Future Finance Thinkers Lab | June 2024

How Business Leaders can change the business model to be ‘Future Fit’

“A financially focused, out of date, irrelevant business model that ignores the changing desires of communities, systems and stakeholders can relegate a business to the laggard category. Simply continuing with business-as-usual, poses huge risks for decision-making and business models.”

Add your voice and be included, share your views with other finance and business professionals who want to take action and together we can explore opportunities whilst creating pathways to overcome obstacles. 

What is it?

 A global group of financial leaders who want to challenge the current system of financial leadership.

• To brainstorm ideas with other like minded professionals to explore ways in which business can do better for all stakeholders not simply shareholders.
• How do we direct our resources into actions that invest & replenish instead of extract and exploit, looking for ways in which we can help tackle the meta crises and lead in a new way of financial leadership.
• Exploring new business models and share insights into how to motivate executive teams to focus on long term eco renewal and restoration rather than short term ego demand and grab

Why do we need it?

Our system change is moving too slowly, with the global stock take we are already operating above the climate limit of 1.5 degrees. Irreversible environmental  damage is now well underway so how can we champion causes, lobby government, get regulators to listen and create a voice for our planet from the financial community

Why do we need you?

As a finance professional who is passionate about the future we need to explore together, create a consolidated voice, bring local ideas and concerns to the group so that we can learn together. The sum of the whole is far greater than the individual parts. Be a voice in the FFTL so that we can all feel a sense of contribution and potential to make a difference in our organisations, industries, capitals and countries.    

The Big Questions we need to answer

• How do we unlock capital tied up long term assets to work for us today to fund regenerative/green initiatives and actions in business faster?
• How do we protect the natural value that exists in natural assets?
• What is the Yin currency that we need for this new era?
• How can accounting capture the true cost of everything including the externalities?
• When is enough enough, what are the alternative growth and demand levers?
• How could we stop chasing financial growth to be successful?
• What does stewardship mean in business?
• How do we embed climate risk into credit risk such that lenders will be attracted to new initiatives that work to reduce climate risk?
• How could we report a true valuation of our balance sheets that includes the externalities in our value web?
• When will business be ready to truly value its impact in society, and how will it report that impact, do the ISSB go far enough on impact?
• Will we ever achieve true financial transparency, what are some blockers and how might we overcome those?