Pentland Brands has appointed Sara Brennan as its positive business director, a new leadership role to oversee the organisation’s people and planet strategy.
Brennan, who joined the Berghaus, Ellesse, and Lacoste owner in January 2019 as head of corporate responsibility, will be tasked with looking at how the company can ramp up positive change, focusing on social and ecological matters.
Prior to Pentland Brands, Brennan held several sustainability and ethical trade roles across the FMCG, petroleum and chemical sectors, working at organisations including the Colart Group, Huntsman Corporation, and Givaudan.
She is a science & law graduate, and alumni of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, and she has a Masters in Sustainability and Responsibility from Ashridge Hult International Business School. She is now studying for a PhD in organisational change; looking at examining how organisations operate, change and adapt.
Chirag Patel, CEO of Pentland Brands, said: “As a business, we constantly factor in the social and environmental impact of what we do.
“Today, more than ever, it’s essential that we remain focused on our goal of being a positive business as it relates to people and our planet.”
The new recruit herself commented: “Pentland has a long track record of being a responsible business and I’m looking forward to working with everyone in the Pentland family – who I know really want us to make positive impact – across the areas of sustainability, ethical trade, health & wellbeing, and environment.”
Roles such as positive business director and those focused on overseeing environmental strategy are set to become more commonplace within business over the coming years, as governments and businesses work towards an increasing number of climate action goals.
Last year, Prince Charles called on organisations of all types to appoint chief sustainability officers and to align their commercial targets with environmental ones. Last week, via his Sustainable Markets Initiative, he launched a green business charter with the aim of “making a sustainable future the growth story of our time”.
[Image credit: Pentland Creative Agency]
