Infrastructure Sustainability Council’s new CEO, Toby Kent, sat down with Infrastructure to share his priorities for the organisation and his perspective on the sector at large.
Infrastructure Sustainability Council (ISC) has an ambitious agenda. Its stated purpose is ensuring all infrastructure delivers social, cultural, environmental and economic benefits. It makes sense, then, that the organisation would appoint an equally ambitious CEO at its helm, someone with a clear vision and drive to achieve significant growth.
Throughout his career, Toby Kent has held a variety of positions that have prepared him for this new role.
Image: ISC
“I really got into corporate sustainability in the late 90s after seeing how it was helping lift the corporate sector as a whole to more responsible practices,” Mr Kent said.
He became heavily involved in the finance sector and eventually became Global Head of Sustainable Development at ANZ. He then spent more than five years as Chief Resilience Officer for metropolitan Melbourne as part of the Rockefeller Foundation’s ground-breaking 100 Resilient Cities program, before joining PwC Australia where he served as a Partner in the Energy Transition team for the past two years.
“Throughout my career, I’ve tried to have positive impact through what I do,” Mr Kent said.
“I think I’m at my best working in smaller to medium-sized organisations that have leverage and impact through their partners and members.”
The role at ISC also meant an opportunity for Mr Kent to take his experience in helping build a city’s resilience and apply it on a larger scale. While ISC is known for its work in transport, road and rail, it’s also looking to expand its focus to include emerging sectors.
“We’ve done some really good work with airports, and in the water and energy sectors,” Mr Kent said.
“Advancing our work with the water and energy industries is a key priority moving forward, and that includes generation, transmission and distribution of energy.”
Guiding sustainability
ISC is a membership-driven organisation that prioritises engagement with its network and broader industry participants. It provides training on how to apply sustainability in infrastructure, whether that’s using ISC rating tools on projects, fundamentals for those moving into infrastructure or sustainability roles, as well as sustainability training for executives in infrastructure and financial services.
With an increasing shift towards privately funded or owned infrastructure, Mr Kent said ISC is prioritising working more with the finance sector.
Beyond looking at the planning, development and operation of assets, Mr Kent encourages a holistic approach to infrastructure and sustainability, emphasising the need to consider interconnectivity and interdependence.
“We need to think about infrastructure as an interconnected system of systems,” he said.
“If we’re only looking at an asset, we can only provide so much value.”
Global demand for infrastructure is growing, and Mr Kent acknowledges the magnitude of the challenge faced by the sector moving forward.
“No matter the scale, whether it’s a massive port or a cycle path along a creek, the creation of infrastructure has an impact.
“The impacts of infrastructure on the natural environment are huge, and yet, the demand for infrastructure around the world is probably going to be about twice what it is today by 2050.
“We need five times the amount of energy production that we have today, while trying to transition away from fossil fuels.”
Mr Kent said that at the same time, there is real hope and a sense of excitement about what can be achieved, particularly through digital infrastructure and nature-based solutions.
“One of the critical enablers of that interconnected infrastructure is digital,” he said.
“Digital needs to be seen as part of infrastructure, as both a contributor and facilitator, and infrastructure in and of itself.”
Mr Kent also emphasised the importance of recognising nature as infrastructure, often referred to as blue and green infrastructure.
“Whether that’s protecting, restoring, redeveloping mangroves in coastal areas to play both filtration and storm protection roles or rewilding creeks or creating metropolitan-wide urban forest.
“How do we make better use of the natural world to help restore the natural world while achieving outcomes that humans and nature need?”
Equally important is the way humanity views its relationship with nature.
“By seeing ourselves as above nature we lock in all kinds of problems for ourselves. It’s important to understand we are part of nature, rather than separate to it.”
Staying optimistic
Although it’s clear that the industry needs to mitigate its impact on the environment, it’s not always easy to know where to begin. Mr Kent said initiatives such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are important in helping prioritise efforts.
“They provide a framework at the highest possible scale and then it’s up to individual countries and actors to determine what actions they can take.
“At a personal level, while I might feel devastated about certain impacts that are happening around the world, my focus is on trying to achieve as much as I can through the ISC, our membership and broader supporters.”
Mr Kent said one of the challenges we have as a society is looking for the quick win or easy answer.
“We fall back on just waiting a bit longer and letting technology or something else sort it out.
“It’s better to chip away at we can now, with what we have. That’s what will actually lead to real change.”
Mr Kent cited concrete manufacturers increasingly adopting recycled materials to reduce carbon footprint as an example of promising work being done.
Looking forward
As for ISC’s long-term vision, the organisation is currently working on its five-year strategy, which is expected to be released in the first half of 2025. Mr Kent said the strategy will likely tie into the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which are also targeted for completion by 2030. ISC is also looking to grow and transform, including expanding internationally.
However, most of the organisation’s work will continue within in Australia and New Zealand, helping advance initiatives in sustainable infrastructure.
“The most important question to be asking ourselves is infrastructure for whom and to what end,” Mr Kent said.
“I think there is a shift towards thinking more long-term and understanding how to deliver infrastructure that is inherently multigenerational in terms of impact.”
