International professional services giant Deloitte has installed its inaugural Global Sustainability Leader. Jennifer Steinmann will head up Deloitte’s newly unified Sustainability & Climate wing.
Steinmann has spent the last 26 years with Deloitte, having joined as a Principal in the company’s Financial Services and Strategy Development wing. Most recently, she was a member of Deloitte’s senior leadership team, and held various leadership positions at Deloitte including Deloitte US Chief Talent Officer and Deloitte US Deputy CEO.
As Deloitte’s inaugural Global Sustainability & Climate Practice Leader, she will provide cross-business leadership as the firm looks to push ahead with its own climate goals. Meanwhile, Steinmann will also drive critical changes around some of the most important challenges Deloitte’s clients face today and in the future.
Commenting on her new challenge, Steinmann noted, “We believe a better future is possible and getting there will depend on a profound and lasting change in attitude and behaviour. Deloitte is committed to helping clients move from sustainability and climate commitments to action. We will do so by working with organisations to create a transformation plan as well as helping drive collaboration across a broader ecosystem – of suppliers, clients and customers, policymakers, and alliance partners across industries.”
The moves comes as Deloitte – the world’s largest professional services firm by revenue – invests $1 billion into its new sustainability brand. The Deloitte Sustainability & Climate practice aims to develop and deploy thought leadership, research, and solutions to support clients as they redefine their strategies, embed sustainability into their operations, meet tax, disclosure, and regulatory requirements, relating to their environmental impacts.
The new service reflects a running theme across the consulting sector: while firms are determined to get their own houses in order on the climate by reducing their carbon footprints, many accept they will have a greater impact if they can help clients downsize their emissions. For example, when it announced its net zero plans in 2020, Big Four rival PwC also put its role in the broader business world at the heart of its sustainability efforts.
Speaking on Deloitte’s plans, Punit Renjen, Deloitte Global CEO, stated, “This is our way of not only holding ourselves accountable for accelerating progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and commitments of the Paris Agreement, but effectively facilitating action across the business community.”
