Sage x LCAW || From Ledgers to Lending: Real‑World SME Decarbonisation, with a comical twist...
Small and medium‑sized businesses are essential to the UK’s net zero transition, but for many, climate action can still feel complex, costly, or out of reach. This London Climate Action Week event cuts through the noise to focus on what practical SME decarbonisation looks like today, starting with accounting and advisory, and moving into the role of banking and finance in enabling action.
Hosted at Sage’s low carbon office at Tower Bridge Court, this invite only evening event brings together industry practitioners working directly with SMEs to explore how climate considerations are increasingly shaping day‑to‑day financial decisions from measuring emissions through to accessing capital and incentives for change.
The evening features two fast‑paced 20‑minute panel discussions, followed by a climate‑themed comedy set from Stuart Goldsmith, and drinks and networking in Sage’s rooftop Club Room.
Panel 1: From Compliance to Capability (Accounting & Advisory Focus)
Host: Erin Roesch - Sage
Speakers:
Dan Firmager – Kreston Reeves
Harriet Hodgson-Grove - UHY Hacker Young
Paul Blakemore – PHM Accounting
This session explores how accountants and advisors are becoming key enablers of SME decarbonisation, moving beyond compliance to strategic influence:
How accounting firms are helping SMEs measure, manage, and report emissions
The evolution of carbon accounting as a core business advisory service
Why climate data is becoming embedded in financial reporting and decision‑making
How accountants can translate climate complexity into actionable insight for SMEs
Panel 2: From Insight to Investment (Banking & Finance Focus)
Host: Jon Hart - Sage
Speakers:
Matteo Deidda - Tide Bank
Dana Clouston – Barclays
TBC
Building on the accounting perspective, this session focuses on how banks and financial institutions are enabling SMEs to act:
How banks are supporting SMEs with green finance, incentives, and products
The role of financial institutions in translating carbon data into lending decisions
Barriers SMEs face in accessing climate finance and how to overcome them
What the future looks like for integrating sustainability into everyday banking
Climate Comedy: From Dread to Action
Stuart Goldsmith – Climate Comedian
Using humour to open up difficult conversations, Stuart Goldsmith delivers a 30‑minute climate comedy set that explores the human side of the climate challenge, the contradictions, discomfort and inertia that often block action:
How humour helps people engage with uncomfortable climate conversations
Why mindset and emotion matter as much as data and strategy
How comedy can unlock reflection, connection and behaviour change
Drinks & Networking
Fuelled with ideas from both panels and a fresh perspective on problem‑solving sparked by Stuart’s climate comedy set, we invite everyone to stay on for drinks and networking.
This is a chance to continue the conversation, compare notes with peers, and connect with the advisers, financiers and delivery partners helping SMEs turn climate ambition into real‑world action.