The call always comes at the worst possible moment.
Your capital project is 18 months behind schedule. You’re 40% over budget. Your board is demanding answers. Your investors are losing confidence. Your community stakeholders are threatening protests. Your team is exhausted and demoralized.
And everyone is pointing fingers.
I’m Monique Chelin, and I’ve received this call dozens of times over 20 years of sustainability consulting and project management across mining, infrastructure, and government sectors in Australia, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea.
Here’s what I’ve learned: most derailed projects fail for the same reasons. And most rescue attempts fail because they treat symptoms, not causes.
What I Do: Turn Sustainability from Compliance Burden into Competitive Advantage
I’m the founder of MJC Sustainability, and I specialize in three things that matter most to organizations delivering complex capital projects:
- I rescue derailed capital projects. When mining, infrastructure, and government projects are months behind and millions over budget, I diagnose the real problems—governance failure, misaligned stakeholders, and unmanaged ESG risks—and implement frameworks that actually work.
- I identify ESG risks before they derail projects. The sustainability issues that show up as approval delays, community protests, investor scrutiny, and regulatory penalties don’t appear on most project dashboards. I help organizations see them coming and turn them into competitive advantage.
- I build capability, not dependency. Through PRiSM™ Green Project Management training, executive coaching, and hands-on consulting, I help teams integrate sustainability into project delivery—not treat it as a compliance checkbox.
Why Organizations Hire Monique Chelin
When Projects Are in Crisis
You’ve tried replacing the project manager. You’ve demanded the team “work harder.” You’ve cut scope to reduce costs. You’ve pressured contractors to accelerate. You’ve even abandoned sustainability commitments to “get back on track.”
Nothing worked.
That’s because you’re treating symptoms (slow progress, cost overruns) not causes (governance failure, misaligned stakeholders, unmanaged ESG risks).
I’ve rescued projects that were 18+ months behind schedule and brought them to successful completion. My approach: – Diagnose the real problem (governance, stakeholder alignment, risk management) – Stabilize the project (clear decision-making, frozen scope, integrated ESG risk management) – Replan and execute (realistic recovery plans with stakeholder buy-in)
Real example: A Papua New Guinea infrastructure project had three different organizations claiming authority over environmental approvals. Decisions took 6-8 weeks because nobody knew who could actually approve what. Cost: 14-month delay, $31 million over budget. I mapped the governance structure, clarified decision-making authority, and established a single source of truth. Result: project back on track within 8 weeks.
When ESG Risks Are Invisible
Your project team has sophisticated risk management frameworks. They track geotechnical risks, commodity price fluctuations, equipment failures, and weather delays with military precision.
But when I ask, “What are your ESG risks?” I get blank stares. Or worse, they point to their environmental management plan gathering dust in a filing cabinet.
Here’s what they’re missing:
Stakeholder misalignment masquerading as “consultation fatigue” – Your community engagement team reports that local stakeholders are “difficult” or “unreasonable.” What they’re actually telling you: your project doesn’t align with community values, and you haven’t identified what matters to them. This isn’t a communication problem. It’s a fundamental ESG risk that will delay approvals, trigger protests, and damage your social license to operate.
Environmental commitments that become operational nightmares – Your environmental impact statement promises world-class rehabilitation and biodiversity offsets. Your project team nods along. Then construction starts, and nobody has budgeted for the actual cost, assigned accountability, or trained the team on what “net positive biodiversity” actually means.
Supply chain sustainability risks buried in procurement – Your company has bold sustainability commitments. Your procurement team is focused on lowest cost and fastest delivery. The result? You’re sourcing materials from suppliers with questionable labor practices, poor environmental standards, or links to corruption. You don’t find out until an investigative journalist does.
Governance gaps that look like “project complexity” – When I’m called in to rescue a derailed capital project, the symptoms are always the same: unclear decision-making authority, stakeholders working from different versions of the truth, sustainability team isolated from core project delivery, and no one accountable for ESG outcomes. This isn’t complexity. It’s governance failure.
I help organizations identify these hidden ESG risks early, integrate them into project risk registers, and turn them from threats into opportunities for competitive advantage.
When Sustainability Reports Lack Credibility
You’ve invested months into your sustainability report. The data is compiled, the consultants have been paid, and the glossy document sits on your website.
Your investors flip through it. Your board reviews it. Your stakeholders read it.
And nobody believes it.
Not because you’re lying. But because your sustainability report has nothing to do with how your project actually operates.
Most capital project sustainability reports share the same fatal flaw: they report on sustainability activities, not sustainability outcomes.
Pages of environmental monitoring data. Photos of community engagement events. Lists of policies and frameworks. Graphs showing compliance with regulations. Statements about “continuous improvement.”
What’s missing? Evidence that any of this actually improved environmental, social, or governance outcomes.
