Sustainability Leadership Team Development
You’ve invested in sustainability
but have you invested in your people?
“It’s about people, processes, systems, and culture – knowing how to nudge and when to nurture them all into alignment.”
Building sustainability leadership capability, focusing on embedding ESG and Net Zero strategy ownership and delivery across all organisational levels.
-> or see how it works
Sustainability Leadership Team Development
You’ve invested in sustainability
but have you invested in your people?
“It’s about people, processes, systems, and culture – knowing how to nudge and when to nurture them all into alignment.”
Building sustainability leadership capability, focusing on embedding ESG and Net Zero strategy ownership and delivery across all organisational levels.
-> or see how it works
The reality
The problem isn’t commitment.
But delivering a strategy is a whole different skillset to leading business transformation.
Most organisations reach a point where:
- Sustainability is recognised as important
- Investment has been made
- People are generally on board
And yet:
- Teams are missing the leadership and EQ skills to bring others with them
- Departments are pulling in different directions instead of moving as one
- Individuals know what needs to change, but lack the confidence to lead it
- Progress is stop-start, when it should be accelerating
THE MISSION
To build internal capacity and capability so that sustainability embeds into how your organisation works as part of:
- Leadership decisions
- Team priorities
- Day-to-day operations
If your challenge is embedding sustainability across across culture and operations, explore my Strategy implementation and change management service
What is happening
Your Sustainability Team Is Stretched
Your team is:
- technically strong
- knowledgeable
- committed
But often needs to develop:
- leadership capability to influence action
- emotional intelligence (EQ) for relationship building and enabling others
- negotiation and prioritisation skills
- techniques for co-design and collaboration
Your Champion Network Isn’t Driving Change
You’ve built a network of sustainability champions.
They care. They’ve been trained.
They’re motivated.
But they:
- lack the confidence to apply their knowledge and challenge the status quo
- have limited authority and autonomy to make changes to BAU
- struggle to influence decisions without convoluted permission routes
Leadership Priorities Are Not Fully Aligned
At senior level, sustainability:
- competes with – and loses to – louder priorities
- lacks clarity on meaning and what it’s trying to achieve
- is not embedded into business values and operational design
This creates:
- friction builds between business and sustainability goals
- slow decision-making, regular pushback, wasted resources
- low ownership and accountability across governance structures
What you actually
need
Confident and capable teams equipped for transformation
Sustainability embedded into business values and priorities
A more joined-up way of working
About me
I’m Briony Pete — leadership coach, strategist, and engagement specialist with 15+ years in sustainable development, focused on people, culture, and behaviour change. I founded The Circular Life on one resounding belief: strategies don’t create change. People do.
My coaching style combines:
- Executive coaching – a dual focus on the person and their strategy or responsibilities
- Culture and systems change – a toolbox of processes and techniques that shift how people work together
- Adult development and behaviour change – building the conditions for lasting growth
I blend sustainability integration with leadership development, so you don’t just know what to build — you know how to lead it.
Accredited Coach
5+ years coaching
Adult Development
The Guide
5+ years coaching
I’m Briony Pete — leadership coach, strategist, and engagement specialist with 15+ years in sustainable development, focused on people, culture, and behaviour change. I founded The Circular Life on one resounding belief: strategies don’t create change. People do.
My coaching style combines:
- Executive coaching – a dual focus on the person and their strategy or responsibilities
- Culture and systems change – a toolbox of processes and techniques that shift how people work together
- Adult development and behaviour change – building the conditions for lasting growth
I blend sustainability integration with leadership development, so you don’t just know what to build — you know how to lead it..
How it works
Team development works by strengthening the people behind the strategy
Their leadership, their capabilities and their capacity to drive change together.
It is designed to move your team from:
informed -> to influential
trained -> to confident and capable
activity -> to real, measurable change
Group coaching & team development
strengthening leadership capability and the dynamics that make change stick
Champion network training programmes
giving your champions the confidence, skills, and tools to actually lead change
Team facilitation
live problem-solving: working through real challenges in real time, to reach solutions that stick
Values alignment workshops & away days
getting leadership and sustainability pulling in the same direction
A flexible approach
Shaped around your team’s current stage, gaps, and goals, this can be designed as a standalone ‘plug-in’ to meet a pressing priority, or run as a series of workshops and development sessions over 3- 6 months.
