Business Sustainability: Building green skills for future leaders | MBA Event

In a world where sustainability is not just a trend but a necessity, it's time to level up your skills with a green twist. The MBA Careers and Professional Development Team invite the MBA community to join UQ Industry Professor Belinda Wade and a panel of professionals as they discuss how to embrace eco-conscious practices while advancing your expertise.

Discover how integrating green principles into your skill set not only benefits the planet but also opens up new opportunities for personal and professional growth. Whether you’re a student, professional or entrepreneur, learn how to thrive in a rapidly evolving landscape by embracing sustainability. With practical insights, tips, and inspiring success stories, this event equips you to excel while making a difference. Get ready to elevate your game, transform your future, and become a champion of change with green skills.

About our speaker

Professor Belinda Wade
UQ Business School

Belinda's research promotes organisational progress on climate and sustainability issues with a focus on decarbonisation and organisational climate transitions. Her recent research has highlighted decarbonising actions taken within Australian companies, best practices in climate reporting and management, and the potential for circular principles to drive sustainable business models. Major projects include collaborations with Princeton University under the Rapid Switch initiative (focus on decarbonisation) and the Future Fuels CRC (hydrogen adoption).

Through her career Belinda has worked extensively within industry, consulting and academia. These positions include within major energy providers Tarong Energy (now Stanwell) and Energex Retail, Australian leading consulting firm Aurecon and academic positions with the University of Queensland where she established and led the Business Sustainability Initiative.

Driven by corporate challenges Belinda actively publishes industry reports and editorials within popular media to extend the reach of her research in addition to traditional academic publications. Belinda has been the lead author on several industry reports including the recent examination of the climate performance of the Australian superannuation sector and the perception of future fuels by the Australian public.

Belinda will deliver a keynote speech and will then be joined by three experts for a panel discussion.

Panel

Belinda will be joined by the following industry experts:

John Kettle
Head of International and Energy at Gadens

John Kettle is the lead partner at Gadens Lawyers for their international group, energy, and infrastructure practice. A Trinity College Dublin (LL.B) and Oxford University (BCL) graduate, John brings over 30 years of experience as a corporate, competition, trade, and energy lawyer in Ireland, the UK, the EU, and Australia. He is a trusted adviser to international energy companies on renewable energy projects across Australia. He has a clientele that includes government entities, state-owned companies, private equity firms, multinationals, and financiers in energy and network markets.

In academia, John is a guest lecturer in competition law at the University of Queensland and the competition law editor of the Australian Law Journal. He frequently speaks at the International Bar Association and other conferences on competition law, energy, utilities, and international trade. Additionally, John is an academic author and member of the Clean Energy Regulator in Australia.

Scott Barker
Managing Director at Carbon Logica

Scott is an accomplished leader within the resource industry. In 2021, he co-founded Carbon Logica, focusing on methane abatement from coal mines and utilising waste methane for electricity production.  Scott recently completed an MBA at the University of Queensland and graduated from the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He is dedicated to driving operational excellence and sustainable solutions, emphasising cost-effective and impactful methane abatement strategies to reduce emissions.

Danette McLean
Principal, Circular Economy at Aurecon

Danette is a Principal with Aurecon with 25 years experience across a range of sectors including waste management, resource recovery and water/wastewater.

Danette has worked in regional and remote locations throughout her career and is passionate about improving living conditions in these locations while protecting the essence of the environment and culture of communities.

Her current role in Circular Economy brings together her years of experience across a range of sectors to enable an end to end understanding of projects, systems and products and how Circular Economy principles can be developed and applied.