Sustainable Transformation27 Touko 2025

Why Xero’s Betting Big on ESG | Xero

Carbon visibility, sustainable aviation fuel, and the rise of accountants as unlikely ESG heroes.

In this episode, Kiarne sits down with Dr. Tamara Somers, General Manager of Sustainability and Impact at Xero, for a conversation about what it takes to lead real change in big business.

Tamara is not your average ESG leader. She’s a strategist, finance nerd, and climate realist who has worked across mining, telcos, tech and government. Since joining Xero in 2021, she’s helped turn the accounting platform into a climate action enabler for thousands of small businesses. From launching free carbon accounting tools to investing in Australia’s emerging sustainable aviation fuel market, she’s rewriting the rulebook on corporate sustainability.

This episode dives deep into:

Why 70% of your carbon data is already in your accounting platform
How digital advertising might be distorting your emissions report
The work sustainability teams are doing that should sit with Finance
Why Xero is backing Aussie climate tech (and not gatekeeping it)
Whether AI is really the energy guzzler it's believed to be
Plus: what Tamara actually thinks about being judged for not being perfect while trying to change the world

Whether you're an accountant, a sustainability lead, a tech founder, or a business owner trying to make sense of it all, this episode will shift how you think about ESG in 2025. It’s practical, it’s honest, and it just might spark your next big move.

LINKS:

Learn more about SustainabilityTracker.com

Learn more about The Sustainable Transformation Podcast

Follow The Sustainable Choice Group on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok

Follow Nova Podcasts on Instagram for videos from the podcast and behind-the-scenes content – @novapodcastsofficial

CREDITS:

Host: Kiarne Treacy

Guest: Dr. Tamara Somers, Xero

Find more great podcasts like this at novapodcasts.com.au

Nova Entertainment acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which we produced this podcast, the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(59)

Fast fashion is a catastrophe, and you're part of it

“fast fashion is a topic that absolutely eats away at me. So I've got lots I want to get off my chest and lots I want to learn.” Kiarne Treacy's had enough of fast fashion, and today she’s starting wi...

18 Elo 44min

Want to know what’s inside Dilmah’s family rule: success vs significance?

"The most selfless person I have ever met in business." That's how Kiarne describes Dilhan C. Fernando, Chairman and CEO of Dilmah Tea, after sitting down with him for this episode. Dilhan runs one of...

12 Elo 51min

The Wild West of sustainability is over | Cool Planet’s Daniel Harper

Sustainability has shifted from a “nice to have” to a core business risk conversation. In this episode, Daniel Harper, Director of Cool Planet, unpacks what nearly 20 years of working in climate strat...

9 Maalis 46min

How sustainable is the tuna on your shelf? | Simplot Australia’s Phoebe Dowling

What’s hot right now? Traceability. Transparency. Tinned tuna (seriously). Kiarne sits down with Phoebe Dowling, Director of Global Food Sustainability at Simplot. The powerhouse behind brands like Jo...

16 Helmi 48min

Circularity only works if it pays | Big Bag Recovery’s Stephen Richards

What does it really take to make circular economy systems work at scale — beyond the theory and good intentions? In this episode of The Sustainable Transformation Podcast, Kiarne Treacy sits down with...

9 Helmi 40min

Inside the 1% Model | Kate Williams, 1% for the Planet

What does credible environmental giving look like when it’s built into the way a business operates, year after year? In this episode of the Sustainable Transformation Podcast, Kiarne Treacy is joined ...

2 Helmi 47min

The Clean Up that changed Australia | Clean Up Australia’s Pip Kiernan

What started as one person refusing to look away has become one of Australia’s most enduring community movements. Kiarne Treacy sits down with Pip Kiernan, Chair of Clean Up Australia, to reflect on t...

26 Tammi 47min

Decarbonising Australia Post: fleet, facilities and 65,000 people

What does meaningful sustainability look like when you operate in every community across Australia? In this episode of the Sustainable Transformation Podcast, Kiarne Treacy sits down with Richard Pitt...

19 Tammi 49min