JCDecaux and IR Department take environmental, social and governance action
Out of home (OOH) company JCDecaux and investor and PR consultancy IR Department have each made big moves in the environmental, social and governance (ESG) space, both appointing new staff – and the latter launching its practice for the first time.
JCDecaux has appointed Alexandra Heaven as its first head of ESG for ANZ.
Alexandra Heaven, new head of ESG at JCDecaux.
Heaven will be responsible for delivering on the local execution of the company’s global ESG 2030 strategy.
She spent seven years at global food company Danone in Paris, working in a variety of ESG roles. Heaven was global lead – sustainability performance and reporting, global lead – business for inclusive growth, and co-lead – impact measurement, among other specialist roles.
CEO of JCDecaux Australia and New Zealand, Steve O’Connor, said: “Being a leader in ESG has long been a core part of our business both locally and globally.
“As we continue to expand our ambitious ESG commitments, the time is right to appoint a dedicated senior resource to bring to life the significant work already happening across our organisation. Alexandra brings extensive and valuable expertise including in European regulation and legislation, to ensure we keep leading the local market in this area,” he said.
On her appointment, Heaven said: “JCDecaux’s ESG strategy sets out ambitious and robust environmental, social and governance goals for 2030, and clearly demonstrates they are a forward-thinking media company.
“I’m thrilled to join as their first ever head of ESG for Australia and New Zealand and deliver on the clear opportunity to be a leader in the industry,” Heaven concluded.
Meanwhile, IR Department has launched its ESG practice, while appointing several new team members.
Ilona Marchetta will lead IR Department’s ESG offering.
The offering will be led by Ilona Marchetta, a certified ESG practitioner with over 20 years experience.
Marchetta is one of less than 100 certified ESG practitioners, under the GRI Framework in Australia. She has been with IR Department since 2016, and said the ESG practice was a natural expansion for the consultancy.
“The ESG landscape is complex to navigate and fast-evolving,” she said.
“The days of ESG as just a ‘nice-to-have’ or a feel-good exercise are long behind us. ESG performance is now a key risk indicator for investors, and it is crucial to a company’s success that their spokespeople can talk credibly on ESG topics – regardless of the size of the company.
“I’m looking forward to supporting our clients to operate and communicate to best practice ESG standards, no matter where they are on their journey,” said Marchetta.
IR Department founder and MD, Jane Lowe, said the new practice is a reflection of the consultancy’s drive to deliver results for clients.
“Our clients have been considering what their responsibilities are for ESG, how to best respond to growing interest on the topic from shareholders, and how to prepare for the changing regulatory landscape both in Australia and internationally. There is so much in the media about it and it’s quite hard to know where to start,” she said.
“The launch of our ESG practice is about supporting our clients to determine what their steps should look like in a manner that is fit for purpose – taking into consideration the type and size of the company, as well as market expectations.
“We’ve been working behind the scenes on this for about 12 months and delighted to announce Ilona Marchetta as ESG practice lead, supported by our other investor relations and communications experts,” concluded Lowe.
The consultancy has also welcomed Jack McLintock as corporate media relations manager; Annabelle Dick as media and communications specialist; and Anna Cvijetić as account manager.
(L-R): Dick, Cvijetić and McLintock
Lowe said: “With Jack, Annabelle and Anna joining the IR Department team, we’re adding deep domain experience across tech, biotech and capital markets. Their combined expertise will further elevate the work we do for our clients, and enable us to grow our consultancy further.”
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Lauren McNamara is a reporter at Mumbrella. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, having completed a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at the University of Technology, Sydney.
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Alexandra Heaven
Anna Cvijetić
Annabelle Dick
ESG
Ilona Marchetta
IR Department
Jack McLintock
Jane Lowe
JCDecaux
Steve O'Connor
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