JOBS NEWS: Make way for the new CEOs, on their way to several major companies and organisations, after the great resignations and some retirements. What’s on the rise though, is the pivot to sustainability-focused roles. Let’s hope the smart people are reskilling and educating themselves to be ready for the green revolution.
Chief executive of urban policy think tank Committee for Sydney, Gabriel Metcalf, was the big news this week in resignations. He will leave his role at the end of this year to head back to the US. His deputy and director of strategy Ehssan Veiszadeh will act in the role from next year until a successor is found.
Chair of the board Michael Rose said since Mr Metcalf joined in January 2019, the committee’s research, advocacy and convening program has significantly expanded, increasing its operating budget from $1.6 million to $3.5 million.
Under Metcalf’s watch the think tank developed its first strategic plan, grew its team and expanded its events to 80 a year including the Sydney Awards and Sydney Summit.
Metcalf is stepping down for personal reasons to return back to the US where his previous role was president and CEO of urban planning organisation SPUR for 14 years.
“This is a bittersweet decision and it’s one that’s been driven entirely by personal reasons: it’s time for us to be closer to family in America,” he told stakeholders on Friday.
“I am leaving the committee in good hands. We have a truly incredible staff and board of directors.
“When we developed our strategic plan back in 2019, we decided to aim toward a goal that would express the ambition and the potential of the city – to make Sydney the best city in the world. I think we are making progress.
“Sydney is a beautiful miracle. Thank you for letting me be a part of it.”
The organisation this week joined some of Australia’s biggest organisations to place a double page advertisement in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian to call on the government to invest in electric vehicles.
Peter Oosterveer of global engineering consultant Arcadis will retire for personal reasons after six years as chief executive officer and chair of the executive board, in May 2023. He joined in 2011 through the acquisition of EC Harris.
Alan Brookes, current global chief operating officer, was named in his place.
Oosterveer said: “Alan and I have been working closely together for the last five years, and he has been instrumental in implementing many of the operational and strategic initiatives which have improved the impact Arcadis has with its clients, as well as in creating strong financial and non-financial results.”
The rise of the susty-focused role
In September Arcadis announced three sustainability hires across the globe, including Jane Boyle in the UK and Ireland, Michelle Bachir in North America, and Kealy Herman in the US.
They are all highly proficient strategic hires: Boyle joined from JLL, Bachir moved from Deloitte and Herman from Google.
In the same month the company also acquired all of the shares of Giftge Consult GmbH, a leading consulting and engineering company for energy transition solutions in Europe.
The acquisition will allow the company to broaden its service offerings and grow its energy transition solutions to clients globally.
Every week we hear that jobs in sustainability are growing through every facet of the business world, with job listings hunting for corporate sustainability professionals for newly-created roles in every industry.
From corporates doing the good work to the green-wash accused, there are sustainability-related roles now at:
H&M, McDonald’s, Procter & Gamble, Henkel, and JLL… the list goes on.
Tech giants are getting on the train with Facebook parent Meta currently looking for a sustainability program manager, climate resilience and biodiversity in the US.
Sustainability-focused roles are on the rise with CEOs for the first time ever, placing “environmental sustainability in their top 10 business priorities,” according to the 2022 Gartner CEO and Senior Business Executive Survey.
According to ratings from EcoVadis Arcadis now scores in the top 1 per cent of more than 90,000 companies worldwide in overall sustainability performance.
Rowan Griffin, sustainability and environment social governance (ESG) professional has started a new position as executive director of ESG at financial services firm QIC.
He’s moving over from head of sustainability at financial services firm HMC Capital after a long term role at Lendlease.
Non-susty jobs news
Greater Sydney Parklands (GSP) has a new chief executive in Joshua French – who has moved up from director of strategy, design and delivery to hold the top spot in the NSW government service.
GSP oversees more than 6000 hectares of parklands across Sydney, and hosts over 40 million visits each year.
Mr French has the background for the job. He’s been at Western Sydney Parklands, Transport for NSW, Lendlease, and Blue Mountains City Council.
The service has also strengthened its board with Kaylie Salvatori – landscape architect, Indigenous design strategist and co-founder of Indigenous-owned landscape architecture studio COLA Studio; and Sharon Veale – CEO, partner and director at heritage consultancy firm GML Heritage.
Rob Stokes made the announcement, stating that the board: “brings together a diverse range of expertise for our parklands, including a stronger voice for First Nations people, and experience in community consultation, environmental and conservation management, heritage or heritage management, landscape or park management, governance and risk and financial and property management.”
They join board members Michael Rose of the Committee for Sydney, Dr Robert Lang of Ability Options, Siobhan Toohill of Westpac, Ceinwen Kirk-Lennox of Charter Hall Long WALE REIT and Julie Bindon, previously acting commissioner of the NSW Land and Environment Court.
Sue Holliday, chair of Hume Community Housing and former professor of planning practice at the University of New South Wales has been appointed to a new position as non-executive director at Melbourne urban public policy consultants SGS Economics and Planning.
It’s a move that will underpin the certified B Corp’s future growth, as the team expands with several new positions available in its Melbourne practice.
Aurecon, which was recently named one of Australia’s most innovative companies by The Australian Financial Review, for a sixth year in a row, is investing in its social strategy with Allison Heller starting as director of social value, within the engagement and change advisory team.
She comes across from urban development consultancy Ethos Urban where she was director of social strategy.
Simon Benson is the new head of property finance at Dexus, moving over from Lendlease to the real estate group. Architecture and planning firm Urbis has hired a new director of stakeholder engagement in Calli Brown, alongside Dianne Knott. Brown previously worked at WSP in Australia, and Western Sydney Parklands Trust.