From Businessman To Business Activist: A Conversation With Ben Tolhurst Of Business Declares

Sustainability From Businessman To Business Activist: A Conversation With Ben Tolhurst Of Business Declares Robert G. Eccles Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Tenured Harvard Business School professor, now at Oxford University.

Following New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories. Got it! Nov 2, 2022, 12:07am EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin I was introduced to Ben Tolhurst by my good friend Charmian (Char) Love. I interviewed her last year after COP 26 to get her reflections on this event in her role as an “Activist in Residence” at B Lab UK .

Mr. Tolhurst may also be considered an activist, although a rather unexpected one given his very traditional corporate life until he joined Business Declares as a volunteer. Its purpose is “to inspire, encourage, and accelerate action within organisations to address the climate, ecological, and social emergency.

” This is now his full time commitment for which he is earning no salary. I’ve been in touch with Ben for the past year. As COP 27 approaches I asked him if he’d agree to do an interview with me and he kindly agreed.

Ben Tolhurst, Director of Business Declares Ben Tolhurst Eccles: Hi, Ben, good to see you again. Please tell our readers a bit about your background Tolhurst: I have spent 25 years working in corporate organizations in the outsourcing sector (Andersen Business Consulting, BT, Serco, Capita, and JLL). I have held senior roles in strategy, business development, organizational design & change, and IT transformation, as well as managing director roles for large contracts and business divisions.

I have worked in many sectors including government, energy and utilities, retail, telecommunications, and commercial real estate. Before quitting corporate life, I was the MD for the UK property and asset management division and UK board member for JLL (one of the world’s largest corporate real estate organizations). Eccles: Why did you quit corporate life? It really started in February 2019.

I had what I can only term as a “climate epiphany. ” The weather had been having a run of 20°C degree days in a usually very cold month and I felt the sharp contrast of people’s enthusiasm for the warmer temperatures with the reality of what our climate should be. This was also the era of Extinction Rebellion and a context of greater climate awareness generally.

Following my independent research on the science of climate change, I decided I needed to do something much more meaningful that my current “good citizen” efforts on the environment. I ran a series of “lunch and learns” for staff at JLL and some clients where I spoke about the climate science and what to do about it. But I decided that I would probably have more impact outside of a corporation than inside one.

So I quit in 2020 at the age of 50 and left the following year. MORE FOR YOU Why The Rock’s Social Media Muscle Made Him Hollywood’s Highest-Paid Actor Tipping Or Not, Lance McCullers Jr. Makes Dubious World Series History Only Out Of The Box Solutions Will Tackle Root Cause Of What Ails Schools I also took the decision to stop flying, decarbonize my savings, and shift my diet to plant-based food.

These are three things entirely within most people’s control and which have a significant impact on the climate and ecological and emergency. I also joined Business Declares as a volunteer, a not-for-profit organization helping businesses to accelerate their plans to tackle the climate crisis. Eccles: Before we get to your transition out of corporate life, it’s interesting you mention flying, decarbonizing your money, and your diet.

These are admirable choices but how much difference do they really make in the greater scheme of things? Tolhurst: One person’s actions obviously won’t make a difference but if enough people make these choices the impact can be substantial and so, if we are able to make these sorts of choices, I believe we have a personal responsibility to do so. As Jean Paul Sartre said: “Once we know and are aware, we are responsible for our action and our inaction. We can do something about it or ignore it.

Either way, we are still responsible. ” We also need to get real. From a purely biophysical perspective, the earth cannot cope with the stresses we are putting on it by our (Global North) lifestyle.

If we keep going then our lifestyles, our businesses, etc. will soon disappear anyway. Now is the time to take corrective and mitigating action and it needs to be the richest who make the biggest contributions because they have the greatest resources.

Eccles: You have my respect. I still fly, but a lot less, and the same with eating meat but you are right that we all need to take responsibility for the choices we make. I’m dubious about the effectiveness of financial exclusion but that is a big topic in and of itself so let’s get back to you.

It must have been a massive change leaving corporate life after so many years. Tolhurst: No, not really. Once I understood the climate science and where we are heading, I realized that this is the single biggest challenge for humanity, and I wanted to focus my efforts on addressing it.

