage, human capital development and stakeholder-value creation.
Challenges
Internal ESG implementation requires significant organisational know-how and capacity, which external consultants can provide.
The role of external consultants
External consultants play a pivotal role in enhancing organisational sustainability by providing expertise, validating decisions, transferring knowledge and technology, acting as intermediaries, contributing to policy development, facilitating learning, setting standards and building capacity. Their diverse roles ensure that organisations can effectively implement and sustain ESG practices, driving long-term sustainability and competitive advantage. The paper delves into each of these roles, with real-life examples.
About the Author
Dr Biswaraj Ghosh is a key member of Acuity’s Corporate and Consulting vertical and oversees project execution and delivery for clients across multiple sectors covering Climate Change, and a range of ESG services. He possesses several functional expertise including solving sustainability-related issues, developing decarbonization strategies, stakeholder engagement, ESG risk assessment, materiality assessment, climate management, sustainability management, target setting, KPI design, etc. through qualitative & quantitative research. He is a Copyright holder (UK and India) for the indigenously developed Sustainability Management Model as part of his PhD thesis. He is also a published author, an international ESG talk show expert..Show More
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