One of the most inspiring aspects of working in my field at a global hospitality company is that not only does everyone work together to create a better way to experience the world for our guests, but also that our 200,000-plus associates worldwide have the opportunity to create a better world to experience. The collective power that comes from each associates’ efforts in their local community to protect the delicate ecosystems and help economies thrive through our business decisions, volunteer efforts and corporate philosophy has a profound impact.
As hoteliers, caring for the local environment and community is a natural extension of hospitality. However, I’ve seen the emphasis on doing the right thing – what some might call working for purpose – increase over the course of my career across industries. The work that was once a nice-to-have or solely for risk mitigation to cover basic environmental or philanthropic requirements is now a requirement for investors, customers, guests and the local communities in which we operate and influence. As business’ constituents expect companies to do the right thing, taking small steps such as initiating a recycling program or committing to reducing our carbon footprint is not enough.
I completely agree.
As someone who has worked her entire career helping companies or clients reduce their impact on the environment whether working as a young engineer in industry, as part of a charitable foundation or as a consultant, the progression is a welcome change.
It’s good for our people and our planet. Plus, it makes good business sense.
The decisions that companies make can mitigate business risk, communicate our values, reinforce our culture and attract the right talent. In addition, companies that truly integrate sustainability into their overall business strategy are proven to outperform their counterparts.
According to a Nielsen survey, 66% of consumers in 60 countries would pay more for brands that are sustainable and socially responsible. When we recently polled Starwood’s most loyal consumers, nearly 90% said that it was important to them that Starwood was environmentally and socially responsible, with more than 50% calling it “extremely important” or “very important.”
Because of this increase in demand, I’ve seen the emphasis on roles like mine become more and more integrated throughout organizations and with a focus on driving results and integrating change management.
As Vice President of Sustainability, my team members are subject matter experts that work with associates across the business and across the corporate landscape. On a daily basis, we intersect with Architecture and Design, Brands, Food & Beverage, Operations, Legal and Supply Chain both globally and with our divisional regions. Whether we’re mapping our water risk against our global portfolio, consulting and coordinating with a NGO on sustainable food and beverage, or researching the newest building technology that helps us reduce our global footprint while cutting costs, we’re able to offer specific guidance that touches every aspect of the organization. In addition, our reach is external as well. From working with our owners on reducing the operating costs of their assets through energy and water efficiency to working with my counterparts on industry leading collaborations like the Hotel Water Measurement Initiatives through the International Tourism Partnership.
As such, the members of my team and teams like mine across companies around the world have a unique perspective of the organization and are better equipped at doing their own jobs but also help translate learnings from one part of the organization to another.
The evolution of the sustainability role within organizations has been an interesting and thought provoking thing for me to watch over the last twenty plus years. I believe that the importance of sustainable practices made even greater now with the agreements coming out of COP21 in Paris will continue to grow as the decisions we make have a pronounced impact on our people, the planet and profitability of the organizations and companies we work for and with.
Purpose@Work is a new series of discussions designed to explore how we can infuse a deep sense of purpose into our work - through our organizations, our people, and our impact in society.
How are you taking purpose to the next level in your workplace? Let us know at PurposePlusProfit@huffingtonpost.com or by tweeting with #PurposeAtWork.
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
As hoteliers, caring for the local environment and community is a natural extension of hospitality. However, I’ve seen the emphasis on doing the right thing – what some might call working for purpose – increase over the course of my career across industries. The work that was once a nice-to-have or solely for risk mitigation to cover basic environmental or philanthropic requirements is now a requirement for investors, customers, guests and the local communities in which we operate and influence. As business’ constituents expect companies to do the right thing, taking small steps such as initiating a recycling program or committing to reducing our carbon footprint is not enough.
I completely agree.
As someone who has worked her entire career helping companies or clients reduce their impact on the environment whether working as a young engineer in industry, as part of a charitable foundation or as a consultant, the progression is a welcome change.
It’s good for our people and our planet. Plus, it makes good business sense.
The decisions that companies make can mitigate business risk, communicate our values, reinforce our culture and attract the right talent. In addition, companies that truly integrate sustainability into their overall business strategy are proven to outperform their counterparts.
According to a Nielsen survey, 66% of consumers in 60 countries would pay more for brands that are sustainable and socially responsible. When we recently polled Starwood’s most loyal consumers, nearly 90% said that it was important to them that Starwood was environmentally and socially responsible, with more than 50% calling it “extremely important” or “very important.”
Because of this increase in demand, I’ve seen the emphasis on roles like mine become more and more integrated throughout organizations and with a focus on driving results and integrating change management.
As Vice President of Sustainability, my team members are subject matter experts that work with associates across the business and across the corporate landscape. On a daily basis, we intersect with Architecture and Design, Brands, Food & Beverage, Operations, Legal and Supply Chain both globally and with our divisional regions. Whether we’re mapping our water risk against our global portfolio, consulting and coordinating with a NGO on sustainable food and beverage, or researching the newest building technology that helps us reduce our global footprint while cutting costs, we’re able to offer specific guidance that touches every aspect of the organization. In addition, our reach is external as well. From working with our owners on reducing the operating costs of their assets through energy and water efficiency to working with my counterparts on industry leading collaborations like the Hotel Water Measurement Initiatives through the International Tourism Partnership.
As such, the members of my team and teams like mine across companies around the world have a unique perspective of the organization and are better equipped at doing their own jobs but also help translate learnings from one part of the organization to another.
The evolution of the sustainability role within organizations has been an interesting and thought provoking thing for me to watch over the last twenty plus years. I believe that the importance of sustainable practices made even greater now with the agreements coming out of COP21 in Paris will continue to grow as the decisions we make have a pronounced impact on our people, the planet and profitability of the organizations and companies we work for and with.
Purpose@Work is a new series of discussions designed to explore how we can infuse a deep sense of purpose into our work - through our organizations, our people, and our impact in society.
How are you taking purpose to the next level in your workplace? Let us know at PurposePlusProfit@huffingtonpost.com or by tweeting with #PurposeAtWork.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