The salary, titles, etc. which I had enjoyed count for nothing in the context of this. It did ,of course, help that I have been privileged to have worked in senior and well-paid roles for a number of years, so was financially able to make the switch.

I explained to people that I don’t consider what I did as “giving up” something. I genuinely don’t miss the trappings and wealth of corporate life. I feel freer, happier, more authentic, and more energized than ever—probably because I am pursuing a purpose which is genuinely meaningful.

I see lots of people who are financially able to take the same leap, but they don’t want to and for many their identity is tied inextricably into their job. This is something I did struggle with for a bit at first. Who am I if I am not “the head of this” or “director of that?” But that struggle was eventually overcome! Business Declares Logo Business Declares Eccles: So you left to join Business Declares.

Please tell me more about this organization. Tolhurst: Business Declares was set up in September 2019 with a number of high profile supporters including John Elkington , author and world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainability. It has evolved subsequently but has remained true to its core mission to inspire, encourage, and accelerate action within organizations to address the climate, ecological, and social emergency.

The team of 5-6 volunteers is led by founder member Fiona Ellis , alongside Sam Cooper and me , with advisory support from Kate Sandle . It’s a network/membership organization (currently 130 businesses) where members sign up to 6 commitments . We conduct an annual check-in to assess members’ progress against these commitments.

The service we provide is ultimately two things. We facilitate the sharing of tools, good practice, and actions which members can take to accelerate their plans for tackling the climate emergency—such as how to measure carbon footprint or address Scope 3 emissions. We also seek to agitate, for example through debating topics like off-setting and greenwashing, the concept of degrowth, and the role of business in activism.

We fulfil these two services through facilitating connections between members, running formal sessions on knowledge sharing and good practice, and convening public webinars on the more challenging topics. Eccles: Sounds worthwhile but there are so many “climate network” organizations I wonder just how does Business Declares distinguish itself from the rest of them? Tolhurst: There are three things I would like to say in response to this. First, it’s important to highlight that we are free to join (relying totally on donations) as we don’t believe there should be a financial hurdle for businesses trying to address this crisis.

Eccles: Sorry to interrupt but I must admit I’m dubious about this “free” part. In my experience, if something is free the person or organization doesn’t have skin in the game and is free to ignore it. Let’s be honest.

Don’t you run into that with at least some members? Tolhurst: I would ordinarily agree with you, but not in this case. Firstly, members need to put skin in the game by signing up to six commitments publicly; if they are not prepared to this then they can’t join. We lose a reasonable number of organizations at this stage.

Secondly, members are required to work on demonstrating the fulfilment of these commitments and, again, if this can’t be done, they leave the network. Through our annual check in process this year, we lost about seven percent of our members. Finally, in our experience there is no shortage of organizations sharing knowledge, seeking support and offering good practice.

So, there is plenty skin of in the game. This definitely isn’t a “tick the box and forget about it” culture. Eccles: Thanks.

That’s helpful and makes sense to me. Now please go on after my rude interruption! Tolhurst: No problem. Continuing, the second thing which differentiates us from other networks is that we don’t compete.

We actively collaborate with and aim to be additive to, and amplify the voices of, other networks so that together we can create a “coalition of the willing” to take meaningful action to tackle this crisis. We want to galvanize the voice from the business community, pushing boundaries advocating for regulatory change and greater political will for urgent action and real change. Finally, our success factors are not based on volume of members, but on forming a network of authentic (rather than box-ticking) organizations.

Our ethos is very much one of warmth, understanding, and non-judgmental mindsets and we report to members on a regular basis about their progress on their commitments. Eccles: Can you just give me a couple of examples of these commitments? Tolhurst: Happy to. Members must commit to publicly displaying—through their website and social media—that they declare a climate, ecological, and social emergency.

They must also commit to a climate impact plan within six months of joining, which we subsequently review during our check in calls. It’s important to add that much of what we do is informed by our members. I wasn’t sure we would still be around after three years, but our members keep telling us that Business Declares is a place they can come to for open conversations about the barriers and solutions, where cross sector collaboration is possible.

