summary

After a starting as a BBC reporter, he set up dotcom communications business, before moving into the environmental space.  As Chief Policy Adviser to Greenpeace UK, he led campaigns on aviation, energy, and transport, and advised both David Cameron and Boris Johnson on sustainability, before working as Deputy Private Secretary to HM The King (when he was Prince of Wales).  As Director of Sustainability for John Lewis department stores and Waitrose supermarkets, he dealt with the environmental and social challenges across over 350,000 products, sourced from all over the world. 

He has advised countless international businesses on modern slavery, sustainability, climate change and the rapidly evolving ESG agenda. 

Today he is a speaker, consultant, and founding partner of strategic advisory firm, Four Thirty Two.  He’s a trustee of various leading environmental charities, including Green Alliance and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.  He founded the highly influential Conservative Environment Network with Ben Goldsmith, where he is still Deputy Chairman.

A warm and witty speaker, Benet draws on his extensive experience to take audiences on a journey through these complex and sometimes difficult topics, explaining why some seemingly radical environmental views are, in fact, inevitable consequences to the way our economy operates and that an environmentally sustainable future will be present tremendous commercial opportunities.  Full of practical experience, he demonstrates the art of the possible, rather than just saying “stop”. His speeches are targeted to general business leadership teams; ESG and sustainability teams; Policy makers and think tanks; Operational and sectoral leaders; Industry networking events. 

subjects covered

Navigating the sustainability transition

The politics of climate change and sustainability

The future of ESG and reporting

Modern Slavery and sustainability

Driving sustainable change in organisations

Personal resilience in public life