Top 10: Women in Sustainability in the UK and Europe
The sustainability sector of business has never been so high profile, with more companies than ever making Board-level appointments to drive ESG goals.
The low-carbon initiative is being taken by countless women at the highest levels, providing strong and authoritative voices on net zero and climate change at some of the world’s biggest companies.
Sustainability Magazine’s Top 10: Women in Sustainability in the UK and Europe is a roll-call of just a few of the women making a difference at the top table.
10
Judith Wiese
Company: Siemens
Judith Wiese is the Chief People and Sustainability Officer at Siemens. She has been a leading executive at the engineering services company for three years and specialises in empowering culture and driving inclusion, combining the two to encourage continuous transformation. Judith encourages environments that are supportive, inclusive and conducive to learning.
9
Dr Celine Herweijer
Company: HSBC
Dr Celine Herweijer is HSBC’s Group Chief Sustainability Officer. Also a member of the banking giant’s Group Executive Committee, Celine leads its net zero ambition, including decarbonising its financing portfolio and directing US$1tn towards sustainable finance by 2030. Celine is a PhD climate scientist and NASA fellow, who was previously PwC Partner and Global Sustainability Leader.
8
Elena Valderrábano
Company: Telefonica
As the Global Chief Sustainability (ESG) Officer at Telefonica, Elena Valderrábano is building the ESG foundations at the telecommunications company. Elena was previously General Director of the Telefónica Foundation, having developed her career at Repsol in various positions. She held the presidency of DIRSE (Professional Association of Sustainability Professionals) from 2019 to 2021.
7
Courtney Holm
Company: Capgemini Invent
Capgemini Invent’s Vice President Sustainable Futures is an influential and passionate sustainability executive who spearheads change, enables sustainable choices, addresses geopolitical and critical issues and transforms consumer preferences.
She says: “As an advocate for ‘Tech for Good’, I believe technology is an enabler to drive sustainable growth and I deliver creative solutions that tackle some of the world’s most complex social and environmental challenges.”
6
Eirini Etoimou
Company: Sellafield Ltd
Eirini Etoimou, Head of Corporate Sustainability & Supply Chain Development (Director) at Sellafield Ltd, has expertise in numerous areas, including sustainability, value chains, leadership, strategy and transformation. Eirini can also be seen at events, where she is a keynote speaker.
5
Nicki Lyons
Company: Vodafone
Nicki Lyons, Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer at Vodafone, is an expert in corporate reputation, stakeholder engagement, relationship building and change management for multi-billion dollar corporations.
Nicki has worked for some of the world’s leading brands and now leads Vodafone’s best-in-class team.
4
Rebecca Marmot
Company: Unilever
Rebecca Marmot, who is currently Chief Sustainability Officer at Unilever, has dedicated 16 years to the sustainability efforts of the business. Rebecca specialises in strategy, marketing, external affairs, politics and sustainability.
She leads the promotion and implementation of sustainable practices, guiding the manufacturer towards a more eco-friendly future.
3
Virginie Helias
Company: Procter & Gamble (P&G)
Procter & Gamble Chief Sustainability Officer Virginie Helias has worked for the company for three decades. For the last 11 years, Virginie has arrowed in on sustainability and corporate citizenship, powered by her mission to embed sustainability into everyday operations at P&G.
2
Julia Maris
Company: ENGIE
Julia Maris is Chief Sustainability Officer and VP of Corporate Environmental and Social Responsibility at energy giant ENGIE. Julia, who says transformation is in her DNA, is passionate about issues of international stability and security. She is a strong believer in the severity of global warming and its impact on development.
1
Florence Jeantet
Company: SIG Group
Dedicating almost 20 years of her career to Danone, latterly as SVP and Chief Sustainability Officer, Florence Jeantet is dedicated to sharing her conviction with Boards to disrupt thinking and foster change.
Currently a Board Member at SIG Group, Florence says: “My years of international experiences in senior management positions, both at Unilever and at Danone have made me learn the critical importance of the quality of men and women in teams and the power of diversity to sustain performance.”
