Future Leader Award: Anastasia Le, The Marble Group

Anastasia Le, Sustainability Lead at the Marble Group, has emerged as a driving force in corporate sustainability, blending her background in construction operations with innovative approaches to environmental management.

After receiving the Future Leader Award, she reflected: “It feels very humbling and I’m very grateful. I’m hoping to inspire my colleagues and our clients to be passionate about sustainability and take action in their everyday lives.” 

When asked for a piece of advice she’d give to aspiring sustainability professionals, she said: “Think about the reason why you’re doing this and what drives you in your everyday life – that’s what matters most.”

At the heart of Anastasia's strategy at The Marble Group is a revamped ISO 14001 and 20121 Objectives Register, which she transformed into a dynamic project management tool. This adaptation, drawing on her experience with platforms like Microsoft Project, has streamlined the monitoring of sustainability actions across the agency.

Anastasia's influence extends throughout Marble, where she leads a nine-person 'green team' comprising staff from various departments. Her initiatives include monthly sustainability training sessions, a fortnightly internal newsletter, and sustainability inductions for new employees. These efforts have culminated in the team meeting 85% of its 80 SMART sustainability targets in 2023.

Concrete results are evident in Marble's operations. The company achieved a 27% reduction in office energy consumption within six months of implementing a new sustainability policy. Anastasia has also spearheaded the integration of carbon footprinting into event planning, leading to tangible emissions reductions. At a recent 100-guest event, for instance, the team cut emissions by 0.84 tonnes of CO2e simply by avoiding beef and lamb in catering.

Anastasia's commitment to sustainability extends beyond the office walls. She has curated a database of over 100 sustainable suppliers, enhancing Marble's capacity to deliver environmentally conscious events. Her advocacy work includes involvement with Business Declares and the Net Zero Carbon Events pledge.

Colleagues praise Anastasia's systematic approach and her ability to inspire change without judgement. Her efforts have positioned Marble at the forefront of sustainable event management, balancing commercial imperatives with environmental responsibility. As the events industry grapples with its environmental impact, Le's work offers a blueprint for meaningful, measurable progress.

Steven Downes, Editor-in-Chief, Sustainability Magazine, said: “The coming generation of sustainability leaders are the ones who will supercharge the journey to net zero. Anastasia is already doing it and fully deserves this award.”

The awards

Launched in 2024, The Global Sustainability & ESG Awards 2024 debuted at Sustainability LIVE London on 10, September. 

The comprehensive programme acknowledges companies, professionals and projects that have demonstrated exceptional performance, innovation and strategic thinking in a multitude of categories

The awards celebrate the best companies, professionals and projects in sustainability and ESG, and offer free entry for charities and NGOs.

“It was an honour to spotlight such a wide range of incredible companies at the inaugural Global Sustainability and ESG awards,” said Glen White, CEO of BizClik and Sustainability Magazine.
“At a time where it is crucial that companies are getting their sustainability strategy right, it is more important than ever to uplift and celebrate the frontrunners, the innovators and the pioneers who are developing innovative initiatives, projects and strategies that will have a positive impact on the planet for years to come. 

“To host the awards during Sustainability LIVE London, where we’ve brought together thousands of the world’s brightest minds in sustainability, is an incredible moment for the sector to celebrate, we encourage many more companies to enter our Awards for 2025. 
“Thanks to every company that entered - I say ‘just keep going on your journey’ and a big Congratulations to every company who was shortlisted, highly commended and of course to our 15 winners – we appreciate your input more than you know.”

The Future Leader Award

Designed to applaud young executives demonstrating potential to be the sustainability leaders of the future, The Future Leader Award 2024 is celebrates the leaders of tomorrow:

The shortlisted candidates:

• Rishi Jain, Director of Impact - Liverpool Football Club
• Ellis Spiezia, Electric Racing Driver – Ellysium Racing
• Juliana Mitie Pereira, Sustainability Analyst - Scala Data Centers
• Dr. Cee Azerraf, VP Sales & Marketing - Melodea ltd.

These individuals have all demonstrated an innovative sustainability approach, committed to sustainability in their own organisation or community and have had a measurable impact on sustainability.

