From intention to action: ESG tips you can use from our podcast guests

From banking and retail to hospitality and the public sector, one message keeps coming up in our conversations about ESG: progress doesn’t start with perfection, but with practical action. Ask better questions, challenge accepted norms, or use your influence to make one change that others can build on.

Across our ESG in Action podcast, we’ve spoken to leaders who are driving change in very different settings. What’s striking is the common thread: momentum matters. You don’t need to be “finished” to begin, but you do need to begin.

Below, each guest shares one practical tip you can take away and apply; whether you’re building confidence and capability, looking for quick wins, or trying to keep ESG on the agenda when priorities compete.

1. Start with curiosity and capability

“Ultimately, a sustainable future is something we all have a role in. So I just encourage you to continue to be inquisitive and continue to grow your knowledge in this space.”

Amy Thomson, Head of Sustainability at Nationwide Building Society

2. Make it real and make it shared  

“Get involved in nature, you can make a difference, whether it's with your colleagues at work or at home with your family, you can make a difference.”

Andrew Martin, Facilities Consultant at Nationwide Building Society

3. Aim for progress, not perfection  

“I think my ask of everyone would be not to be perfect, but just to try. It's the small actions that can really make a change, whether that be reducing your meat consumption, reducing your dairy consumption, getting the train instead of getting a plane”

Sophie De Salis, previously Sustainability Policy Advisor at the British Retail Consortium.

This episode was recorded while Sophie was Sustainability Advisor at the British Retail Consortium.

4. Use your time where it has most impact  

“I am shamelessly going to say get in touch with SMBP or another local charity, who supports young people to offer your time... Get in touch with a charity who has the connections and expertise to use your volunteer time to the maximum impact.”  

Jess Clarkson, Managing Director at Social Mobility Business Partnership

5. Start in your sphere of influence  

“I'd say look at your own sphere of influence and start there. So, it's asking where your organisation's energy comes from, questioning procurement choices or simply starting the conversation....We don't need to all be competitors. We need to work together to unlock the industry together. And this is the way we should be sharing information.. [Ask] who’s around you? Who do you know? Impart some information to them.”

Justin Leger, Co-Managing Director at Eden Sustainable

6. Take one step — then make it easier for the next person  

“Take one step, do one thing... You don't have to be an expert, you don't have to have huge amounts of time or anything like that. What you need is a passion for supporting young people.”  

Gilly Samuddin, CEO at Ablaze

7. Follow the money and ask better questions  

“That first step to sustainable action is really just understanding how your pension is being invested and then thinking about whether that's in line with your expectations. Engage with your pension provider to ask where your money's being invested and how, just to get increased transparency around that.”  

Jaid Longmore, Responsible Investment Manager at Hymans Robertson

8. Keep the conversation alive  

“I've got three young kids and I think about [sustainability] all the time with them. I keep being aware of the importance of it and keep talking about it, because it is otherwise easy to focus on other things... And so my advice all the time is just to keep constantly thinking about it. Keep the conversation alive.”

Sarah Waddington, Estates Lead at Greene King

9. Challenge the “normal” and make the better option the default  

“Don't be afraid to challenge the norm.... I started my career in hotels. And the first thing that we did was spend two, three years trying to get mini soap and shampoo bottles out of those hotel rooms. But it's now the norm.”

Charlie Fisher, Sustainability Engagement and Governance Lead at Greene King

10. Break big goals into winnable steps  

“I'm going to throw an acronym out.  It's GROW. Goals, reality - I call it opportunities - oblique risks, and the way ahead... Set out a plan. What needs to be done? Who's going to do it and by when? Having a small model can really help you move forward.  

And then don't be frightened of failure. Think about, actually, what can we learn from this, and how can we move forward and what we can do differently?

Wendy Whewell, Head of Sustainable Solutions and Finance in Corporate and Commercial Banking, Santander

11. Give it a go and normalise participation

“My advice would always be to actually have a go and do something, try something. It won't always work perfectly when you start it. But just maybe giving up that one hour to go and do a talk somewhere, giving a commitment in your time and trying something out. That's where it starts. And the more people that do that, of course, and the more people see people doing that, the more it starts to grow. “

Richard Cornish, Chief Operating Officer, Government Legal Department

Taken together, these tips point to a consistent reality - ESG progress is built through everyday decisions: the questions you ask, the norms you challenge, and the behaviours you choose to reward. The organisations that sustain momentum are the ones that make ESG practical: clear actions, shared ownership, and governance that keeps it on the agenda when priorities compete. That’s how ESG moves from intention to action.

If you’d like to hear more from our guests, you can listen to series 1 of ESG in Action on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Season 2 will be released this summer. Subscribe to stay up to date with the latest episodes.

This publication is intended for general guidance and represents our understanding of the relevant law and practice as at May 2026. Specific advice should be sought for specific cases. For more information see our terms & conditions.