Accor appoints chief sustainability officer

Accor has appointed Brune Poirson to the role of chief sustainability officer, where she  will report directly to Sébastien Bazin, chairman and CEO, and become a member of the executive committee. 

According to Accor, her role will be to “define, drive and monitor the commitments, the strategy and the roll-out of the group’s action plans in terms of sustainable development”. She will also be responsible for the Accor Solidarity Foundation and the All Heartists Fund. 

Poirson has dual experience working in the private and public sector, and has “always been committed to sustainable development”. Within the French government, she championed the anti-waste law, which among other things addressed plastic pollution, and has been a member of major organizations both in France and internationally. 

Until recently, she was a member of the French Parliament, and for three years was Secretary of State for the Environmental Transition. She was the first French person to be elected vice president of the United Nations Environment Assembly.

Poirson began her career in London, within NESTA, the UK-based Innovation Foundation, subsequently moving to the French Development Agency, and the Veolia group in India, before working in a green start-up incubator in Boston.  

Sébastien Bazin, Accor chairman and CEO said: “For more than 25 years, Accor has been at the forefront of efforts to address the environmental and human challenges related to the development of travel and tourism.

“With Brune Poirson’s appointment, I want us to scale up our commitments in terms of environmental protection, give fresh impetus to our efforts to support our local communities and uphold, wherever we operate, our strong beliefs and our actions.” 

He added: “Taking positive action to support the environment and the men and women who drive our industry on a daily basis is a must. In this area too, I want us to set an example by being both daring and trailblazing.”

Brune Poirson, Accor chief sustainability officer said: “I am delighted to be joining a global leader in hospitality and to be able to contribute my experience and beliefs, and to take action. 

“Through more than 5,100 hotels worldwide, hundreds of owners and partners, several hundred million guests and the experienced teams in the field, we have a wonderful opportunity to take practical and decisive action on a daily basis. In this new role, I want to help to further the vision that Accor has had since its creation – bringing to life positive, contemporary and responsible hospitality.”