Giles Gibbons – Doing good with business and food

In this episode, I talk to Giles Gibbons, founder and chief executive of Good Business, as well as founder of the sustainable restaurant association. Giles has been at the forefront of promoting sustainable business for well over two decades, and has a wealth of experience in what really needs to happen on the ground to make a difference. In this interview, we talk about how he got to where he is and what he learned along the way. We talk about the future of sustainable business, how Giles got hands on experience running an ethical restaurant, and what we think about the role that government does or doesn’t have to play in encouraging healthier lifestyles. Plus I ask him one question I have never asked anyone else, which might give you a very direct action point you want to try out. So without further ado, let’s jump straight in. Show Notes What did the world look like to the young Giles Gibbons when he left school and looked ahead to adult life? (1:50) What Giles learned from working with major brands at Saatchi and Saatchi (5:58) How Giles met Steve Hilton and why they decided to create Good Business (7:40) How they defined what Good Business was there to achieve (10:35) What do the successful sustainable businesses do that the rest don’t? (13:45) Giles’ reflections on running an agency (16:55) Will the majority of businesses follow the net zero carbon trend? (20:35) Why Giles and Steve launched a restaurant at the same time as running Good Business (23:35) The rationale behind the Sustainable Restaurant Association (26:00) The challenges of discussion about sustainability and food (31:02) The role of government in promoting healthier diets – effective choice editing or nanny state? (36:40) An important piece of advice you can use (40:07) What is Giles’ personal purpose? (41:06) What’s one practical change Giles would like to bring about before hanging up his gloves (42:10) Advice Giles would give to his younger self (42:35) An impressive change maker Giles has been inspired by (43:08) A habit Giles would like to change (43:36) A book that influenced Giles’ thinking (44:43) Advice Giles would give to young would-be change makers starting out () Links Good Business website http://www.good.business Good Business on twitter https://twitter.com/gbminds Giles on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/giles-gibbons-b576134/ Sustainable Restaurant Association https://thesra.org Paraorchestra http://paraorchestra.com Shift https://shiftdesign.org Books What I talk about when I talk about running - Haruki Murakami https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Talk-About-When-Running/dp/0099526158/