Here at the IS Council, we are dedicated to spotlighting the heroes along the infrastructure supply chain who contribute to sustainability outcomes for people, planet, and the economy with their innovative products and impactful services.
In this webinar we heard from –
Scott Losee from Losee Consulting, Ben Hough from Vital Chemical, Mariana Perez from One Click LCA, Nils Barry from Aspire, Adrian Cahill from RCPA and Adam Ferguson from SiteHive
Presentation – here
Webinar recording – here
The Infrastructure Sustainability Council (IS Council) has appointed respected sustainability leader Toby Kent as its next Chief Executive Officer.
Mr Kent brings a wealth of experience and an impressive track record in sustainability, resilience and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) delivery.
He joins the IS Council from PwC Australia, where he served as a Partner in the Energy Transition team for the past two years.
Mr Kent’s extensive experience includes over five years as Chief Resilience Officer for metropolitan Melbourne, as part of the Rockefeller Foundation’s ground-breaking 100 Resilient Cities program, and two years as Global Head of Sustainable Development at ANZ bank.
He previously held senior roles in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong, driving sustainability and climate change initiatives for PwC globally.
Mr Kent co-founded and managed ResilientCo Consulting and has been an active board member of the Business Council for Sustainable Development Australia for four years. He was also Chair of the Future Business Council for three years.
Mr Kent, who will commence in late August, succeeds Ainsley Simpson, who departed the IS Council in February 2024 to become inaugural CEO of circular fashion association Seamless. Since Ms Simpson’s departure, Patrick Hastings, Chief Delivery and Capability Officer, has been Acting CEO and will continue to do so until Mr Kent takes the reins.
IS Council Chair Deb Spring expressed her enthusiasm for Mr Kent’s appointment, underscoring his deep expertise in sustainability and authentic leadership style.
“Toby has steered game-changing sustainability initiatives for both public and private organisations and has exceptional stakeholder governance and operational management skills. A collaborative, values-driven leader, Toby is the ideal person to progress IS Council’s ambitious agenda.”
Mr. Kent is excited about his new role and the opportunity to drive sustainable infrastructure development on both sides of the Tasman.
“I am honoured to join the IS Council at this pivotal time. The IS Council has had a transformational impact on the Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand infrastructure sectors. We have $300 billion in assets under rating and our members, who collectively turn over more than $50 billion annually, are championing sustainable practices that resonate globally,” Mr Kent says.
“I am passionate about harnessing our collective expertise to drive meaningful change, promote strategies of shared value, and collaborate closely with industry, policymakers and the community to ensure infrastructure achieves optimal social, cultural, environmental and economic benefits.”
Ms Spring also extended her gratitude to Mr Hastings for his interim leadership. “Patrick has been a steadfast and capable leader and has maintained our momentum during the transition period. The IS Council is now poised to scale our impact and elevate our influence,” Ms Spring concludes.
ENDS
Media contact:
Karen Jamal karen@kjcommunications.com or 0412 179 135
About Infrastructure Sustainability Council
The Infrastructure Sustainability Council is Australia and New Zealand’s authority on sustainable infrastructure projects and assets. The IS Council’s purpose is to ensure all infrastructure delivers cultural, social, environmental and economic benefits. The Council works with more than 35 federal, state and local government departments in Australia and New Zealand. The Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) rating scheme is mandated by delivery agencies and asset operators across Australia and New Zealand with more than $297 billion infrastructure projects undertaking ratings. The Council represents 240-plus individual companies, departments and associations with a combined annual turnover of more than $50 billion. For more information, contact the IS Council on info@iscouncil.org or visit www.iscouncil.org
In this recording, you can learn about our newest Rating Tool – IS Essentials. IS Essentials enables a Design & As-Built Sustainability Rating for all infrastructure assets with a capital value of $5-100m. Its reduced complexity and use of the digital Ratings Portal and Resource Centre makes it applicable for smaller projects.
* IS Essentials Launch: Patrick Hastings, Chief executive officer at Infrastructure Sustainability Council launches the tool and talks about its value proposition
*08:46 IS Essentials Tool in Action: Andrew Aitken, Program sustainability Principal at Inland Rail will be talking about his experience with the IS Essentials Rating Tool.
*13:15 Tool Development Process & Rating Tool Overview: Tyrel Momberg, Technical Manager at Infrastructure Sustainability Council talks about the tool development process and provides an overview of the Rating tool.
