Sustainability, ESG, and ethics are the new language of business.
First Principles goes back to the fundamentals of how we live, do business, innovate, and solve for a better world.
Earth is changing. The old systems don’t work anymore and the new systems have yet to be built — but they are on the way.
“Sustainability” and “Impact” describe a shift in business and finance to reconcile profitability with a kinder and more regenerative planet.
This trend is not new. But it is maturing now, in the midst of global upheaval.
It also takes time, trial and error, training, persistence, new skills, new tools, new ways of thinking, and the ability to avoid pitfalls along the way.
First Principles brings deep expertise and fresh ways of thinking to support businesses, investors, and passionate individuals to do sustainability and impact well.
Services
Advisory
Providing guidance, expertise, and independent opinion on initiatives that advance sustainability
Analysis
Exploring the latest trends in sustainable finance and impact investing
Designing systems
Supporting businesses and investors to align their environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance with international good practice.
Building know-how
Delivering training and coaching on sustainable finance, impact, and ESG trends and practices.
Expertise
Louise Gardiner
Founder and Principal Consultant
I bring over 26 years of experience working on global initiatives that have changed how the private sector, investors, and financial institutions think about value creation and impact through sustainability.
From the early days of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Europe through to the expansion of sustainable finance across emerging markets, I have worked at the frontier of emerging standards and frameworks.
I founded First Principles Sustainability Services in 2010 to provide advice and support to African and global clients on new developments in private sector sustainability, sustainable finance, and impact investing.
First Principles is about going back to the fundamentals of how we live, do business, innovate, and solve critical social and environmental challenges. It has incubated new initiatives such as the ESG Tracker assessment tool and Vukani Impact Collective, a community for like-minded professionals.
As today’s field of sustainability responds to ever accelerating change, First Principles brings tools in systems thinking, business strategy, and collaboration to help businesses and individuals align their values and practices with the resilient and regenerative future we all want.
How I got here
From 2000 to 2004, I edited the CSR Magazine for CSR Europe, based in Brussels, Belgium, at a time when corporate social responsibility was being defined by the European Union and leading multinationals.
Then, in 2005, I joined IFC, part of the World Bank Group, where I spent over two decades working on projects across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America to promote sustainable business practices, disclosure, and sustainable finance, in emerging markets.This included
- 4 years in Washington, DC, where I prepared IFC’s 2005 Sustainability Report; was part of the team that developed IFC’s first Integrated Annual Report in 2007; designed an advisory program on CSR; partnered with the Global Reporting Initiative to map the IFC Performance Standards to the GRI Guidelines; and collaborated on innovative research to assess the link between ESG and business performance in IFC’s portfolio.
- Followed by 12 years as Africa coordinator for the Sustainable Banking and Finance Network (SBFN), where I supported knowledge exchange between financial sector regulators and banking associations across over 70 countries and captured member insights in publications such as “Creating Green Bond Markets” (2018) and “Sustainable Finance Taxonomies” (2024)
- And, finally, 2.5 years as regional lead for climate and sustainable finance advisory in Eastern and Southern Africa, based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania - where I led a team that provided training and technical support to financial institutions in the region as they assess climate risk and issue new sustainable finance bonds and loans.
While working part time for IFC between 2010 and 2024, I founded First Principles to support African and global clients on new developments in private sector sustainability, sustainable finance, and impact investing.
In addition to consulting work, First Principles incubated exciting new initiatives such as the ESG Tracker assessment tool and Vukani Impact Collective, an impact advisory and verification firm providing ESG assessments for businesses and verification of signatories to the Operating Principles for Impact Management.
My qualifications
I hold Bachelors and Honours degrees in Philosophy and English Literature from Stellenbosch University, an MA in International Relations from the University of Kent in Canterbury, and international accreditations in mediation and stakeholder engagement.