How can the Australian subsidiaries of global multinationals become sustainability innovators, rather than waiting for head office to lead the way?

In this episode, we sit down with Dani Matthews, Co-Founder and Chief Impact Officer at Abundium, a leadership community for C-suite executives in foreign-owned companies operating across the ANZ and APAC region. Abundium works with over 100 of the world's leading multinationals to drive what Dani calls "good growth", leadership that balances profit with people and planet.

We talk about leapfrogging (not the pilates kind): how Australian subsidiaries can use their distance from global headquarters as freedom to pilot, test, and innovate, then share those breakthroughs back to the global business. She shares how Unilever ANZ achieved B Corp certification before its parent company and piloted a four-day work week in New Zealand, and how DHL Supply Chain is using a global carbon insetting model to reduce supply chain emissions ahead of local infrastructure.

We also explore what Dani calls the Trusted Triangle , the critical alignment between the CEO, CFO, and Chief People Officer, and why sustainability must sit at the heart of business strategy, not on the sidelines. With mandatory sustainability reporting now underway in Australia, Dani shares what she's hearing from CFOs navigating the transition and why frustration might actually be the gateway to flow.

Whether you're in a multinational, an ASX-listed company, or a sustainability role looking for practical ways to keep this work on the leadership agenda, this conversation is full of actionable insights.

RESOURCES

Guest & Organisation

Abundium — https://abundium.com
Dani Matthews on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewsdani/

Books & Authors

The Case for Good Jobs by Zeynep Ton (MIT Sloan) — https://goodjobsinstitute.org
Net Positive by Paul Polman (former Unilever CEO)

Podcasts

Change Signal by Michael Bungay Stanier
https://thechangesignal.com

Research & Reports

WEF & BCG Report: Already a Multi-Trillion-Dollar Market: CEO Guide to Growth in the Green Economy (December 2025) — https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/12/the-5t-green-economy-is-growing-here-s-how-ceos-can-turn-opportunity-into-long-term-growth/

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Dan Leverington
Loreto Gutierrez

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