At OgilvyEarth, we aim for our communications counsel to be based on sound knowledge of the practical, technical and operational aspects of “the science of sustainability”.

We certainly don’t pretend to a have monopoly on that knowledge! It sounds like a cliché, but it’s actually true: sustainability is a journey. And, it’s one best travelled with people of diverse values, skills and experiences.

We’re pleased to be advised by an independent group of external experts, including individuals with significant policy, non-governmental organisation (NGO), and technical backgrounds.

In the words of the CEO of Ogilvy PR Worldwide in Australia, Earth-Group is about “getting our conscience, counsel, and connectedness right” in the sustainability space.

We want Earth-Group to play a significant role in both our internal and external performance. Earth-Group is part of meeting the challenge of helping people hold the “sustainability conversation” in a credible and worthwhile way.

Earth-Group’s initial terms of reference are:

• To independently review and provide input on Ogilvy PR’s sustainability performance, including Sustainability Policy and Earth-Plan and its targets;
• To independently review our upcoming Earth-Report, eg, public sustainability report;
• To independently provide feedback on OgilvyEarth’s draft business plan and our on-going provision of services;
• To independently review and provide input on Earth-Pledge – guidelines designed to drive integrity in our work, and;
• To identify new opportunities and provide networking for OgilvyEarth.

• Ian Higgins, a former senior executive at the NSW Department of Energy, Utilities and Sustainability (DEUS) and former leader of environmental NGOs such as Greenpeace and WWF. Ian  has spent most of the past 20 years, both in Australia and internationally, working on environmental sustainability issues including global warming. Ian is passionate about the strong role communications, information and behaviour change has in our transition to a low-carbon economy. As a former journalist, Ministerial Advisor and one-time General Manager, Corporate Relations with the ABC, Ian brings solid communications experience to the team alongside his expertise in the environmental sustainability arena. 
• Michael Molitor, the founder of CarbonShift Ltd, an Australian company that helps companies develop, implement and communicate strategies to respond to the challenge of a climate system modified by human activity. He was responsible for launching Climate Wedge Ltd and the Cheyne Climate Wedge Fund, the world’s first voluntary carbon fund. Prior to his entrepreneurial activities he served as Senior Advisor on Climate Change at McKinsey & Company and between 2000-2003 was the global leader of Climate Change Services at PricewaterhouseCoopers based in London. In these roles his primary activities were in assessing the risk and opportunities presented by climate change to corporate performance, with particular emphasis on the cost of carbon emissions abatement.