In the face of pressing environmental challenges, businesses have a crucial role to play in driving innovation and promoting sustainable practices. Global Catalyst Advisory, a leading consulting firm, exemplifies this commitment through its diverse projects and initiatives.
Renewable Energy and Circular Economy – By focusing on renewable energy, circular economy, and sustainable urban development, the company has made significant strides in creating a more sustainable future for communities. Collaborating with academic institutions, governments, and industry partners, Global Catalyst Advisory aims to drive innovation and provide practical solutions to real-world problems, aligning with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. This approach not only benefits the environment and society but also demonstrates the potential for businesses to create value while contributing to a more sustainable world.
Award-winning Firm – The firm operates a venture studio, incubating innovative ideas to resolve prevalent industry problems. Global Catalyst Advisory has received numerous accolades, including the “Most Innovative Leaders to Watch in 2023“, ‘Green Asia Innovation Leadership Awards‘ in both the Game Changer and Innovation categories, and the “Brands for Good” Awards. CEO Victor Tay has also been recognized for his contributions to financial advisory and sustainability efforts, winning awards such as “The Most Influential Sustainability CEO in South East Asia” and the US-based FinNext ‘Excellence in Financial Leadership‘ Awards.
Transforming Agricultural Industry – One of the company’s early sustainability projects focused on transforming the agricultural industry in Southeast Asia. By implementing closed-loop, zero-carbon footprint multiponics technologies, Global Catalyst Advisory has revolutionized agricultural practices and helped small-hold farmers break free from the poverty cycle. The vertical farm system developed by the company addresses issues of infertile land and disruption of the vicious poverty cycle while ensuring continued food supply with zero hunger in the region.
Integrating Web3, Smart Technologies and Carbon Credits – Victor’s leadership extends into his role as the United Nations Global Compact NS chairman where he champions SDGs and ESG issues. He critiques the inefficiencies of international agreements like the Kyoto and Paris Protocols, highlighting the inequitable burdens placed on developing nations. Global Catalyst Advisory leverages dynamic monitoring, reporting, and validation (DMRV) technologies to ensure the traceability and permanence of afforestation projects, enhancing the integrity of carbon trading markets. By using dynamic monitoring, reporting, and validation technologies (DMRV), the company ensures the traceability of nature-based afforestation projects. Tokenization, IOT, satellite, and blockchain technologies to provide traceability, protect trees and prevent illegal logging. This innovative approach allows consumers to participate in carbon reduction projects, contributing to the growth of the carbon credit market and promoting transparency and traceability.
He further explained the state of affairs of sustainability challenges, “While globally, 37 industrialized countries ratified Kyoto Protocol in 1992 to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, it did not reduce the overall greenhouse emission. Subsequently, the movement extended towards 196 countries that ratified the Paris Protocol in 2015 to ensure a great push towards climate change. However, most developing economies highlighted climate justice when developed economies outsourced the most pollutive industries to these nations, saddled with escalating carbon emissions from advanced countries. Concurrently, with the advent of carbon credits and trading, the multinationals were monetizing on the credits the farmers engaged in the afforestation activities with nature-based solutions were inequitably incentivized.”
In their latest endeavor, Global Catalyst Advisory is collaborating with a 50,000-acre durian plantation in Southeast Asia to create a sustainable ecosystem. The project, named “DurianForest,” aims to transform the plantation into a carbon-negative and biodiverse haven while maintaining high-quality durian production. By integrating nature-based solutions and digital technologies, the DurianForest project will showcase a unique model for sustainable agriculture and reforestation.
With these technologies, Global Catalyst Advisory has moved towards unleashing consumerism to participate in carbon reduction projects, which are usually an institutional play. “Current carbon credits were merited and traded based on a full tonnage. The advent of web3 technologies allows fractionalizing the tonnage of carbon credits, empowering consumers to participate. In this aspect, consumers may aggregate the credits and generate greater liquidity in the carbon credit market. Concurrently, we provided full transparency and traceability to every carbon certificate to authenticate the carbon value chain against greenwashing”, Victor explained. With Victor’s advocacy, carbon credits can be fractionalized to an astounding granularity of a gram for trading in which concerned sustainable consumers can participate.
Resolving World’s Problems – Being a Scholarship Recipient at the University of Oxford, Victor emphasized that Global Catalyst Advisory, like Oxford and Oxfam, aims to “Resolve the World’s Problems” while offering client solutions on a strategic long-term basis. He explained that the firm only picks projects which will fulfill the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit. Victor chaired regular business fora at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policies at the National University of Singapore, focusing on business and regulatory issues. He was also the Chairman of Commerce and the ASEAN Business Alliance. He believes in overlaying digitalization solutions, innovative mindset, and regulatory forces to effect industry and business transformation.
The firm’s commitment to sustainability and innovation has also led to the establishment of a venture studio and R&D hub. This hub focuses on the development of innovative solutions to address various environmental challenges and improve the quality of life for communities. Collaborating with academic institutions, governments, and industry partners, the hub aims to drive innovation and provide practical solutions to real-world problems.
CEO Victor Tay emphasizes the importance of learning from nature’s systems and harmonies to find creative solutions to challenges. His experiences at the United Nations and various forums have shown him the value of symbiotic relationships and natural pairings in addressing problems. As a result, Global Catalyst Advisory continues to develop innovative, sustainable, and impactful solutions for its clients and the world at large.
Driving Innovation and Growth: Dr. Victor Tay, CEO’s Dynamic Leadership Across Greater China and Southeast Asia
Pioneer and Trend Setter – Looking back at Victor’s career history, it was not difficult to unravel his pioneering advocacy in sustainability. It was in 2005 when he established a new industry cluster, Environmental and Engineering Services, at Enterprise Singapore, which is a government statutory board. He had then established numerous programs to develop the Environmental sector, including Environmental Technologies Capability Development Program, Environmental Centre of Innovation. Later at the national chamber, Singapore Business Federation, where he was the Acting CEO/COO, he established the business community of Sustainability Development Business Group, Singapore Sustainability Alliance comprising of triple helix model of Government, Research Institution, and Business Chambers. And to accelerate more sustainability movements, he established the Singapore Sustainability Awards to encourage more companies to develop environmental technologies, reduce carbon footprint, and to catalyze industry adoption. This culminated to his chairmanship at United Nations Global Compact Network Singapore. Fast-forwarded to 2024, that many are only beginning to get on the Sustainability bandwagon, Global Catalyst Advisory has already enshrined its value within its corporate tagline “Sustainability Catalysed“. As a pioneer, Global Catalyst Advisory essentially has captured the first-mover advantage.
“Many businesses were disrupted as they overly emphasized financial gain, which ceased to provide value. We believe that all successful and sustainable businesses must fulfill the equilibrium of preserving the planet, fulfilling people’s expectations while generating profit as a collective outcome.”
For more information on Global Catalyst Advisory, go to https://www.globalcatalystadvisory.com/