It is a community that draws strength from each other’s actions. Eccles: The benefit of joining Business Declares is clear but so is the nature of the commitment. A cynic could say you only attract fellow travelers, probably mostly small and young and private companies with young CEOs.

I’m not saying that’s bad. I’m just saying you need the large and established organizations to support what you’re doing. To be blunt, do you have any names I’d recognize? Tolhurst: Our members span many sectors—food, finance, fashion, energy, and professional services.

We have a mix of big and small businesses. You will recognize the names The Body Shop, Pukka, and Triodos Bank, as three examples. Eccles: Helpful and thanks.

I also understand that the Financial Times has become your latest member. Very impressive and congratulations! Please tell me more about this. Tolhurst: Yes.

We are very excited to welcome the Financial Times into our network and see this as a great endorsement of the work we are doing. As well as becoming a member, we are also working with the Financial Times on a campaign to encourage business leaders to speak out and take much bolder action to tackle the climate, ecological, and social emergency. There will be a couple of full pages coming out during COP 27.

Will you be on the right side of history? Business Declares Eccles: Why have you chosen to focus on that campaign as opposed to others? Tolhurst: We have led with a number of campaigns in the past. At our three-year anniversary in September 2022, we took stock of what has changed. To be honest, we were shocked.

We were shocked by the speed and acceleration of the tipping points to climate breakdown —extreme heat, wildfires, droughts, floods, and famine around the world. The depletion of nature and our ecosystems and biodiversity is truly alarming as well. We are heading towards climate collapse, with even less time to mitigate than we had expected.

We are even more shocked by the lack of emergency response from most governments and businesses. Eccles: This is concerning but you have to admit governments and businesses have had a lot to cope with as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This is driving up energy prices and the cost of living.

This winter some people may have to choose between heat and food. It’s hard to worry about climate change when you’re cold and hungry. Tolhurst: Yes, we fully acknowledge this.

But there is a huge interlink between energy, food, cost of living, and the climate crisis. Whilst I accept that we have to face the challenge which is very immediately in front of us, we can’t let a root cause of this be deprioritized. Governments, businesses, and citizens (who are able) need to be acting on all fronts.

We are very concerned about the knee,jerk reaction to expand fossil fuel exploration, leading us even closer to the precipice of climate collapse. Therefore, central to our campaign we are asking, “What will it take for leaders to wake up to the deep societal changes which are needed?” If not now, when? Business Declares Eccles: Please tell me! Tolhurst: Let me start by saying that infinite growth on a finite planet can’t continue. We need a new model of production and consumption that enables a well-being economy within planetary boundaries.

Consumption (specifically in the Global North) needs to be reduced, some industries need to be transitioned away from destructive practices, and we need a much greater circular economy. This will require new strategies and business models to ensure that supply chains respond to the global climate reality and drive climate justice. Every company will have to undergo a major business transformation.

For these changes to happen at the necessary speed and scale we need stronger political leadership. We need a policy and regulatory architecture that supports—even forces—the necessary transformation in the business community. Eccles: This is a lot to ask but fair enough.

But on a more day-to-day level what is your advice to business people who have read this interview? Tolhurst: I’m simply asking them for three things, things that anyone can do regardless of their role and place in the organizational hierarchy. 1. Recognize the role of business as a force for good.

Every person needs to communicate, raise awareness, and educate their stakeholders about the climate crisis as the context for the decisions they make. 2. Take meaningful action.

This covers rapid decarbonization, as well as focusing on what can be done to address the biodiversity crisis. 3. Speak up and speak out! Don’t be cautious.

Keep speaking out about the urgency of the climate crisis to your colleagues, friends, and business networks. We must galvanize the voice of business to get political action. Business Declares Ad in the Financial Times Business Declares Eccles: Ben, you’ve been very generous with your time.

I admire your passion and commitment and wish you the best of luck with your COP 27 campaign. And I look forward to seeing those ads in the FT! Tolhurst: Thanks, Bob. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn .

Check out my website . Robert G. Eccles Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.