Sustainability Stewardship in Action: Governing for Future Generations [Online]
28 May 2026
11:00–12:30
Online
Public bodies are required to make decisions today that will shape economic, social and environmental outcomes for decades to come. As expectations around climate action and sustainability continue to grow, boards and senior leaders are increasingly being asked to look beyond immediate delivery pressures and consider their stewardship role in governing for long-term public value and future generations.
This webinar will explore what effective sustainability stewardship looks like in practice for governing bodies and how it can be embedded into everyday governance and decision-making. The session will feature Carolynn Chalmers, CEO of the Good Governance Academy and co-founder of the ESG Exchange, who will share insights on sustainability stewardship from a governance perspective, drawing on international standards and contemporary governance thinking, alongside Michael Goan, Sustainability Lead at the Land Development Agency, who will reflect on organisational practice where sustainability is integral to the delivery of sustainable housing at scale.
Through focused discussion, the session will examine how governing bodies set direction and exercise oversight in ways that integrate sustainability into strategy, risk management, performance, assurance and decision-making, while balancing short-term delivery pressures with long-term outcomes and resilience. It will also consider how these governance choices are reflected in day-to-day organisational practice, including the structures, capabilities and incentives that support delivery.
Moderated by Laura Shannon, this webinar will support boards, senior leaders and key public service professionals to strengthen sustainability stewardship in a way that is realistic, proportionate and grounded in the realities of public service governance and delivery.
Key questions the session will address:
What does it mean in practice for governing bodies to act as stewards for future generations, while balancing immediate delivery pressures and long-term public value?
How can existing governance frameworks be used more effectively to support long-term sustainability and public value, rather than compliance alone?
How can boards assess their sustainability maturity and identify practical next steps to strengthen stewardship?
Speakers
Carolynn Chalmers
Carolynn is a global leader in organisational stability, transformation, sustainability and governance. She is CEO of the Governance Academy, founded by Professor Mervyn King, where she leads global initiatives to promote effective corporate governance practices and improvement interventions. Carolynn is also a co-founder of The ESG Exchange, created to build capacity to embed sustainability into corporate strategy, reporting, and operations, internationally, at scale. Her work also includes co-editing ISO 37000, sole-editing ISO 37004, and chairing/co-convening national and international governance standard-setting bodies.
Michael Goan
Michael Goan is the Sustainability Lead at the Land Development Agency. Michael is registered architect, with an MSc in Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies. He joined the LDA in 2020. As a commercial semi-state body, the LDA is required to adopt a climate action framework which includes compliance with a relevant and appropriate climate-related disclosures framework. The LDA launched its first Sustainable Development Strategy in 2024.
