Ibstock plc has appointed Michael McGowan MSc as its Group Sustainability Manager.
Michael assumes the role with immediate effect having previously served as Quality, Environmental & Energy Manager at Ibstock Brick, part of Ibstock plc.
Michael McGowan is widely regarded to be a true leader in the field of sustainable manufacturing. He has been instrumental in shaping the company’s sustainability journey and developing new ways for the Ibstock brands to evolve responsibly. Along with his team, his work has been commended in several high-profile industry awards including a commendation at the 2018 BusinessGreen Awards as Manufacturer of the Year.
In his new role as Group Sustainability Manager, Michael will report to Mark Brind, the Group’s new Continuous Improvement and Sustainability Director. Michael will be responsible for the strategic leadership of sustainability across all of the brands that sit within the Ibstock plc portfolio. He will be a driving force for environmental efficiencies, innovation and best practice in key areas such as waste, energy and carbon reduction initiatives. He will also take the lead in further developing relationships with key stakeholders that will ensure Ibstock plc outperforms its peers from a sustainability performance perspective.
He will also lead a team focused on the development of a new corporate social responsibility roadmap of targets and metrics that will help Ibstock plc to place even greater focus on its role as a sustainable organisation.
Commenting on Michael’s new role, Ibstock plc’s Chief Executive Officer Joe Hudson commented: “Michael McGowan’s passionate belief in sustainability and environmentally responsible manufacturing has put our Brick business on track to achieve very significant improvements by 2020. His new group-wide role will now enable us to make step-change performance improvements in other parts of our business. His ‘people-first’ approach helps us to engage and involve people across Ibstock plc to work as a single team, drawing on both vast experience and fresh ideas. This is the start of a very important and exciting journey.”
Commenting on his new role Michael said: “I am absolutely delighted to take a group-wide lead on sustainability at Ibstock plc. I believe that it’s imperative that businesses such as ours demonstrate clear leadership in relation to improved sustainability performance. I take the view that this is best achieved if every employee understands their part in this and can see that their actions – no matter how small – have an impact on how we go about reducing our impact on the planet and precious, natural resources. I very much look forward to working with teams across our business to deliver on our goals and our vision.”
