Q&A: GHD Advisory’s Tim Mawhood on making supply chain sustainability more than an afterthought
Tim Mawhood, Executive Director of GHD Advisory, discusses the challenges companies face in achieving supply-chain sustainability despite increasing regulatory and public pressure. In an interview with CPO Strategy, Tim notes that a lack of stakeholder engagement and the complexity of multi-tier supply chains are key pain points. Companies often struggle to track emissions and implement consistent sustainability practices across suppliers. To overcome these hurdles, Tim suggests fostering a sustainability mindset across all levels of an organisation and creating robust strategies that incorporate risk management and measurable performance targets.
Whilst bad practices may provide short-term gains, they will result in long-term pain leading to disruptions in the supply chain, such as resource depletion, reputational damage, regulatory penalties, and increased operational risks. The negative impacts tend to accumulate, resulting in a cycle where the supply chain becomes increasingly fragile and less resilient, ultimately threatening the very profitability that short-term profit-seeking aims to secure.
“To make long-term sustainability more appealing than short-term profit-seeking, a shift in perspective and incentives is essential. Our Sustainability Monitor 2024 research has revealed that that people increasingly view commercial value through the lens of relationships — with customers, suppliers, employees, investors, and the broader community. This suggests that action on sustainability is not just a moral or environmental imperative; it is also becoming a critical differentiator in a highly competitive marketplace.”
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GHD is a leading professional services company operating in the global markets of water, energy and resources, environment, property and buildings, and transportation. Committed to a vision to make water, energy, and communities sustainable for generations to come, GHD delivers advisory, digital, engineering, architecture, environmental and construction solutions to public and private sector clients. Established in 1928 and privately owned by its people, GHD’s network of 12,000+ professionals is connected across 160 offices located on five continents.