With thanks to Miriam Heale, Allen & York - www.allen-york.com
APPOINTMENT OF THE MONTH
Mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, has appointed Nilda Mesa as director of the new office of sustainability, which will spearhead the administration's environmental and sustainability initiatives. She is currently the director at the NYC mayor's office of environmental coordination. Mesa brings extensive environmental experience at all levels of government, public and private sectors, including the White House and the Environmental Protection Agency.
In her new role she will coordinate the administration's sustainability initiatives and green investments, while helping lead implementation of an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, part of the Mayor’s ‘One City: Built to Last’ green buildings plan. “As New Yorkers, we're all in this together: we breathe the same air, drink from the same water supply, and suffer the same impacts of climate change,” she says. “Let's leave a legacy for our kids that will make them proud.”
Kim Pittel, formerly executive director, global supplier technical assistance at Ford Motor Company, is now vice president, sustainability, environment and safety engineering. She will serve as the company’s top environment and safety officer. In 1985, Pittel started out as a manufacturing engineer at Ford’s Livonia Transmission Plant in Michigan and has worked in many parts of the business, including manufacturing, product development, quality and supplier technical assistance.
“I’ve always tried to do the right thing for the customer and the company,” she says. “Now, I will be working in the earliest stages of product planning to ‘do the right thing’ in sustainability, environment and safety.” In her new role, Pittel, is responsible for the continued development and implementation of the company’s global environment and safety strategy, policy and performance, and Ford’s Blueprint for Sustainability.
“I’m looking forward to innovating ways to deliver great products, and meet the needs of our customers and governmental requirements globally, she says. “I’m also excited about our sustainability initiatives.”
Jeffrey Hogue has been appointed chief sustainability officer at C&A Global. Previously, Hogue was senior director of global CSR at McDonald’s. As well as being responsible for the fashion retail chain’s worldwide sustainability strategy, Hogue will also become the corporate ambassador for C&A’s sustainability programme. He will be based at the company’s European headquarters in Brussels.
Maurice Tulloch, chief executive officer of Aviva UK & Ireland General Insurance, has become the new chair of ClimateWise, the global insurance industry’s leadership group to drive action on climate change risk. ClimateWise is hosted by the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.
Lance Pierce is the new president of CDP North America. CDP is an international not-for-profit organisation that holds the largest collection of company-reported environmental data. Pierce was formerly executive director and chief operating officer of Ceres.
Henry Sténson has been appointed head of Volvo’s newly established group function, corporate communication and sustainability affairs (comprising the previous, corporate communication and sustainability, and public affairs functions). Sténson has held senior executive level roles in companies including Ericsson and SAS, but has in the past also held senior positions at the Volvo Group.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson has appointed former Department of Energy & Climate Change Minister Greg Barker as the new chairman of the London Sustainable Development Commission (LSDC). Barker has been tasked with helping to accelerate the growth of low-carbon industries across the capital and tackling the environmental challenges posed by the rapidly growing population. LSDC also has a new deputy chairman, Paul Turner, who is the sustainable business director for Lloyds Banking Group.
The Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) has announced its 2015 board of directors. Luis Neves, group sustainability and climate change officer for Deutsche Telekom, is GeSI chairman. Chris Lloyd, executive director public policy and corporate responsibility at Verizon is vice-chair. Danilo Riva, representing ETNO, is treasurer.