The Ocelli Creation Story: Why an ESG Concierge Service?

By late 2021, I knew that the Climate space was where I would be focusing my time and resources for the rest of my working life. I had read enough of the literature to know that ‘business-as-usual’ was no longer a viable option for governments, businesses, or humans.

Having spent 15 years as a neurodiverse arranger and connector working for both publicly listed multinationals on the NYSE, LSE and ASX as well as with early-stage startups, across tech advisory, recruitment, consulting, B Corps, and the renewables industry, I realised that an ability to build strong relationships and collaborate widely put me in a unique position to start pulling down some pretty significant silos.

My conversations up to that point with Sustainability leaders had convinced me we had our generation’s very own Chief Technology Officer. Just like CTOs of the past, Chief Sustainability Officers were being asked to transform their companies, but without a seat at the Executive table, without reasonable budgets, and without dedicated headcount.

They didn’t have the capacity to achieve their long-term Sustainability roadmap, nor did they have the required capability on their existing teams.

As sustainability continues to become even more crucial for businesses, the need for reliable and trustworthy Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) solutions has soared. However, finding the right ESG suppliers to meet these specific needs can be a complex and time-consuming process, particularly when Procurement teams have competing priorities and lack the time to explore the market for genuine sustainability-committed suppliers. .

This is where The Ocelli Group comes in.

The Mission

Our mission quickly emerged:

“To create an ecosystem of Sustainability leaders and leading ESG suppliers collaborating to transform value chains into climate-positive networks.“

The Vision

As this was the mission, how big could this become? And what market would we serve in order to have the largest impact? And where would we even start?

These conversations made it evident that the jurisdictions taking climate regulation most seriously were the European Union, the UK, the US, and Australia. With existing networks in each region, the global nature of the business became clear, and as a result, the vision:

“To empower 1000 Sustainability leaders around the world in orchestrating their organisation’s achievement of the UN SDGs, positively influencing industry-wide practices, and inspiring policy change."

The Name: The Ocelli Group

As the mission, vision, and business model started coming together, I had the fortune of attending the screening of Greenhouse by Joost, a documentary focused on “the Future Food System, a self-sufficient residence that provides shelter, food and energy while reusing any by-products.” The timing couldn’t have been better, and I sat through the film inspired by what a clear vision and collaborative partners could achieve.

Things went up a level during the Q&A with Joost, MC’d by Damon Gameau and Cedar Anderson from Flow Hive. Cedar spoke passionately about bees, their importance to ecosystems and biodiversity, and the role collaboration and cross-pollination plays at the hive level, which provide the building blocks for more than a third of the planet’s food production.

This combined immediately with the business model I had buzzing around in my head, and I new instantly that the bee world held the name of this business.

I found ‘Ocelli’ the next morning and knew it was perfect:

An evolved secondary visual system for bees, enabling navigation via orientation to the sun.

The Ocelli Group exists to be this secondary visual system for our clients, ensuring they can navigate the volatile world in which they operate by having access to the right suppliers at the right time.

The Ocelli Service:

We're an Impact-as-a-Service ESG partner for businesses committed to transitioning from business as usual to embedded, commercially-successful Sustainability roadmaps, delivering them capacity, capability and ​market leadership.

Just like a hotel concierge, you can utilise Ocelli to unlock the full potential of your sustainability initiatives and gain a competitive edge in today's increasingly conscious marketplace. Let us be your guide on your journey towards a more sustainable and responsible future.

We launched this service with the belief from the start that companies deserve a dedicated partner to guide them through the ever-evolving ESG landscape, as and when they need each supplier. We offer a comprehensive solution, addressing each of the challenges businesses face when implementing ESG initiatives, by having a vetted network of ESG Consultancies, AI & Reporting providers, and Sustainability-native Communications agencies.

The Journey Ahead:

The urgency is only going to increase for organisations to become Sustainability-first, as pressure increases from customers, employees, shareholders and regulators. There are mandatory reporting requirements coming online in the EU, the UK, the US, and Australia, 50% of consumers have switched buying patterns based on a company’s ESG policies, 70% of employees want to work for responsible businesses, and $53 trillion ESG assets are under global investment management.