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Richard Evans
CEO at Talent Nation | Market leaders in Sustainability, ESG, Environment, Sustainable Finance, Climate & Energy Recruitment and Executive Search.
Richard Evans is the Chief Executive Officer of Talent Nation, a leading executive search and recruitment agency in Australia specializing in sustainability, environment, ESG, and related fields.12 Here are some key details about Richard Evans:
Professional Background
- Richard has been with Talent Nation since its establishment in 2012, serving as Managing Director from August 2012 to December 2022 before becoming CEO in January 2023.2
- He has extensive experience in recruitment, having previously worked at companies like Talent2 and AndersElite.2
- Prior to focusing on sustainability recruitment, Richard worked in finance and human capital management, establishing Australia's largest outsourced recruitment function.1
Education and Expertise
- Richard holds an MBA in Strategy and Finance from Melbourne Business School.2
- He also has degrees in Forestry and Management Engineering from the University of Canterbury.2
- His expertise lies in executive search and recruitment within sustainability, environment, ESG, sustainable finance, and climate & energy solutions.2
Leadership and Initiatives
- Under Richard's leadership, Talent Nation became Australia's first recruitment company to achieve B Corp certification.1
- He is committed to using business as a force for good, focusing on creating positive environmental and social impact.3
- Richard is also the Chair of the Banksia Foundation, further demonstrating his involvement in sustainability initiatives.4
Personal Interests
Richard describes himself as a "Sustainability and All Blacks tragic" on his Twitter profile, indicating his passion for sustainability and likely New Zealand rugby.5
Highlights
With over a decade under our belt, there has never been a better time to align your work with your values and join the Talent Nation team. We are hiring in Sydney and Melbourne so would love to speak with you if you are passionate about #esg, #sustainability, #climatechange, #humanrights, and generating #impact by working with exceptional clients and candidates.
Anthony Macdonald facilitated Session 2 on day 2 of the AFR ESG Summit providing the investors view on the integration of ESG. Fiona Reynolds opened with what is driving companies and referenced a recent survey by UN Global Compact Network Australia ASX member companies who cited the stakeholders exerting the most influence were investors (25%), regulators (23%), customers (21%), industry groups (16%) and activists (15%). Over the last two years Customer voices and Regulator voices have lifted reflecting the increased attention in this space and increased focus on reporting and disclosures. Camille Wynter was asked how serious investors were about ESG. UBS sit in the realm between the investors and companies, and investors are critical for pushing companies on their targets. Engagement is at a turning point and they would like to see a change in responsibility with ESG engagement and stewardship being driven by investment teams as this will drive the investment process and taken more seriously by companies. Investors also need to pick who to talk to in companies - not just the Chair or ELT, but speak to the Head of Climate about their roadmap, or Head of Procurement about responsible sourcing. There needs to be forums beyond individual company engagements where companies can gather with suppliers, customers, and regulators. Investors can facilitate these conversations. Alexis Cheang is Head of Stewardship at TCorp, who manage $110B of investments, but do not fall under the restrictions in place from Your Future, Your Super. TCorp outsource investment but integrate ESG and climate into how they design portfolios and pick their investment managers. TCorp have a large real assets team and look at the most material ESG risks that will impact their long-term investments. Throughout the process they look for companies improving on climate plans, employee engagement and supply chain programs. At Blackrock they view the low carbon transition as one of 5 structural mega forces and Emily Woodland sees their role as one that will help navigate the journey over multiple decades. The investment in energy systems going to double to $4 Trillion by 2050, and investors are gravitating to these opportunities. The growth is occurring at intersection between Infrastructure and Private markets and Australia is ahead of the curve at investing in these opportunities. The battle ground is in emerging markets in Asia & using blended finance to channel more capital to emerging technologies & emerging markets. A lot of the large incumbents are in public markets, but they are key given they have the people, expertise & supply chains which are so integral in the transition. They completed a survey of their investors in 2023 and found that 56% were planning to increase their exposure to transition related investments over next 1-3 years. Blackrock launched their new platform in middle of last year & have reached $160B with a strong focus in growth markets.