*25:00 Ratings Digitalisation: Rob de Carvalho, Head of Technology at Infrastructure Sustainability Council introduces our new IS Rating Portal, the digitisation journey and shows how it accesses the portal.
*32:34 IS Essentials Training: Hayley Grieves, Head of Learning & Capability at Infrastructure Sustainability Council talks about IS Essentials Training and how you can build your capability and capacity at this phase.
Presentation slides here
Recoding here
MEDIA RELEASE: ISCouncil releases game-changing rating tool IS Essentials to help $5-$100m projects drive better sustainability outcomes
The Infrastructure Sustainability Council (ISC) is responding to the rapidly changing sustainability landscape by releasing a new, innovative digital tool to support Australian and New Zealand infrastructure projects navigate the changes and ensure that their assets are sustainable.
IS Essentials is a game-changing extension to the ISC’s globally recognised IS Rating Scheme; a collection of third-party assured rating tools that evaluate the social, cultural, environmental and economic performance of infrastructure assets across their life cycle.
Designed specifically for small infrastructure projects valued at $5 million to $100 million, IS Essentials is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals to help government agencies, private asset owners and investors to measure, improve and report on social, cultural, environmental and economic performance.
ISC Acting CEO Patrick Hastings says the tool is significant in advancing the sector’s sustainability efforts, with 80 per cent of infrastructure investment across Australia occurring in projects valued at under $100 million.
“These tend to be projects that are closely tied to communities, such as energy generation, water treatment plants and road projects, which have the potential to deliver more for the communities they serve than just the basic utility of the asset,” said Mr Hastings.
“We want to support project and asset owners recognise this, help them respond and excel in their delivery, noting IS Essentials will not only enable them to start on this journey more effectively, but accelerate it.”
With legislative requirements, national and global adoption of carbon accounting standards and mounting pressure on organisations to collect, record and report their sustainability efforts, the ISC wants to ensure those delivering vital infrastructure projects have the support they need to do so efficiently and effectively.
“IS Essentials is designed to scale according to both the size of the asset and the ambition of the organisation, while also providing a road map to transform their systems and processes so that these practices become business-as-usual,” Mr Hastings said.
IS Essentials has undergone a rigorous testing process, thanks to the support of 26 pilot projects across Australia and New Zealand, as well as the Westpac New Zealand Government Innovation Fund.
Maritime Safety Queensland participated in the pilot project through its program of works to replace 30 maritime beacons in the shipping channels from Cairns to Weipa in north Queensland.
Amanda Scarpato, Director of the Maritime Program Management Office for Maritime Safety Queensland (Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads), said working with IS Essentials became more than just a one-off “tick”.
“By working with IS Essentials, we challenged many of our business-as-usual decisions to deliver safer, more sustainable infrastructure,” Ms Scarpato said.
“We can now take the IS Essentials principles and apply them to other infrastructure projects.”
Mr Hastings said it is that change of mindset and practice that will accelerate not just decarbonisation of our assets but drive better outcomes for communities.
“Sustainability needs to be a business priority,” Mr Hastings said. “It’s about setting strong foundations and investing in the future, not just for the organisation itself, but the infrastructure assets and networks being delivered and for the communities we’re operating in.”
To learn more about IS Essentials and to register a project for an IS Essentials Rating, visit www.iscouncil.org
ENDS JULY 2024
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Media Information: marketing@iscouncil.org
Notes to Editors
The Infrastructure Sustainability Council is Australia and New Zealand’s authority on sustainable infrastructure projects and assets. The IS Council’s purpose is to ensure that all infrastructure delivers cultural, social, environmental, and economic benefits.
The Council works with more than 35 federal, state, and local government departments in Australia and New Zealand. The Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) Rating Scheme is mandated by delivery agencies and asset operators across Australia and New Zealand, with more than $297 billion infrastructure projects undertaking ratings. The Council represents 240-plus individual companies, departments, and associations with a combined annual turnover of more than $50 billion.
For more information, contact the IS Council at info@iscouncil.org or visit www.iscouncil.org
Only 12.9% of construction industry professionals are women. But did you know that the figure for infrastructure sustainability professionals is 55%? In this report, Sustainability, a career in construction the ISC have explored how sustainability careers can influence the current culture & diversity challenges that limit the number of female professionals entering and remaining in construction.
Developed with the support of the NSW Government the report presents practical strategies for enhancing the adoption of sustainability skills and advancing diversity within the sector.
