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Chairs ready for Andrea and I Birds flock over the Harbour Bridge Crushed, I thought it was called, but can’t find it on the Internet

Across to Westpac’s skyscraper this evening, to do a panel discussion with Andrea Spencer-Cooke, organised by the UN Global Compact (UNGC) and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). I kicked off with a private session with senior Westpac executives, then we went up one floor to the 23rd – where there was an impressive turn-out, a lively debate, an energetic discussion period and then a very interesting networking session.

Afterwards, a number of us – Simon (Longstaff), Rosemary (Sainty) and Victoria (Whitaker) from the St James Ethics Centre, Andrea, Elaine and I –  went out to dinner at a restaurant at the end of the pier that houses the Sydney Theatre Company. Fascinating and extremely wide-ranging discussion. As we walked back to the Intercontinental Hotel, it was fascinating to see the seagulls flocking above the Harbour Bridge, illuminated by the spotlights and, presumably, seeking insects attracted by the lights.

Linda McCartney hairstyle on a ‘black boy’ – or, in these more PC times, grasstree Berowra 1 Berowra 2 Andrea sitting in a naturally air-conditioned nook Honeycomb rock Interesting grain Ant with prey Andrea inspects interesting grain Berowra Marina Spidered mirror Erin’s headwear, my arm – shot backwards

We took a train this morning to Beecroft, where Andrea (Spencer-Cooke) now lives with her family, and then she drove us out into the countryside – where we took a walk alongside Berowra Waters and then ate a truly delicious al fresco that she had prepared on the dock at the nearby marina.

Andrea was a colleague and Muse during the time I was developing my thinking around the triple bottom line, in the early 1990s.  She is now part of One Stone Advisors, a networked consultancy whose name refers back to a conference we did as a joint venture between SustainAbility and The Environment Foundation (which I chaired then – and still do, though it’s now The Foundation for Democracy & Sustainable Development) almost fifteen years ago, introducing the triple bottom line, and called ‘Three Birds, One Stone’.

Later in the day we headed back to pick up her children, Erin and Cameron, and then went home with them for tea. Elaine saw on of their water dragons in the garden, but I missed it – though I did see some of Andrea’s photos on her Mac. Impressed that they can stay underwater for 90 minutes – but was even more impressed by Erin’s impromptu headgear that accompanied us to the station when the time came to leave.

Prime Minister Gillard  Brooke Corte and Peter Shergold crank up for ‘Social Business’ Ready to go

Among the media things I have done in Australia this time, I recorded earlier today an interview to air on the Qantas in-flight radio channel in December, and then went on with Jeni from the Centre for Social Impact to record a Sky TV panel discussion for their Social Business programme, hosted by Brooke Corte and Peter Shergold. View the discussion here.

Waiting to land on our tables Half the view from the Museum of Contemporary Art roof Anne Measday, Elaine, Esther Lefas (Anne and Esther both from CSI) Landed Ready for Peter Shergold and I

Wonderful evening at the Museum of Contemporary Art, overlooking the Harbour, where I gave the third annual Qantas Foundation Lecture, entitled ‘Helping the Future Take Flight’. Had had a slight hiccup when I tried to use Apple Keynote ahead of a recent National Grid presentation, but have now worked out how to ride the beast.

Shirley Davies, CEO of the Foundation, kicked off. Then after my lecture, and another phase of the meal, Peter Shergold (who heads the Centre for Social Impact) and I took to the stage for half an hour’s discussion, then opening out to the audience. Strong sense of ‘The Spirit of Australia’ – and of an underlying company with a very strong set of values. I had used the latest set – ‘Care’, ‘Contemporary Australian’, ‘Forward Thinking’ and ‘Wisdom’ – as the structure of my talk. We plan to repeat the process in Melbourne next week.

UNSW CBD Campus (detail) View from seminar room window Quiet moment during workshop

Met Esther Lefas of the Centre for Social Impact (CSI) at the CBD Campus of the University of New South Wales (UNSW), just around the corner from our hotel, The Shangri-La. Theme of my initial presentation: ‘On a Wing and a Prayer’. Enjoyed running the workshop, which started at 09.00 and ended at midday, and it was a useful dry run for the Qantas Foundation event I’m doing tomorrow. We’ll be repeating the workshop (which attracted high scores) in Melbourne next week, if all goes well.