Can you talk about you or your company’s efforts relating to renewability, sustainability or other environmentally- friendly activities?

In 2020, I advised on the first ever long-term LNG supply agreements incorporating contractual provisions for parties to measure GHG emissions for LNG cargoes from well-head to discharge port. After this, Pavilion Energy established a carbon trading and environmental products business and imported a carbon neutral LNG cargo into Singapore. Pavilion Energy Spain, being ISCC certified, is well-positioned to expand the business in biomethane certificates in Europe.

Why are in-house lawyers well-placed to drive change in their organisations?

I have been negotiating emissions trading contracts since 2007, practising in Sydney and London. At Pavilion Energy, I was able utilise my knowledge of environmental markets and climate change policy from the Kyoto Protocol days and used this experience to play an integral role in developing our company’s energy transition plans. I believe lawyers have the natural skillset to drive sustainability and ESG. This is represented in their navigation of sustainability reporting and carbon crediting standards, compliance markets, and avoidance of greenwashing and ESG litigation pitfalls.

It can be difficult to truly measure a company’s track record and accomplishments in terms of their environmentally friendly behaviour. What do you think has, until now, been mostly missed when discussing how green a company is?

Companies should also be recognised for instigating behavioural changes within their industry and their thought leadership. I feel – particularly in the energy industry – that changes happen rather slowly, and attitudes and views can be entrenched. I am a big believer in driving change from the inside.