Episode 19: Why ESG is so important for the future of mobility

04/13/22 • 28 min

GUESTS: Lance Bultena, Hogan Lovells, and Pierre Lahutte, Navya

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Climate change, diversity, and human rights are three of the leading ESG issues, and they feed into one of the core aspects of contemporary business development, namely sustainability. And in the wake of COP26, Covid-19, and now the war that Russia is waging on Ukraine, sustainability is both more important than ever, and arguably more difficult to deliver than ever.

For the best part of two decades, ESG - which stands for Environment, Social, and Governance - has played an increasingly important role in shareholder reporting. But now ESG has become an essential aspect of corporate strategy as business moves from pure shareholder capitalism into stakeholder capitalism, which considers everyone the business touches, rather than just the shareholders.

The term ESG was coined in 2004 by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan; a year later, a study was published titled, “Who cares Wins” - and that sums up this discussion perfectly. Get it right, and ESG can deliver improved financial performance, higher value delivery, and reduced stock price volatility in a world where the rise in ESG investment has been what McKinsey describes as "meteoric."

ESG has been referred to as the latest evolution of CSR, Corporate Social Responsibility - the difference between the two being that while CSR is intended to make a company accountable for its efforts, ESG makes a company’s efforts measurable.

This episode of Ride: The Urban Mobility Podcast is all about ESG, what it is, and why it’s so important for future mobility stakeholders.
ABOUT THE GUESTS
Lance D. Bultena is Global Director of Thought Leadership, Mobility and Transportation at Hogan Lovells.
Connect with Lance on LinkedIn
Pierre LaHutte is Chief Strategy & Development Officer at Navya. He's also a Board Member at Forsee Power, FRIEM and Groupe BERTO, and Co-Founder of AMILU FARM
Connect with Pierre on LinkedIn

You can subscribe to Ride: The Urban Mobility Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Feel free to share it, like it, give it a rating, sign up to the Ride LinkedIn page, and check out our website, ridemobilitypodcast.com.

Previous Episode

Episode 18: The eSkootr Championship takes micromobility off to the races

GUESTS: Hrag Sarkissian, eSkootr Championship (eSC) and Nicola Scimeca, YCOM
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
This year will see the birth of an all-new racing series for an all-new sport, when the eSkootr Championship kicks off at London's Printwork's on 13 and 14 May 2022.
The first ever micromobility racing series will feature 30 male and female riders competing in mixed heats on the the S1-X eSkootr, designed by YCOM. Using F1 technology, the S1-X has a Williams Advanced Engineering battery and two 6kW motors, enabling speeds of over 100 kph (62mph) and sharp cornering, thanks to its 55-degree-plus lean capability.
Shortly before the official launch of the race series, Ride: The Urban Mobility Podcast spoke to Hrag Sarkissian, the founder and CEO of eSkootr Championship (eSC), and Nicola Scimeca, founder and Chief Business Development Officer of YCOM, about the all-new eSkootr Championship, its role in raising awareness of micromobility, and the importance of sustainability not only in the race series, but in future mobility in general.
ABOUT THE GUESTS

Hrag Sarkissian, co-founder and CEO of eSkootr Championship (eSC). Born in New York, Lebanese-Armernian Hrag has successfully grown an extensive portfolio of innovation-led businesses. His experience in motorsport and tech helps him to leverage the benefits of sustainable technology and micromobility.
Connect with Hrag on LinkedInNicola Scimeca is the founder and Chief Business Development Officer at YCOM. He founded YCOM in 2008 to develop and manufacture the most extreme cars in the world.
Connect with Nicola on LinkedInFURTHER READING

After the inaugural race in London, the races will head to Switzerland., France, Italy, Spain, and the USA. Learn more about eSkootr Championship at https://official.esc.live

Next Episode

Episode 20: What is Truck as a Service? feat. Volta Trucks

GUEST: Carl-Magnus Norden, Founder and Executive Chairman, Volta Trucks
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
One of the most exciting things as mobility evolves is the appearance of not only new technologies, and new business models, but also new brands. In this episode, we talk to Carl-Magnus Norden, founder and executive chairman of electric truck start-up Volta Trucks, about:

The challenges of launching an all-new truck brand
The challenges of commercial vehicle electrification
Truck-as-a-Service and the rise of the "X as a Service" business model
The impact of autonomous technology on commercial vehicles

Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Volta Trucks recently unveiled the 7.5 and 12t variants of the Volta Zero fully-electric commercial vehicle, which will sit alongside the 16t variant. The company will begin deliveries of the Volta Zero in 2023.
ABOUT THIS EPISODE'S GUEST: Carl-Magnus Norden
Carl-Magnus Norden founded Volta Trucks in 2019 "to decarbonise last-mile logistics and to make city centre environments safer, more pleasant and sustainable places to live and work."
Connect with Carl-Magnus on LinkedIn