Naomi Vowels
Director - givvable
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Naomi's introduction

I am Naomi, currently co-founder & director of givvable. I started my career as an Australian diplomat with postings in East Timor, Thailand and Switzerland then moved into private banking where my interest in ESG and sustainability was seeded.

Today my company helps businesses screen and track the sustainability profile of their suppliers to help them achieve their goals and targets.

What brought you to sustainability?

Professionally my interest in sustainability came through finance and ESG finance. I worked for a bank that was and continues to be a trailblazer in this space, which then got me interested in operational sustainability and how companies can integrate sustainability within their  processes/operations - not as something on the side or an after-thought.

Since then we decided to tackle the challenges around supply chain sustainability and how businesses can make better informed decisions about the suppliers and partners they choose to work with.

Which challenges did you meet and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenge we have is finding the right suppliers to work with, that fit our criteria (exactly the problem we are trying to solve through our own business!).

What is important for you in sustainability?

I think education on sustainability is incredibly important - words and catchphrases are shared freely but are open to misinterpretation and poor understanding. The space is evolving rapidly so even practitioners in this space need to keep learning and training themselves. This is why I am attracted to The Matcha Initiative because it provides this much needed education bridge to empower people to take action.

What are you most proud of?

The fact that I have established a company with purpose, that I am proud to tell my children about.

What would be your top 3 pieces of advice to the Matcha Initiative users?
  1. Get started - you don't need to do everything at once, but start somewhere and go from there
  2. Leverage resources available  - there are lots out there
  3. Get involved in the sustainability community, it's a great way to learn (and make friends)!
In which field could you help The Matcha Initiative users as a buddy?
  • Kick Start Help
  • Best Practices sharing
  • Experience Sharing
  • Expertise Sharing
Please describe how you could help The Matcha Initiative users as a buddy?

We work closely with corporates (e.g. Singtel), government (e.g. QLD government, MAS) and industry bodies on the topics of supplier sustainability and sustainable finance. I would be happy to share my experiences, and what I learn from the market. Also very happy to share our mistakes so that others can avoid them!

Naomi's 3 main sustainability skills

Certifications / Finance / Reporting

Naomi kindly accepts to answer your questions.

If you need additional insights, you can send her a message.