Abbie Reynolds, head of sustainability at Vodafone NZ, has been appointed executive director of the NZ Sustainable Business Council.
Ms Reynolds is currently also head of the Vodafone Foundation, and has previously led sustainability and regulatory work at Spark, the UK’s Cable & Wireless and as a resource management/environment solicitor for Bell Gully.
“The Sustainable Business Council’s work has had a significant impact on supporting New Zealand businesses to be more sustainable,” Ms Reynolds said. “It’s a privilege to be able to build on the great work that has been done to date and to ensure we have the right environment to move further and faster in the future.”
The SBC currently has 85 members, including some of the country’s largest firms, with a combined economic influence amounting to about one-third of private sector GDP.
Some of the areas the SBC will continue to champion include action on climate change, governance, social impact and ecosystem health. Ms Reynolds will also be growing the organisation’s focus on mainstreaming sustainable business practices in NZ.
She takes up the reins in March following the departure of current executive director Penny Nelson in February. Ms Nelson will be taking up the position of deputy secretary sector strategy at the Central Government’s Ministry for the Environment.