I help organizations develop sustainability reports that: – Report on outcomes, not activities – Connect sustainability decisions to project performance (cost, schedule, risk) – Acknowledge difficult trade-offs honestly – Focus on material issues that stakeholders actually care about – Build credibility with investors, communities, regulators, and boards
My Background: 20+ Years Delivering Results Across Four Continents
I’ve worked on major capital projects across Australia, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea for organizations including:
- BHP Billiton – ESG risk management for mining operations
- Virgin Australia – Sustainability strategy and reporting
- Australian Federal Government – Infrastructure project governance
- Major mining operations in Queensland, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea
- Infrastructure projects across the Asia-Pacific region
This international experience means I’ve seen what works (and what doesn’t) in diverse regulatory, cultural, and environmental contexts. I understand how to navigate complex stakeholder environments, manage cross-cultural teams, and deliver results under pressure.
What Makes Monique Chelin Different
Australia’s First PRiSM™ Training Organization
I established the first and only registered PRiSM™ Green Project Management training organization in Australia, bringing world-class sustainability project management methodology to Australian businesses.
PRiSM™ (Projects integrating Sustainable Methods) is the world’s leading framework for integrating sustainability into project management. As a certified PRiSM™ trainer, I deliver 1-4 day courses globally, helping project managers, engineers, and sustainability professionals integrate environmental and social considerations into every phase of project delivery.
My training isn’t theoretical. It’s based on 20 years of hands-on experience rescuing derailed projects and managing ESG risks in the field.
Infrastructure Sustainability Council Assessor
As a certified Infrastructure Sustainability Council assessor, I evaluate infrastructure projects against rigorous sustainability criteria covering environmental, social, governance, and economic outcomes.
This certification means I understand exactly what investors, regulators, and stakeholders expect from world-class infrastructure sustainability performance—and how to deliver it.
Integration of UN Sustainable Development Goals and Global Compact
I help organizations align their projects with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and UN Global Compact principles, demonstrating how capital projects contribute to global sustainability objectives while delivering commercial outcomes.
This isn’t about greenwashing. It’s about identifying genuine alignment between business objectives and sustainability outcomes, and communicating that alignment credibly to stakeholders.
My Approach: Results-Driven, Hands-On, Practical
I don’t write reports that gather dust. I don’t deliver recommendations that teams ignore. I don’t create sustainability frameworks that exist separately from how projects actually operate.
I deliver measurable improvements in: – Cost – Early stakeholder engagement and proactive ESG risk management prevent expensive delays and redesigns – Timeline – Integrated sustainability planning accelerates approvals and reduces operational disruptions – Sustainability ratings – Credible, outcome-focused reporting improves Infrastructure Sustainability ratings and investor confidence – Stakeholder relationships – Genuine engagement and transparent communication build social license and community support
My clients describe working with Monique Chelin as: – “Finally, someone who understands both sustainability AND project delivery” – “Monique doesn’t just identify problems—she fixes them” – “The only consultant who made our sustainability commitments actually achievable” – “Monique saved our project when everyone else had given up”
Who I Work With
My ideal clients are national and global companies with major capital projects in mining, infrastructure, and government sectors—organizations under pressure to deliver on time and on budget while managing sustainability commitments and stakeholder alignment.
You should work with Monique Chelin if: – Your capital project is derailed (behind schedule, over budget, facing stakeholder opposition) – You’re starting a major project and want to identify ESG risks before they become crises – Your sustainability reporting lacks credibility with investors or stakeholders – Your project team treats sustainability as compliance, not competitive advantage – You need to build sustainability leadership capability in your organization – You’re navigating complex stakeholder environments (Indigenous communities, environmental regulators, investor scrutiny)
You should NOT work with Monique Chelin if: – You want a glossy report to sit on a shelf – You’re looking for someone to rubber-stamp decisions you’ve already made – You’re not willing to address root causes of project failure – You treat sustainability as a PR exercise, not a business imperative
Services I Provide
Project Rescue & Recovery – Diagnosing and fixing derailed capital projects through governance improvement, stakeholder alignment, and integrated ESG risk management
ESG Risk Assessment – Identifying hidden environmental, social, and governance risks before they delay approvals, trigger protests, or damage investor confidence
Sustainability Reporting – Developing honest, outcome-focused sustainability reports that build credibility with investors, communities, regulators, and boards
Project Governance – Establishing clear decision-making authority, stakeholder alignment, and accountability mechanisms for complex capital projects
PRiSM™ Green Project Management Training – 1-4 day courses delivered globally, helping teams integrate sustainability into project delivery
Executive Coaching – Building sustainability leadership capability in project managers, executives, and board directors
Infrastructure Sustainability Assessment – Evaluating projects against Infrastructure Sustainability Council criteria and supporting rating achievement
Let’s Connect
Whether you’re facing a derailed capital project, need expert ESG risk assessment, or want to build sustainability leadership capability in your organization, I deliver practical, results-driven solutions.
I’m based in Brisbane, Australia, and work with clients across Australia and internationally.
📧 Contact me via mjcsustainability.com
🌐 Learn more at mjcsustainability.com
💼 Connect with me here on LinkedIn
Monique Chelin helps organizations turn sustainability from compliance burden into competitive advantage through integrated ESG risk management, project governance, and capability building.
Founder, MJC Sustainability | Certified PRiSM™ Trainer | 30+ Years International Experience
