Rod Leaver named chairman of National Business Leaders Forum

The CEO of Lend Lease Australia, Rod Leaver, has been named as the new chairman of the National Business Leaders Forum on Sustainable Development (NBLF), a peak business advocacy group which represents Australian business in the environment and social sustainability spheres.

Leaver, who succeeds Martyn Myer, AO, as chairman, will serve a three-year term at the helm of the NBLF with the goal of pushing the message that sustainability leads to innovation and the need for government to create a climate of certainty for business.

“This is a critical time for business and it’s important to show strong commitment in this area - we’ve long embraced sustainability in our work practices at Lend Lease and I believe it’s vital for Australia’s business success to help progress this agenda,” he said.

“There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that sustainability is the key driver for business innovation as we look to operate profitably in a carbon constrained world,” Leaver said.

Convenor of the NBLF, Molly Harriss Olson, said: “Rod has supported the work of the NBLF for a number of years and has demonstrated how sustainability is core to Australian and international business practice so I’m looking forward to working with him to help reach some of the ‘outliers’ in our local business and political community,” she said.

“The uncertainty for business that’s been created around the election result is mirrored by the uncertainty about a firm plan for action on climate change. A significant sector of the Australian business community was ready to embrace the mechanism for a price on carbon and they are now operating in limbo until a new clear plan emerges,” Olson said.

Formed a decade ago by Olson, who ran Bill Clinton’s White House Office on Sustainable Development, the NBLF acts as a peak business group to progress the sustainability agenda at the federal and state level. It holds an annual forum attracting business leaders and speakers from around the region and the world. Former chairmen have included Martyn Myer, AO, John Hewson and company director Peter Fritz.