Despite a work-from-home white-collar workforce and record-breaking U.S. unemployment claims, efforts to improve environmental, social and governance policies in business are charging ahead in the corporate and nonprofit communities.
As you or your connections make moves in the sustainability space, please let us know. Send your own news to [email protected]. Check back June 22, when we announce the new class of the phenomenal GreenBiz 30 Under 30, followed by updates about honorees from the past.
Who's news
Sanda Ojiambo, head of sustainable business for Kenyan communications company Safaricom, was named executive director of the United Nations Global Compact, effective June 17. She succeeds Lise Kingo, who announced her intention to step down in late 2019, after five years in the role.
The Nature Conservancy's new CEO, Jennifer Morris, ends more than two decades at Conservation International (CI) where she served as president for two years. She led CI's ecosystem finance efforts and its work with corporations, partnering in the process with an array of groups including indigenous communities.
Betty Cremmins is becoming the first lead at the World Economic Forum's 1T.org (Trillion Trees Initiative) North America in San Francisco, ending more than a decade at CDP, where she was most recently director of North America Corporate Partnerships.
French software company Dassault Systèmes enlisted Alice Steenland as CSO. She spent 11 years at insurance multinational AXA, and recently served on the Global Steering Committee of the United Nations Environment Program Finance Initiative.
Anne van Riel left her ING role as head of sustainable finance to become co-head of sustainable capital markets at BNP Paribas in New York.
Change is underfoot at Trex, the pioneer of upcycled composite decking. Dennis Schemm is the new CFO and vice president, succeeding Bryan Fairbanks, who becomes CEO and executive vice president.
GreenBiz's former VERGE Program Director Elaine Hsieh, most recently a marketing consultant at Generate Capital, has co-founded Third Derivative. She's also head of corporate partnerships and marketing for the new organization, a joint venture of Rocky Mountain Institute and New Energy Nexus.
Brian Ronholm is Consumer Reports' new director of food policy. He served as deputy undersecretary, food safety, at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
She has directed climate action at the city of Seattle and energy efforts at Amazon. Now Christina Page is a business partnerships consultant at Climate Interactive think tank, which makes a climate simulator, En-ROADS.
Erik Kikuchi has become CEO of Oaklu, a hospital builder with a sustainability focus. He is also founder and chair at POP962.org, seeking to bring together humanitarian business leaders. (Its name comes from "Presidents on Purpose" and the Bible verse Luke 9:62.)
On the move
Tom Gosselin is moving up in his 16-year career at DNV GL to global director of sustainability and supply chain resilience out of Atlanta from North America sustainability head at the Norwegian company. Sarah Beaubien became Quantis International's head of Western U.S. after years in food and beverage sustainability, including at the Tillamook County Creamery cooperative and Farmer Brothers. Kristen King is moving up at We Mean Business to deputy director, campaigns and communications, from communications manager. Mark de Groh, founder of Climate Action Ventures, becomes adviser and COVID-19 lead for Partnerships for Change.
The nonprofit ChemFORWARD has enlisted Lori Bestervelt as director of business development and partnerships and Erin Mulholland as manager of safer materials and data Integrity. Meanwhile, Lauren Heine, director of safer materials and data integrity, also became vice president of the Association for the Advancement of Alternatives Assessment.
Dana Gunders cemented her interim position as executive director of the food waste think tank ReFED, where she has served on the board since 2014. She previously led food science and supply chain efforts at the Natural Resources Defense Council and Fair Trade USA.
Mia Overall landed at Rockefeller Capital Management as senior vice president and ESG engagement lead after years of consulting and experience including at Futerra, the United Nations and the World Bank.
Texon, which provides footwear materials to Adidas and Nike, is boosting its zero waste push by putting Boyd Mulder, group director for new product development and innovation, in charge of global sustainability.
Liz Bothwell is Waste 360's new content director.
Peter Tolsdorf became general counsel and corporate secretary to the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, a shift from his vice president role at the National Association of Manufacturers.
Kelly Kissock is the new faculty director at the UC Davis Energy and Efficiency Institute. Kate Rankin is Efficiency Maine Trust's new senior communications manager.
The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) and the Wind Solar Alliance (WSA) nonprofits are merging. Kevin O’Rourke, WSA’s Interim executive director, will become ACORE's vice president of strategic partnerships and public affairs. Engineering and design firms faulkner edc and JDS Consulting & Design have merged into JDSfaulkner, with Tommy Faulkner as CEO, Elijah Smith as COO and Robert Murray as CAO.
Siddharth Hande, founder of Kabadiwalla Connect, joined the circular economy committee at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Anna Ghosh is the new communications director at Change Consulting. Alyson Wright, a former sustainability business fellow at the Chicago suburb of Evanston, landed a gig as a sustainability analyst at Rubicon Group. Marion Enzer became the program and development manager at Fermes d'Avenir ("Farms from the Future").
Alison Taylor, CSO at Archer Daniels Midland, is receiving the Women of Concern Award, which recognizes efforts to transform the lives of the world's poorest people.
On board
Former NRG Energy President and CEO David Crane joined the North American board of The Climate Group, along with co-chairman Gary Doer, former Canadian Ambassador to the United States and premier of Manitoba. Green chemistry pioneer and Google's circular economy lead Michael Werner joined the board of ChemFORWARD, where Art Fong, Apple’s Environmental Technologies green chemistry evangelist, joined the new Technical Advisory Group. The U.S. Secretary of the Interior under the Obama administration and an interim CEO at The Nature Conservancy, Sally Jewell, maintains her seat on TNC's Global Board of Directors. Stepping down as Trex CEO, James Cline will become chairman of the board. Toyota veteran Ryan McMullan, principal consultant at Lean Green Way, became a consultant to the Mattress Recycling Council.
