About
I bring in-house sustainability and climate experience to Australian businesses that don't have it in-house.
I've spent my career working inside organisations and building things.
I've worked in large global companies, professional services, industry organisations and startups. I've led sustainability and climate work, worked in supply chain and operations, built new programs and businesses, and worked with senior leaders through complex organisational change.
That experience shapes how I work today.
I've been the person who has to get the right people around the table, find common ground between competing priorities, work out what matters to the business, get management on board and make sure there is a clear record of what was decided and why.
I've also been on the other side, working with organisations from outside; I know the difference.
I work alongside your team
I'm not here to hand you a report and walk away.
I bring experienced in-house capability into your business and work with your existing people to get the work done.
That might mean leading your climate disclosure, bringing finance, risk and operations together, working through what climate risks and opportunities mean for your business, building the governance and processes you need, or getting your organisation ready for assurance.
You get experienced sustainability capability without having to build a sustainability function from scratch.
I'm practical, direct and commercially minded. I won't tell you that every sustainability issue is equally important, and I'm not interested in making the work more complicated than it needs to be.
My job is to help you understand what matters, get the right people around the table and get the work done properly.
If you're leading a $100m-$500m business and need experienced sustainability capability inside the organisation, that's where I can help.
Organisations I’ve worked with
Testimonials
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Greg Liddell | Impact Frameworks
“I had the pleasure of working with Kate McHugh during our time together at Suncorp, where she consistently demonstrated an exceptional ability to deliver on complex, multi-stakeholder projects.
Kate brings both intellectual depth and practical execution to her work; a rare combination that enables her to translate ambitious sustainability and climate agendas into tangible outcomes. Kate has a deep understanding of the risks and opportunities presented by climate change and broader sustainability issues. She combines this with strong technical expertise in impact frameworks and reporting, helping the business navigate evolving expectations with clarity and confidence...” -

Kunal Gupta | Executive Upskilling
“I’ve had the pleasure of partnering with Kate at AXR to deliver joint sessions on ESG and Sustainability. These sessions have consistently stood out, receiving excellent feedback from our CFO network for their informative, engaging, and highly relevant content.
Kate is a true specialist in this space; her passion and commercial acumen set her apart from the typical “tick-the-box” approach. She goes beyond compliance, genuinely supporting companies to create meaningful and lasting impact in this crucial market segment. Kate’s expertise and commitment make her a standout consultant you can trust.” -

John Minns | Exec. Engagement
"A strategic thinker, with strong project management capability, Kate's diverse leadership skills enable her to drive performance through sustainability initiatives, deliver influential advice to senior sector leaders, and manage complex change initiatives.
She is prepared to strongly advocate for a position she believes in, provide direct and honest feedback, and negotiate positive outcomes for stakeholders. These attributes were vital to the delivery of the Strata Futures initiative and enabled our partnership to produce a one of a kind roadmap for change in the national strata sector." -

Andrew White | Head of ESG Risk
"Kate McHugh is a positive force in the challenging world of sustainable business. In the 10 years that I’ve known Kate, I’ve been fortunate enough to witness and benefit from the proactively delivered sustainability-focused outcomes and solutions that have been adopted by businesses on the back of her hard work.
I’ve witnessed how Kate navigates complex organisations and stakeholders with a level of care, respect and candour. And I’ve witnessed Kate bring together people and build communities of practice and interest. But what has always impressed me most, is how I’ve seen Kate continually step up, and step in when the times get tough and others are looking to find the quickest and easiest exit."
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