5 July 2021

For many businesses, thinking about how they impact people is a “nice thing to do on a Friday afternoon committee meeting” rather than a priority issue to discuss on a Monday morning. How do we change that? How do we get companies to understand the critical importance of accounting for the effects they have on people, particularly those who are most vulnerable?

We had a conversation with Mark Gough on the notions of human and social capital, as part of a systems approach to understanding value. We talk about how Covid-19 has evidenced the way companies depend on people; how the notion of “capitals” can help businesses use language that they know to embed care for people’s rights into their systems; and about where existing systems are simply not working and need to be reconsidered altogether.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE’S GUEST

Mark Gough is the CEO of the CAPITALS COALITION, a global collaboration of business, governments and civil society that is transforming the way that decisions are made by including the value provided by nature and people.
Previously, Mark led the Natural Capital Coalition and was on the board of the Social and Human Capital Coalition. He championed and delivered the bringing together of these two communities, creating a unified, systemic, collaborative approach. Mark has worked extensively in the private sector, leading programs and strategy for the Crown Estate and Reed Elsevier (now RELX), as well as advising many more.