The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) has announced a list of 16 sustainability executives who will serve on its Sustainability Leadership Council. The council will advise on GBTA’s overall sustainability program to demonstrate the contribution that the business travel sector can make on climate action and corporate responsibility.
The new members will serve a one-year term on GBTA’s Sustainability Leadership Council and include: Brune Poirson, chief sustainability officer, Accor; Jill Blickstein, managing director and global head of ESG, American Airlines; Nora Lovell Marchant, vice president, global sustainability, American Express Global Business Travel; Kathy Jackson, vice president, executive chair sustainability, BCD Travel; Sara Digiesi, chief marketing and sustainability officer, Italy, BWH Hotel Group Italia; Amelia DeLuca, vice president, sustainability, Delta Air Lines; Claire Carstensen, global sustainability manager, Enterprise Holdings; Katie Leone, director, corporate social responsibility, Hertz; Jean Garris Hand, vice president, global ESG, Hilton; Martin Biermann, chief product officer, HRS; Townsend Bailey, head of corporate responsibility, Americas, IHG Hotels & Resorts; Denise Naguib, vice president, sustainability and supplier diversity, global operations, Marriott International; Hendrik Vordenbaeumen, vice president, product strategy and global head of sustainability, SAP Concur; Stacy Malphurs, vice president, supply chain management and environmental sustainability, Southwest Airlines; Chris Truss, sustainability director, Reed & Mackay; and Lauren Riley, chief sustainability officer and managing director, global environmental affairs, United Airlines.
Jenny Sabineu, manager, travel services for Salesforce, serves as the council vice chair and is also the chair of the GBTA Sustainability Committee, which will focus on identifying and developing the tools to guide members. Delphine Millot, senior vice president, sustainability for GBTA, has oversight for the council as well as for GBTA’s sustainability program and initiatives.
GBTA will soon release the global industry’s first comprehensive study — across travel suppliers, travel buyers, and policy and government stakeholders — on the state of sustainability in the business travel sector and actions to improve the industry’s environmental performance. An education program and toolkit for corporate travel managers is also being developed to help build sustainable travel programs and influence traveler behavior.
Sustainability will be a major theme throughout the GBTA Convention (August 14-17, 2022) in San Diego, with a featured spotlight on sustainability on August 16.
The inaugural GBTA Sustainability Summit will be held on November 8 in Brussels, prior to the GBTA Europe Conference 2022. Timed adjacent to COP27, GBTA’s one-day event will convene business travel industry and policy leaders to outline concrete solutions to decarbonize the sector in alignment with the Paris climate goals.
For more information, visit www.gtba.org/sustainability.
Related Stories
GBTA: What Post-Pandemic Business Travel Looks Like
GBTA Calls for End to Testing for Vaccinated Business Travelers
When It Comes to Travel, "Blended" Is the New "Business"
Southwest Airlines Commits $10M for Climate Change Initiatives