Monday July 10, 2017
On 28 June, Joanna Gilroy, Head of Sustainability at Bunzl Catering Supplies, won the Sustainability Executive of the Year award at the BusinessGreen Leaders Awards.
Held at The Brewery in London, this award recognises the individual who has delivered the greatest improvements in environmental performance and helped to make sustainability central to their company’s overall strategy.
Now in their seventh year, the BusinessGreen Leaders Awards are considered the biggest sustainability awards in Europe. They celebrate businesses, executives, entrepreneurs, investors and campaigners from across the green economy, highlighting how these pioneers are driving the emergence of innovative and sustainable new business models and technologies.
Joanna was singled out from the other nominees because of her passionate advocacy of environmental transformation, and for working tirelessly to embed sustainable best practices within Bunzl Catering Supplies. The judges were particularly impressed by her approach to working collaboratively across the industry and its value chain, to tackle the complex environmental challenges faced by the packaging and hospitality sectors.
Throughout her time at Bunzl Catering Supplies Joanna has pioneered an open, collaborative approach to finding solutions for packaging waste in the catering and hospitality industry. By building strong partnerships throughout the industry, from manufacture to disposal, Joanna has been instrumental in developing new credible, transparent and cost-effective waste solutions for our customers.
Speaking after the awards Joanna Gilroy said, “This award is very much an achievement for the whole business. To be recognised in this way would not have been possible without the incredible support and commitment I receive from my colleagues across the business. Our sustainability achievements so far have very much been a team effort and so I feel that this award is for us all.”
Matt Johnson, Managing Director at Bunzl Catering & Hospitality Division, attended the event with the nominees and partner suppliers, and comments “At Bunzl Catering & Hospitality Division we work closely with our people, our customers, our suppliers and other forward-thinking organisations, to innovate sustainable solutions that reduce impact on the environment. Joanna Gilroy has been instrumental in leading change through collaboration. Bringing people and expertise together, Joanna has championed a sustainable mindset in the business that ensures we are making hospitality happen for a more sustainable future.”
The Marketing Team were also nominated for the BusinessGreen Marketing Campaign of the Year award, narrowly missing out to social enterprise Hubbub Foundation.
The full list of winners were:
Marketing/Advertising Campaign of the Year
Hubbub Seasonal Food Waste Campaigns
Fast Track Company of the Year
POD Point
Employee Engagement Campaign of the Year
Hill+Knowlton Strategies’ Do Nation campaign
Consultancy of the Year
Greenshoot
Circular Economy Project of the Year
AECOM – Major Infrastructure Resource Optimisation Group
Ecosystem Project of the Year
The Crown Estate and Ecology Masterplan
Renewable Energy Project of the Year
SEaB Energy’s waste-to-energy technology solution for NHS
NGO of the Year
Carbon Tracker Initiative
Manufacturer of the Year
Greenvale AP
Green PR Company of the Year
Barley Communications
Green IT Project of the Year
UK Power Networks – Flexible Urban Networks – Low Voltage Project
Sustainability Report of the Year
HEINEKEN International’s 2016 Reporting Suite
Green Infrastructure Project of the Year
Camborne Energy Storage Limited
Green Transport Project of the Year
UPS Rolling Laboratory
Energy Efficiency Project of the Year
Schoolhaus at Redmoor Academy
Young Sustainability Executive of the Year
James Piper, Ecosurety
Sustainability Executive of the Year
Joanna Gilroy, Bunzl Catering Supplies
Sustainability Team of the Year
UK Power Networks’ Innovation Team
Politician of the Year
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London
Small Business of the Year
POD Point
Leader of the Year
Dr. Susie Tomson
Entrepreneur of the Year
Arthur Kay, CEO and Founder, bio-bean
Innovation of the Year
Limejump – Virtual Power Plant
Company of the Year
IKEA
Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
Christiana Figueres
