As Chief Executive Officer and Co-found of Coreo, Ashleigh is bold in her pursuit of systemic change.
Globally recognised as a sustainability leader in business, industry and trade, Ashleigh is regularly invited to speak at international forums, including the World Circular Economy Forum and the United Nations General Assembly. Her work captures the imaginations of leaders across broad sectors to begin the work of transforming our linear economy into a circular economy; one that serves people and nature, rather than one that people and nature serve.
Current Work:
Ashleigh has been recognised as No.13 in the world on the list of Corporate Social Responsibility Influential Leaders for 2020, and as an Australian ASEAN Emerging Leader.
Her strategic foresight is sought after internationally; she is a Responsible Mining Expert and a Director for WasteFuels, working with the world leading biofuel company to decarbonise shipping and aviation.
Locally, Ashleigh serves on the board for the Australian Circular Economy Hub. She is a board director for Thread Together, working with a team to design waste out of the textiles industry. She is also championing circular economy as a member of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Legacy Committee. As a volunteer, Ashleigh is a long-serving mentor for the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s ‘From Linear to Circular’ Program, bringing diverse cultures together to regenerate economies, a role given to only a handful of people worldwide.
Ashleigh holds a Bachelor of Environmental Health Science, 1st Class Honours in Environmental Management, and has been further awarded for academic excellence by the University Medal and as a Prime Minister’s Scholar.
Talking Points
A New Economic Model: From Theory to Action in the Circular Economy
The circular economy is an economy that serves people and nature, rather than one that people and nature live in service of. In 2017, Brisbane sisters Ash and Jaine quit their jobs to undertake Australia’s first Circular Experiment, working with 42 businesses in a city street to implement a range of circular solutions. The experiment showed the way for future cities to operate in the new economy. Learn the underlying principles of a circular economy in order to take your purpose-led business to the next level.A New Economic Model: From Theory to Action in the Circular Economy
Takeaways:
- Understanding of what the circular economy is and how it relates to the future of work
- Learning of the three principles and five business models of the circular economy
- Learn how to talk about climate change and sustainability within your business context
Applicable to heads of sustainability and procurement, board directors and transformation leaders across business government and community organisations.
How will businesses create value in the future? By designing out waste.
Future cities, future businesses and future leaders everywhere are wasting a valuable opportunity! The circular economy applies to every business and every leader in the future of work, and is so much more than a waste management strategy. Rather, the circular economy is an opportunity for an economic and an environmental revolution!How will businesses create value in the future? By designing out waste.
Globally, 91 per cent of all raw materials are wasted after their first use, which means that not only are we wasting the materials themselves but also the value they could contribute to the economy, such as jobs. Learn what a waste-less world might look like and how can we supercharge innovation, partnerships and shared values to be a part of a better future.
Takeaways:
- Understanding waste as a design flaw
- Learning various circular economy approaches to innovate waste out of the system
- Explore what we value as a culture and how that relates to the value we might create
Applicable to senior leaders and managers of people and culture, executives and managers across manufacturing, food and beverage, agriculture, property, state and local government, and education institutions
Living, Working and Thriving in the Circular Economy: A Vision for the Future
The circular economy represents a 2 trillion dollar opportunity over the next 20 years as reported by PwC in April 2021. A circular economy would likely abate 165 million tonnes of carbon pollution each year in Australia, an outcome that closely aligns to the Paris Agreement. The question is not why accelerate the move to a circular economy, it is why not. Ash and Jaine engage, energise and excite the audience with their pragmatic and attainable vision for the future. As recognised global changemakers, they believe shared understanding is the hidden metric that will scale the shared value creation of the circular economy.Living, Working and Thriving in the Circular Economy: A Vision for the Future
Takeaways:
- Understanding the circular economy as a systems-based solution
- Learning the metrics of doing good being good for business
- Exploring Yarrabilba, a community thriving through circular economy design
Applicable to people from all walks of life including corporate teams, community groups, students and policy makers.
Video
Creating a Circular Economy that Serves People & Nature | Ashleigh & Jaine Morris | TEDx Sydney Discovery Session
Imagine if we were able to create an economy that serves people and nature, rather than one that people and nature serve. Our linear take, make, waste economy is fast becoming an impossible equation. Using shared understanding as the multiplier, Jaine and Ash will bring you into the loop on the circular economy. Let’s get empowered to design our way into a gorgeous future.Creating a Circular Economy that Serves People & Nature | Ashleigh & Jaine Morris | TEDx Sydney Discovery Session
Imagine if we were able to create an economy that serves people and nature, rather than one that people and nature serve. Our linear take, make, waste economy is fast becoming an impossible equation. Using shared understanding as the multiplier, Jaine and Ash will bring you into the loop on the circular economy. Let’s get empowered to design our way into a gorgeous future.
