Laing O’Rourke has appointed Vicky Bullivant as its first group head of sustainability, a month after the firm unveiled a target to achieve operational net zero carbon emissions by 2030.
Bullivant joins from power generation firm Drax Group, where she was head of sustainable business and responsible for developing the business’ climate ambition, social strategy and community and charity policies. She will report to group director of legal, Madeleina Loughrey-Grant.
Laing O’Rourke also aims to be a net zero company before 2050 and to achieve 50:50 gender balance across 5,500 global staff by 2033.
Bullivant will lead a newly created sustainability function and be responsible for the implementation of “detailed road maps” to deliver the new sustainability targets in both the company’s operating hubs – Europe and Australia.
Loughrey-Grant said: “We are delighted that Vicky is joining us to accelerate our work to become a sustainable business. We have to find solutions to help address some of the most complex and important challenges of our time and find new ways to support our clients to design and construct greener buildings and infrastructure projects. This requires leadership, collaboration and innovation, and Vicky’s experience will help us challenge ourselves to decarbonise faster and to deliver our sustainability ambitions at pace.”
Bullivant added: “I am delighted to be joining Laing O’Rourke at an exciting time on its sustainability journey. The business knows it has to go further faster and has set ambitious targets in terms of decarbonising its own operations, working with supply chain partners to reduce GHG emissions and delivering social value by helping people to thrive. I am looking forward to meeting my new colleagues, learning from them and implementing plans that help Laing O’Rourke achieve its mission to be the construction sector’s recognised leader for innovation and excellence.”
