Vanderbilt Business and UBC Sauder are honored to celebrate Women’s History Month by highlighting sustainability leaders who are driving real-world change in their industry and community.
Kate Brandt
Kate Brandt was the United States’ first Federal Chief Sustainability Officer and has held several sustainability leadership positions within the federal government, including Senior Advisor at the Department of Energy, Director for Energy and Environment in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, and Energy Advisor to the Secretary of the Navy. Her work helping the Navy adopt sustainability initiatives earned her the Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest award the U.S. Navy can give to a civilian.
Brandt is now Google’s Chief Sustainability Officer, overseeing sustainability in all of Google’s operations and products. In February 2024, she was involved in an innovative partnership between HSBC and Google Cloud which connects climate tech companies in Google’s Cloud Ready – Sustainability program with financing and support opportunities through HSBC.
Rhona DelFrari
Rhona DelFrari is the Chief Sustainability Officer & Senior Vice-President for Cenovus Energy. DelFrari works to integrate environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations into Cenovus’ strategy and business plans. DelFrari is also responsible for leading the company’s communications efforts and building strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders. This includes working with Indigenous community members, government officials and community partners.
DelFrari is also playing a role as Cenovus and Pathways Alliance advance initiatives to achieve net zero GHG emissions by 2050. She highlights the continued efforts from Canada’s oil industry in reducing emissions, saying, “The oil sands sector can play a significant role in helping Canada meet its Paris [Agreement] commitments, and also ensuring sustainably produced Canadian oil will remain the product of choice for people around the world.”
Kathryn Alsegaf
Kathryn Alsegaf is the Global Chief Sustainability Officer at Deloitte. One of the sustainability initiatives Deloitte is advancing under Alsegaf is the WorldClimate strategy, driving responsible climate choices within and beyond the organization. Some of the goals of the strategy include net-zero emissions by 2030, embedding sustainability within executive plans and leadership, engaging and educating Deloitte professionals on climate change impacts, and collaborating with clients, alliance partners, NGOs, industry groups, suppliers, and others to implement more seamless sustainability solutions.
Alsegaf is also responsible for Deloitte’s greenhouse gas inventory, development and tracking of carbon reduction goals, and for external reporting on sustainability.
Kathy Bardswick
Kathy Bardswick is the former CEO of the Co-operators Group. She is best known for her pioneering work embracing sustainability and climate change initiatives in the insurance industry. During her time in the Co-operators Group, Bardswick adopted The Natural Step framework. This resulted in a rise in paperless claims, remotely conducted audits, and a reduction in the organization’s fleet of vehicles.
In 2021, Bardswick was named chair of the Sustainable Finance Action Council, a joint initiative of the Ministries of Finance and Environment and Climate Change to mobilize capital toward achieving net-zero by 2050. She is best known as a leader of sustainable finance reform in Canada, leveraging her experience in the insurance industry towards passionate mission-oriented corporate sustainability.
Paulette Frank
Paulette Frank is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Johnson & Johnson and is responsible for many of the initial integrations of corporate sustainability initiatives at J&J. Under Frank, J&J introduced climate goals in 2020 such as transitioning to 100% renewable electricity and carbon neutrality, while also partnering with suppliers to reduce upstream carbon emissions. to 100% renewable electricity and carbon neutrality, while also partnering with suppliers to reduce upstream carbon emissions.
Before being appointed Chief Sustainability Officer, she served as J&J’s Vice President, Global Environmental Health, Safety & Sustainability. She is a member of the J&J Supply Chain Leadership Team and co-chairs the J&J Enterprise Governance Council. She is also a passionate advocate for advancing diversity, equity and inclusion and co-chairs the J&J Supply Chain Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council. Frank is also a strong advocate for advancing environmental health equity.
Fostering Excellence with the Global Certificate in Corporate Sustainability
Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management and the University of British Columbia Sauder School of Business are dedicated to promoting sustainability awareness and acknowledging its success by offering a fully online Global Certificate in Corporate Sustainability program. Centered around corporate sustainability, the program is designed to equip professionals with the knowledge, tools, and mindset to integrate sustainability into core business strategies, ensuring long-term resilience and success. By participating in this online certificate program, you will be empowered to:
- Define sustainability at your workplace.
- Uncover why businesses embrace sustainability and how they initiate change.
- Navigate external societal pressures and craft responsive strategies.
- Evaluate corporate eco-actions, climate strategies, and unique sustainability paths.
The program also honors and celebrates women sustainability professionals and experts of its own, including Leonora Zilkha Williamson, Vanderbilt Associate Professor of the Practice of Business Studies and Christie Stephenson, Executive Director of the UBC Sauder School of Business Peter P. Dhillon Centre for Business Ethics. Together with other leading faculty members from Vanderbilt Business and UBC Sauder, the online Global Certificate in Corporate Sustainability program aims to provide participants with the knowledge to drive sustainable change initiatives.