Business model transformation

The board at Portsmouth Water has been celebrating the successful completion of a key milestone in the development of Havant Thicket Reservoir, the first major new UK reservoir in the UK in over 30 years. Chapter Zero member, Sharon Darcy, sits on the board of Portsmouth Water as an Independent Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee. She says that the board plays a vital role in ensuring the project remains in lockstep with investor and stakeholder expectations, government policy and the UK’s long-term infrastructure needs.

Sustainability is integral to innovation. It underpins strong products and services across sectors – and then future proofs them. Chapter Zero member Jimmy Jia, a Non-executive Director and Chair of the Center for Sustainable Energy in San Diego and the Venture Partner for ESG at Pi labs (amongst other roles), reflects on sustainability as the engine for innovation and growth.

Jonny Wates is a Board Director of the Wates Group – a nearly 130-year-old, multi-generational, family-owned construction, property services and developments company based in the UK. He chairs the board’s Sustainability Committee and champions sustainability at both a strategic and operational level. In a case study on how the company’s stewardship ethos drives decarbonisation and the futureproofing of the business, Jonny talks about how, with an adaptive mindset, boards can steer businesses to both address global challenges and generate value.

This Climate Governance Initiative case study looks at this FTSE 100 global packaging leader that is dealing with increased demand for its products while also steering the business towards net zero by 2050.

This Climate Governance Initiative case study looks at how sustainability is shaping the way industry leader British Land does business.

The New Resource Economy, created in partnership with Systemiq, explores the economic transformation that businesses face in the coming decades. Understanding this transition is becoming essential for forward-thinking non-executive directors and board members navigating an increasingly complex operating environment. This report emerged from a shared hypothesis by Systemiq and Chapter Zero that the net zero framing has not always best served the strategic domain of the boardroom. Building on a convening of Chapter Zero members, including senior non-executive directors from across FTSE 350 and large, private organisations, it co-creates a vision for a new resource economy informed by the boardroom perspective.