Business Case
Ashurst LLP
From pilot workshop to a global network of certified facilitators across three continents
grew into an ongoing programme spanning the UK, Australia and APAC.
Sector
Legal services
Locations
London · Sydney
Workshop
Climate Fresk
Format
In-person & Online
About Ashurst
Ashurst is a global law firm with offices spanning Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and the Americas, advising many of the world’s leading corporations, financial institutions and governments.
The Challenge
As climate risk moves to the centre of legal and financial practice, Ashurst needed its people from Risk & Compliance teams to expert counsel to genuinely understand the climate system and the risks it creates. The challenge wasn’t awareness for its own sake: it was building a shared foundation of knowledge that could support the firm’s ESG strategy and client advisory work. And to do that at scale, across offices and time zones, they needed more than a one-off session.
How it Unfolded
The London pilot with the Risk & Compliance Team
DecarbonEaser delivered an initial Climate Fresk session with Ashurst's Risk & Compliance team in London. Attending alongside the team was Matt Wilcox, an L&D Manager, observing to assess whether the format was right for broader rollout.
Expanding the cohort with ESG, OD and expert counsel
The pilot convinced Matt. A second London session followed, bringing together a cross-functional group: ESG specialists, Organisational Development, an Instructional Designer and expert Counsel broadening the impact beyond a single team.
Building internal capacity - London facilitator training
With enthusiasm building, Ashurst commissioned a facilitator training day in London, equipping members of the team to deliver Climate Fresk independently and starting the firm's journey towards self-sufficiency.
Creating consistency taking it to Sydney, Australia
Matt saw the opportunity to bring the same experience to the Sydney office. Jim connected with his colleague Christina in the OD team there to organise the programme and, as in London, it made sense to pair the workshop with facilitator training from the outset.
A successful workshop and nine new facilitators certified and counting
What started as 3 people signed up to be trained became 6, 7, then 8, demand growing week by week as word spread through the Sydney office. By the time the workshop itself was delivered, the momentum was so strong that a ninth person put their hand up to take part in the training the very next day, having been inspired by what she witnessed.
Facilitators Certified
Regions (EU, Australia, APAC)
Sessions Delivered
Client Voice
˝The Climate Fresk session we hosted in Sydney was a fantastic way for our people to build their understanding of climate change whether they were coming to the topic for the first time or looking to deepen existing knowledge.
Jim’s facilitation was excellent, creating an environment that encouraged curiosity, discussion and reflection without oversimplifying the challenges involved. People left feeling more informed, more confident and, importantly, more motivated to think about what action looks like in their own roles.
Chelsea Mullavey | Director of Sustainability | Ashurst
Ashurst
What made this possible
