The Australian office of Corporate Citizenship, who manage LBG on behalf of its local members, is pleased to welcome Jill Riseley to the team.

As well as being the former chair of LBG in Australia and New Zealand, Jill has more than 20 years of experience in corporate social responsibility,  sustainability and public affairs across corporate, government and cultural sectors, Jill is well positioned to help LBG members and Corporate Citizenship clients make a greater impact on society.

Jill has held senior leadership roles in organisations including REA Group, a leading online real estate company, telecommunications providers Telstra and Optus and cable TV station Fox Sports.  Jill’s work has been recognized through numerous awards and appointments to key industry and government panels.

We asked Jill about the biggest changes she’s seen in the sustainability space during the past decade.

CC: What have been the biggest changes over the past 5 to 10 years in sustainability?

Jill: Perceptions around the purpose and the role of business in society have changed over the past decade and so has the expectations of stakeholders such as investors, consumers and employees. Over the past 5 years Australia has seen an increasing expectation on transparency in reporting, and increased interest in measuring organisational impacts and the value of intangible assets such as levels of trust and reputation.  Ten years ago there was often a “business case for sustainability” required but today having strong responsible business credentials is no longer seen as optional.

CC: What’s one piece of advice you give to an organisation beginning their responsible business journey?

Jill: Understand why you exist, what your impacts are and how you create value.  When this is clear it is much easier to articulate and improve the positive impact you can make and minimise the risks.

CC: How do you describe what you do when you’re in the elevator with a potential client or just an interested friend?

Jill: I help businesses be better. I work with organisations to improve their sustainability and responsible business credentials.  This creates social, environmental and economic value and improves an organisations relationships and reputation with stakeholders, increases trust and advocacy with employees and consumers and finally helps mitigate and manage risk.