Publicis Groupe sustainability consultancy Salterbaxter launches in Australia

(Pictured L-R: Rebecca Zemunik, Stuart Wragg, Michael Rebelo, Skye Lambley, Karen Dunnicliff)

Publicis Groupe has today announced it is bringing its award-winning, globally recognised sustainability consultancy, Salterbaxter to Australia.

Salterbaxter Australia, which officially launches today, offers solutions to help organisations in Australia turn their sustainability promises into progress.

Salterbaxter has been operating globally from a UK-base for 25 years and offers end-to-end sustainability consultancy services, from materiality assessments, ambition modelling, goal-setting and strategy development, to implementation roadmaps, creative activations, communications and reporting.

Says Michael Rebelo, CEO Publicis Groupe ANZ: “There is a real sense of urgency to act on sustainability in Australia because we’re playing catch up. We’re living with the effect of inaction on climate change and inequality all around us. I’m excited about the opportunity to help organisations drive meaningful progress and accelerate their sustainability journey.

“Although ANZ businesses are investing heavily in sustainability strategies, if they don’t bring credibility and creativity together from the outset, they won’t create the level of engagement needed to drive action, deliver on their targets and build reputation and revenue. That’s why it’s important to have Salterbaxter in market.”

The Salterbaxter Australia in-market team will be led by Skye Lambley, who is responsible for Publicis Groupe’s ANZ Influencing offering (which includes Herd MSL). The local team including Stuart Wragg, Karen Dunnicliff and business transformation consultant, Rebecca Zemunik will work closely with the global Salterbaxter advisory team through the Centre of Excellence and Salterbaxter’s global managing director, Kathleen Enright to deliver best-in-class work.

Says Lambley: “We’ve been watching the industry fall over themselves to engage on sustainability as the issue leaps to the top of the strategic agenda. But Australia doesn’t need another sustainability communications practice. This is too important – organisations need a robust way to connect the dots, drive transformative agendas and deliver real action. Our ability to leverage deep consulting expertise from world leaders in this space, coupled with local specialists, is exactly what Australian businesses need.”

Salterbaxter Australia bring to market a new data tool, ProgressPoint, that pinpoints exactly where a business needs to focus its time and investment to accelerate progress toward a more sustainable future and unlock growth and ROI from sustainability. Unique in the market, this new tool offers understanding and measurement of sustainability Performance, Proactivity & Reputation and the interplay between them.

Salterbaxter, global managing director Kathleen Enright, discussed the barriers and drivers of progress alongside international experts Lourdes Montenegro, lead, digital sector transformation – World Benchmarking Alliance; Dr Geoff Kendall, systems thinking expert and co-leader of The Transition Agency ; Simon Lowden, chief transformation officer – Arnott’s Group and Karen Dunnicliff, client partner – Salterbaxter Australia.

Says Enright: “The problem we’re seeing globally is that on one end of the scale, far too much potential for progress is being shackled by a lack of creative thinking and on the other end you get brands making unsubstantiated claims or getting lost in a wash of generic ‘green’ claims.

“Greenwashing is the result of creativity without the necessary credibility to back it up and greywashing is the result of credibility without the necessary creativity to bring it to life. Both are holding up the Progress the world needs.”

There are plans to bring the Salterbaxter sustainability offering to other markets across APAC and the Middle East.