07 November 2023 - Belmond has appointed Carmel McQuaid as Head of Environmental and Social Impact, effective from 2nd January 2024.
In this role, Carmel will be responsible for delivering on Belmond’s environmental and social ambitions. She will further shape the brand’s global sustainability strategy and lead the execution of key global environmental and social projects as well as partnerships across the business.
In her previous role, Carmel worked at Marks & Spencer as their Head of ESG, focusing on addressing environmental and social challenges across the business, including working closely with her leadership team towards becoming a net zero business. Throughout her 15+ years’ experience, she has been instrumental in driving forward one of the most pioneering sustainability programmes, delivering on ambitious ESG commitments, whilst building trusted relationships with stakeholders and constantly raising the bar to meet increased customer and investor expectations.
Carmel McQuaid said: ‘Belmond is renowned for one-of-a-kind experiences and its genuine connections with the destinations where they operate; I recognise an opportunity to further extend the ethos of service and care to the people and places that make Belmond so unique. I look forward to further building on the work that the company has already delivered across its environmental and social impact work.’
Dan Ruff, CEO, said: ‘Carmel joins us at an exciting time. Through a rigorous assessment across our business over the past year, Belmond is entering a new phase in its transformative journey, particularly focusing on environmental and social responsibility. 2024 will see our brand accelerating our efforts, introducing new initiatives and actionable roadmaps that aim to create long-lasting positive impacts on the business, the industry and most importantly, the communities we serve. ‘
With environmental and social responsibility serving as a key foundation in Belmond’s strategic plan, Belmond will accelerate its efforts as it sets ambitious goals to reduce its impact and reliance on natural resources while driving positive change. The brand will launch a pilot programme at ten properties which will create tailored and actionable roadmaps for them to meet the rigorous LVMH Life 360’s sustainability targets. In parallel, it will implement three flagship projects that focus on increasing the use of renewable energy, reducing freshwater withdrawal and creating a Gastronomy Academy to guide its work in reducing impact in food and beverage.
In the meantime, through a global partnership with EarthCheck, the world’s leading scientific benchmarking, certification and advisory group for travel and tourism, all eligible Belmond properties are set to receive EarthCheck Silver certification by the first half of 2024. This robust benchmarking and auditing process will establish baselines that will be used to measure and improve our performance across energy, water and waste.
