About Sarah Barker
Sarah is a leading climate change, ESG and governance specialist. Clients turn to her for clear, practical advice on complex governance, disclosure and liability risks at the intersection of commercial law and sustainability, and for her ability to ‘connect the dots’ across subject matter silos. She is known for her particular expertise in directors’ duties, sustainability-related risk and strategy, climate-related financial reporting and misleading disclosure (greenwashing).
She is consistently recognised as a market leader, including Band 1 for Climate Change (Asia-Pacific) by Chambers, and in Legal 500 and Best Lawyers. Sarah is Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Climate and Nature Governance, and teaches director and executive programs at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Sarah works closely with leading ASX-listed companies, financial institutions, superannuation funds and global investors across sectors including financial services, mining and resources, infrastructure, FMCG manufacturing and retail. She has advised organisations at the forefront of policy development in the sustainability space, from the Bank of England and the United Nations PRI, to the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures.
Sarah has deep expertise in climate-related financial disclosures, and evolving regulatory frameworks in Australia and internationally, and brings a boardroom perspective, having served as a non-executive director of a major superannuation fund. She is known for her ability to help boards and leadership teams navigate complex and fast-moving issues in a way that is not only legally defensible, but strategic and commercially focused.
She also contributes to a range of international and domestic policy and governance initiatives.
Sarah's recent experience includes advising:
- Big 4 banks and globally significant international banking groups: on climate change-related directors’ duties, target setting and transition plans, misleading disclosure, greenwashing, strategic stakeholder relations, regulator and activist dispute resolution, and compliance with mandatory and voluntary reporting regimes.
- Large industry and retail superannuation funds, and investor peak bodies: on trustee/directors’ duties, capacity building, policy and regulatory reform, target setting and transition plans, misleading disclosure, greenwashing, strategic stakeholder relations, regulator and activist dispute resolution, and compliance with mandatory and voluntary reporting regimes.
- Large listed and multinational food processors and beverage manufacturers: on strategy, governance and compliance issues associated with climate change, nature and biodiversity, including on governance and risk management structures, boardroom and executive briefings, target setting and transition planning, misleading disclosure/greenwashing, and compliance with mandatory and voluntary reporting regimes.
- Large listed and private infrastructure, construction and data centre companies: including on sustainability-related governance and risk management structures, boardroom and executive briefings, target setting and transition planning, misleading disclosure/greenwashing, and compliance with mandatory and voluntary reporting regimes.
- Large listed retailers: on strategy, governance and compliance issues associated with climate change, nature and biodiversity, including boardroom briefings, investor and stakeholder relations, misleading disclosure/greenwashing, and compliance with mandatory and voluntary reporting regimes.
- Large listed oil and gas companies: on strategy, governance and compliance issues associated with climate change, nature and biodiversity, including investor and stakeholder relations, global liability exposure and management, misleading disclosure/greenwashing and SAF.
- Departments and municipal peak bodies: on governance, policy, liability, risk management and administrative issues associated with climate change, including liability exposure assessments, risk management structures, governance and capacity building.