Rachel Brown, ONZM – Founder & CEO, Sustainable Business Network 

As founder and CEO of the Sustainable Business Network (SBN), Rachel has played a critical role in advancing sustainability more than 20 years. The network includes approximately 600 organisations from a range of sizes and sectors. 

Rachel has overseen the creation of systemic collaboration projects focusing on climate action, designing out waste, and regenerating nature. SBN runs the Sustainable Business Awards, New Zealand’s largest sustainability award programme. It also runs a series of successful training programmes, including a leadership course and packaging masterclasses. 

Rachel sits on government panels to inform on policy. Currently she is on the Advisory Panel for Jobs for Nature, a Board member of the Milford Foundation and the business advisory panel for All of Government Procurement. She is a member of the advisory panel for the National Waste Strategy and the Million Metres Streams Advisory Board. Rachel also provides advice and support to a number of new and emerging businesses, individuals and social enterprises. 

In 2009 Rachel was personally trained by Al Gore to present The Inconvenient Truth (part of the global climate change education programme). In 2012 she was invited by Al Gore to join an elite group of international presenters to be part of the Climate Reality Project broadcast. The broadcast reached over 3 million people across the globe. 

As a regular presenter, collaborator, investor and driver of action within NZ communities, Rachel is committed to the role business plays in supercharging and transforming NZ’s economy into one that is smarter and more sustainable.

In 2018 she was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for years of service to sustainable business.