Highly Commended: Rishi Jain & Ellis Spiezia

Rishi Jain, Director of Impact at Liverpool Football Club and Ellis Spiezia, Electric Racing Driver at Ellysium Racing are both making strides in the world of sustainable sport.

Rishi Jain, Director of Impact at Liverpool Football Club (LFC), has spearheaded 'The Red Way' (TRW), a comprehensive sustainability strategy that has transformed the club's operations. Under Rishi's leadership, LFC has achieved remarkable milestones, including running 94% of club operations on clean energy and reducing overall waste by 30% since 2019. The club's commitment to sustainability extends beyond environmental concerns, encompassing social impact and governance. TRW has contributed over US$236m in social value, supporting more than 120,000 people during the 2022/23 season.

Meanwhile, in the realm of motorsport, Ellis Spiezia at Elysium Racing is taking an innovative approach to sustainability education. His strategy, dubbed "putting the broccoli in the cookies", leverages the excitement of electric motorsport to engage audiences, particularly younger generations, in sustainability issues. The team collaborates with blockchain-based carbon compensation company Carify to measure and offset its carbon footprint. Beyond racing, Elysium Racing is actively involved in STEM programmes, providing hands-on experience with electric vehicle mobility to children.

Both leaders emphasise the importance of embedding sustainability throughout their organisations. At LFC, Jain has implemented mandatory sustainability training for all staff, linking it to performance reviews and career progression. Similarly, Elysium Racing's approach integrates sustainability into the core of their operations, from their choice of electric vehicles to their educational initiatives.

These efforts have not gone unnoticed. LFC has been named the Most Sustainable Club in Europe's Top 5 leagues by Brand Finance, while Elysium Racing's leader engages with organisations like High Impact Athletes and Green Sports Alliance to amplify their message. Through their work, both are demonstrating that sports can be a powerful vehicle for driving sustainability awareness and action.

The Global Sustainability & ESG Awards 2024

Thanks to our esteemed panel of industry leaders who judged the awards:

• Adam Elman, Google EMEA
• Angela Hultberg, Kearney
• Steve Smith, Schneider Electric
• Sophie Graham, IFS 
• Courtney Holm, The Holm Edit 
• Professor Paolo Taticchi. OMRI, UCL School of Management
• Márcia Balisciano, RELX
• Jane Goodland, LSEG
• Rahul Sareen, AWS
• Kevin Dunckley, HH Global
• Alice Spencer, CISL

The full list of awards categories and winners for 2024 is:

• Sustainability Strategy Award – Geopost
• ESG Programme Award – Liverpool FC
• Sustainable Finance Award – Scala Data Centers
• Diversity Award – Mitie
• Net Zero Award – Klarna
• Sustainable Supply Chain Award – UKL
• Sustainable Technology Award – DuPont Water Solutions
• Sustainable Consultancy Award – Forest Carbon
• Future Leader Award – Anastasia Le
• Executive of the Year Award – Preeti Srivastav
• Project of the Year Award – Amazon: The Amazon Global Refugee Challenge
• Lifetime of Achievement Award – Noel Anderson, Chief Sustainability Officer at American Red Cross
• AI in Sustainability Award – Ndustrial
• Social Enterprise Award – UKL
• Start-Up Award – EasyCep

Essential diary dates for 2024 and 2025…

Sustainability LIVE continues to expand its events with more to come in 2024 and 2025, discover our essential diary dates below.

2024 diary dates:

• Sustainability LIVE London | 10-11 September 2024
• Sustainability & ESG Awards | 10 September 2024
• Sustainability LIVE: Climate Week NYC | 24 September 2024
• Sustainability LIVE Malta | 17 October 2024
• Sustainability LIVE: Diversity & Inclusion | 12 November 2024
• NEW | The CSO Network
• NEW | ClimateTech Digital
• NEW | Scope3 Magazine

2025 diary dates: 

• Sustainability LIVE: Net Zero | 5-6 March 2025
• Sustainability LIVE Singapore | 18 March 2025
• Sustainability LIVE Dubai | 22 April 2025
• Sustainability LIVE Chicago | 4-5 June 2025
• Sustainability LIVE London | 9-10 September 2025
• Sustainability & ESG Awards | 10 September 2025
• Sustainability LIVE: DE&I | 11 November 2025

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