

Former EVP of Sustainable Business at Unilever and Global Sustainability Strategy Advisor
Helping leaders embrace sustainability strategies for a better future.
Biography
Sue was, until Autumn 2018, EVP Sustainable Business and Communications at Unilever. She now runs her own business, as an advisor on sustainability strategy for companies wishing to step change their strategy and commitment to sustainability. Current and recent clients include Mars; Primark; Lloyds Bank; Nat West Banking Group; Coutts; Natura; Danone; RHS; Heineken; and O2. Both Primark and the RHS launched ambitious sustainability plans in September 2021 based on work led by Sue.
Sue complements her paid client work by working with a range of sustainability focussed organisations on a pro-bono basis, and aims to donate 5% of her fee income each year to charity. In 2021 she will have donated around 20%.
Sue is the Chair of the independent not for profit organisation, Blueprint for Better Business. She is on the Board of the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit, is a Fellow at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, tutoring regularly on their senior executive education programmes. She is a Visiting Fellow at Cranfield School of Business Management, and a Fellow of the RSA. In November 2020 Forbes magazine placed Sue 13th in a list of the top 100 women sustainability influencers worldwide.
Before joining Unilever, Sue was a Director General in the Department of Work and Pensions, as head of Customer Strategy and Communications, tackling two defining social issues – minimising long term unemployment during the global recession, and avoiding pensioner poverty.
Sue has had two spells in Government, and a 15-year spell in between working in marketing, advertising agencies and public affairs.
Sue recently renovated an old farmhouse, which included stripping out the oil-fired heating system and replacing it with an air source heat pump and fully insulated outside walls, floors and attic. Apart from needing to rob a bank for the capital cost, she’s delighted with the result, and her home now has a zero carbon footprint.
Topics
You may want to go deeper into a topic for your audience. The keynote topics can be tailored and developed to suit your audience needs, be it a 90 minute Masterclass, half-day, full-day workshop or a full online or face to face programme we can help. Please contact one of our expert team to discuss.
- How to create sustainability strategies that align with business objectives
- How to get ahead on sustainability
- What businesses can do now to be more sustainable