Ann Tracy's Sustainability Leadership at Colgate-Palmolive

Ann Tracy’s leadership at Colgate-Palmolive continues to set a high bar for corporate sustainability, earning her fifth in Sustainability Magazine’s Top 250 Leaders 2026 – recognition of a CSO who consistently links environmental ambition with business value creation. 

At the helm of Colgate-Palmolive’s Global Sustainability & Social Impact strategy, she is steering one of the world’s most recognisable consumer goods brands toward a net zero, circular and more equitable future.

“We are Colgate-Palmolive, a caring, innovative growth company that is reimagining a healthier future for all people, their pets and our planet,” Ann said in the foreword of the company’s 2024 Sustainability and Social Impact Report.

“Our purpose and the promise of a healthier future energise our sustainability efforts and our people.

“For example, some of the children we meet at BSBF events receive their very first toothbrush of their own and then share another toothbrush with their siblings or parents at home. When we give a child two toothbrushes to take home, it makes an impact on the child, their family and us.

“Our sustainability efforts also help to strengthen our business. We believe that some consumers favor brands from companies that act responsibly and will recognise our leadership in this space and choose our brands.”

Read the full Top 250 Sustainability Leaders 2026 list.

A career built on systems thinking

With more than three decades at Colgate-Palmolive, Ann brings deep operational experience to the sustainability agenda, spanning manufacturing, customer service, logistics and global supply chain. 

An engineer by training, she has built her career at the intersection of technical problem-solving and large-scale organisational change, giving her a distinctive vantage point on how to embed sustainability in complex, global operations.

Before becoming Chief Sustainability Officer, Ann served as Vice President, Safety, Sustainability and Supply Chain Strategy, overseeing environmental, health and safety, responsible sourcing and supply chain transformation across Colgate-Palmolive’s worldwide footprint. That background enables her to translate climate and resource goals into practical roadmaps that resonate with plant managers, procurement teams and commercial leaders alike.

Her influence also extends beyond Colgate-Palmolive. Ann is Board Chair of UN Global Compact Network USA, helping guide the US business community’s contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and engages in global forums such as the Consumer Goods Forum and climate conferences. 

This combination of internal and external leadership allows her to champion higher standards, while bringing back insights that sharpen Colgate-Palmolive’s own strategy.

All sustainability, net zero and sustainable supply chain leaders should attend:

• Sustainability LIVE: The Net Zero Summit - QEII Centre, London, March 4-5
• Sustainability LIVE: The US Summit - Navy Pier, Chicago, April 21-22

Co-located with Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE, these events brings together CSOs, ESG leaders and senior decision-makers at a moment when sustainability, supply chains and commercial performance are increasingly interconnected.

Tickets can be booked online today for The Net Zero Summit and The US Summit. Group discounts available.

Embedding sustainability at Colgate-Palmolive

Under Ann’s leadership, Colgate-Palmolive has aligned itself with science-based climate targets, committing to reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions 30% by 2025 and 50% by 2030 from a 2018 baseline, and to reach net zero carbon emissions across the value chain by 2040.

The company also aims to source 100% renewable electricity for its global operations by 2030, with steady progress already underway.

Packaging and waste are central pillars of this agenda. Colgate-Palmolive is working to make all of its packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable and had reached around 90% by the end of 2023, closing in on its 2025 ambition.

The company’s TRUE zero-waste strategy commits to manufacturing all products at sites certified under the US Green Building Council’s Total Resource Use and Efficiency initiative by the end of 2025, with 80% of facilities already achieving this designation by 2023.

Colgate-Palmolive’s sustainability and social impact strategy spans 11 actions and more than 50 targets, from emissions reduction and renewable energy to water stewardship and responsible sourcing, all designed to reinforce the company’s purpose of “reimagining a healthier future for all people, their pets and our planet.”

Linking ambition to impact

Ann Tracy’s leadership is defined by a holistic view of impact that spans environmental, social and economic outcomes. 

She consistently emphasises that a brand present in six out of ten households worldwide has both a responsibility and an opportunity to shift consumer behaviour toward more sustainable choices, whether through lower-carbon products, smarter packaging or clearer communication.

At the same time, she is clear that there will be no retreat from ambitious targets, even in a challenging macroeconomic environment. On climate and plastics, Ann underlines that Colgate-Palmolive is “staying true” to its goals, refusing to “dial back” as deadlines approach and instead focusing on execution, innovation and collaboration across the value chain.

That blend of technical fluency, operational credibility and principled resolve is what secures her place among the Top 250 Leaders 2026. For Colgate-Palmolive, it translates into a sustainability strategy that is not only robust on paper, but deeply woven into how the company designs, manufactures and delivers everyday products at global scale.