Is ESG really about sustainability, or is it quietly becoming a hard economic filter for who gets to trade, raise capital, and survive?

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr Nisha Kohli, Founder and CEO of CorpStage, to unpack why ESG has shifted from glossy reporting to something far more consequential for supply chain resilience, risk, and competitiveness. Nisha has spent over two decades working across corporate governance, sustainability, and finance, and she’s seen first-hand where most organisations are still getting this badly wrong.

We talk about why ESG reporting remains broken for so many companies, and why ratings and rankings often mislead investors rather than inform them. You’ll hear how credible, auditable data is becoming a prerequisite for access to markets, tenders, and green finance, especially as tariffs, carbon taxes, and mechanisms like CBAM start reshaping global trade.

We also break down why ESG isn’t just a cost centre. Nisha shares real examples where relatively simple greening measures delivered 50–60% IRR with short payback periods, reduced operational risk, and opened doors to new markets. You might be surprised by how often the biggest barrier isn’t technology or regulation, but confusion, fragmented data, and treating ESG as a PDF rather than infrastructure.

We explore the growing role of data, AI, and system integration in making sustainability usable at scale, why carbon pricing is about to become a core input into supply chain decision-making, and the mindset shift leaders need to make as sustainability moves from “business as usual” to business critical.

🎙️ Listen now to hear how Dr Nisha Kohli and CorpStage are reframing ESG as a lever for resilient, competitive, and future-ready supply chains.

Support the show

Podcast supporters
I'd like to sincerely thank this podcast's generous Subscribers:

Alicia Farag
Kieran Ognev

And remember you too can become a Resilient Supply Chain+ subscriber - it is really easy and hugely important as it will enable me to continue to create more excellent episodes like this one and give you access to bonus episodes of topical, timely supply chain resilience analysis.

Podcast Sponsorship Opportunities:
If you/your organisation is interested in sponsoring this podcast - I have several options available. Let's talk!

Finally
If you have any comments/suggestions or questions for the podcast - feel free to just send me a direct message on LinkedIn, or send me a text message using this link.

If you liked this show, please don't forget to rate and/or review it. It makes a big difference to help new people discover it.

Thanks for listening.