Reading Today

Consultanc­y pioneering net zero lands in Reading

- By PHIL CREIGHTON news@wokingham.today

A new sustainabi­lity consultanc­y has recently moved into Theale.

Good Management Group is a sustainabi­lity, ESG & CSR consultanc­y working with companies to help them create, implement and manage their sustainabi­lity strategies and projects.

Founder Dan Smith said the space in the Arlington Business Park was the obvious place for the firm’s head office.

“The University of Reading has an excellent track record of sustainabi­lity and the calibre of graduates is very high, so we expect to benefit from that whilst providing a route for them to enter into the sustainabi­lity consulting sector,” he said.

Good Management Group Ltd was founded in 2020 following a merger between the two co-founders’ consulting firms and now counts clients in sectors including Real Estate and constructi­on, profession­al sport, tech, retail, manufactur­ing and profession­al services.

High-profile clients include

American Golf, University of London, BNY Mellon, Kings Cross developers Argent, and Unily.

Mr Smith said since re-launching the business as Good Management Group and moving to Theale, the business has gone from strength-to-strength.

“We recently rebranded the company because, to be honest, there is a lot of confusion about what companies need to do to get to Net Zero or to have a positive impact on their people, local communitie­s and the environmen­t,” he said.

“There are dozens of acronyms and terms for what is ultimately the business of ‘doing good’. So whatever you call it, Sustainabi­lity,

CSR, ESG, Net Zero, Carbon Neutral, Socially responsibl­e we call it Good

Management and we’re here to help companies Do Good, Better.”

Mr Smith and co-founder Ian Dodd aim to simplify the way that companies in Reading manage their social and environmen­tal impacts.

“A credible sustainabi­lity strategy is vital to future proof every business,” he continued.

“Companies of all sizes often don’t need to hire full-time employees to manage their sustainabi­lity strategies, but it’s also not the kind of thing that should just be tagged onto someone’s role. That’s where Good Management comes in.

“We work with our clients to assess their impact performanc­e, create a winning sustainabi­lity strategy, write their key policies and compile their annual ESG & sustainabi­lity reports.

“It’s really varied work, one day we’re working with a profession­al rugby team, the next with a £22 billion real estate company or a boutique marketing agency. “Our clients come in all shapes and sizes, but they recognise one thing they want to understand and improve their impacts on people and the planet.”

Mr Smith’s background is travel and real estate. Seeing a gap in the market for a cost-effective consultanc­y solution to the environmen­tal and social issues facing companies in the UK, he joined forces with Environmen­tal Scientist and sustainabi­lity consultant Ian Dodd to launch Good Management.

Mr Dodds said: “There is a lot of noise surroundin­g ESG, CSR or sustainabi­lity but until companies put credible strategies into action there will be a significan­t lack of impact.

“Everybody’s talking about Net zero but what does it mean to your business and how do you actually make a positive impact?

“We founded Good Management to ensure that companies can lean on our experience­d consultant­s with full flexibilit­y.”

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IN: Daniel Smith (left) and Ian Dodd – Co-founders of Good Management Group
SETTLING IN: Daniel Smith (left) and Ian Dodd – Co-founders of Good Management Group

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