Stakeholders

Stakeholders are all individuals, groups, or organisations that can affect, are affected by, or perceive themselves to be affected by an organisation’s activities, decisions, projects, or outcomes. Stakeholders may have legal rights, economic interests, environmental exposure, social or cultural ties, or reputational concerns linked to an activity.

They typically include, but are not limited to: employees and workers; customers and end users; suppliers and contractors; investors, lenders and insurers; regulators and public authorities; local communities and landholders; Indigenous peoples and traditional owners; civil society organisations and NGOs; industry bodies; competitors; and, in environmental contexts, groups representing ecosystem or biodiversity interests.

Stakeholders can be direct or indirect, internal or external, and their relevance depends on the nature, scale, location and risk profile of the activity. Effective stakeholder identification requires assessing influence, dependency, impact exposure, legal standing and legitimacy, not just visibility or proximity.

In regulatory, sustainability and infrastructure contexts, stakeholder engagement is often a compliance requirement, shaping permitting outcomes, social licence to operate, risk management, and long-term project viability.