* This is not a training program – it’s a structured development process that builds the culture, capability, and confidence teams who need to lead sustainability from the inside out.
“Leadership is a learnable skill. When practised across a team, the impact multiplies.”
The pillar of impact
Values Alignment
Align leadership around sustainability priorities, business strategy & decision-making
Disconnected
Alignment
Strategic Clarity
Sustainability Team Development
Capability building to strengthen leadership and build influence
Uncertainty
Influence
Capability Growth
Champion Empowerment
Enable internal champions to build confidence, influence locally & drive real change
Hesitation
Ownership
Local Activation
The shift your team will experience
Before
— Sustainability teams are missing critical change management skills
— Champions lack confidence and authority
— Leadership alignment is partial
— Colleagues across the business are supportive, not active
AFTER
— Sustainability teams are leading and influencing change across the business
— Champion networks actively improve operations and processes
— Leadership is aligned and engaged and sustainability supports business strategy
— Sustainability is embedding into how the company operates
Wider organisational benefits
This work also strengthens:
— Leadership capability across teams
— Communication and collaboration
— Overall organisational effectiveness beyond sustainability
What the client says
Rebecca waters
NHS North East London
Net Zero Lead
“With her help, we have meaningfully engaged a large and varied group of stakeholders at pace and produced a thoughtful and well-developed Green Plan. And the coaching programmes have benefited multiple partners across a large, integrated health & care system.”
Working with Briony and The Circular Life is an engaging, collaborative, and supportive experience.
She has provided real value and support for our netzero work in NE London and offers excellent value for money, enabling us to motivate and inspire staff from the outset.”
“Briony works with kindness and compassion while challenging and helping us to think differently about how we work today and in the future.”
Louisa Watson
Sustainable Logistics LIVE (SLL)
MD, Shape Tomorrow
Founder,
“I had the absolute pleasure of seeing Briony in action at our recent beam ESG Summit, where she delivered a powerful and inspiring session on Leading for Change.”
She brings a unique energy and clarity to the complex challenges of sustainability and culture change
I’d highly recommend her to any business or team looking to embed sustainability into their culture and operations in a meaningful way.”
“Briony blends deep expertise with a refreshingly human, person-centred approach that cuts through the noise and inspires people to act.”
Gabriella Weeks
Sleek Events
Supplier & Sustainability Lead
“Coaching sessions provide clear guidance that helps me navigate challenges, stay focused, and bring others with me. Having a strategic partner to test ideas with has been crucial for building confidence and securing buy-in.“
The strategic work created immediate momentum – finding gaps, aligning departments, and strengthening engagement.
We’re already seeing tangible shifts, from the Growth Team integrating sustainability, better cross-department collaboration, and a rise in confidence and motivation from our Champion Team. The programme has given me the clarity, structure and support to meaningfully move the dial across the business.”
“A worthwhile investment, and I thoroughly recommend Briony to all of my network.”
Helena Mansell-Stopher
Producr of change
CEO
“After 26 years in the industry, I never thought I needed a business coach until I got one! To say Briony has helped shape the future of how I operate both personally and professionally is an understatement..
The evolution (and revolution) I have been on during this last year has totally transformed my life. It has enabled me to build the space in my life to enjoy all that life has to bring: work, family, learning, connecting and continuing to evolve my life and making me (and those around me) happy. ”
“I’ve embraced everything brought my way, and it has fundamentally changed me. I can’t thank and recommend Briony enough.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What is sustainability leadership development?
It is the process of building leadership and change management capabilities, team alignment, and organisational conditions required to deliver effective sustainability strategy.
Why does sustainability feel slow or fragmented?
Teams are missing leadership and transformation skills. Without them, sustainability or ESG strategy rarely aligns with leadership priorities, gets embedded into operations, or is owned across teams.
How is this different from training?
Training focuses on knowledge. Our work focuses on turning the knowledge you already have into sustained action through behaviour change, alignment, and real organisational change.