Marriott International joined with British Airways and the Institute of Travel and Meetings to host a dedicated travel industry forum to discuss global social and environmental trends on 4 April. The event, at the St Pancras Renaissance London Hotel was attended by more than 120 corporate travel buyers and included special guest speakers such as Ipsos MORI CEO, Ben Page and Bernard Harrop, Head of Sustainability, Global Business Travel Association Foundation.Ben Page set the scene for the day’s discussion by encouraging companies to move beyond basic environmental programmes and address more complex and challenging CSR issues including social innovation and long-term industry collaboration.
Page commented, “Most global companies now recognise the importance of corporate social responsibility. They have impressive and robust CSR strategies that are embedded in company culture, especially in regard to environmental policies. However, there is still a long way to go and companies need to think hard about their involvement with local communities, improving living standards, education and fostering strong local economies, at a time when trust in business generally remains low.”
A presentation on British Airways’ social and environmental strategies was given by Jonathon Counsell, Head of Environment while Barbara Powell and Hemma Varma, Corporate Social Responsibility, Marriott Europe presented on Marriott’s social and environmental strategies.
Hemma Varma, Senior Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility, Marriott Europe said, “We were pleased to be able to collaborate with one of our top business partners, British Airways, to showcase our aligned commitment to sustainable operations and supply chain management. The interactive format of the day enabled travel buyers to tell us what they thought of our strategies and programmes – opinions that will help shape our future direction.”
A panel discussion on how to ‘Avoid the Horrors Lurking In Your Supply Chain’ was moderated by Bernard Harrop with panellists including Carmel Giblin, CEO, SEDEX, Sandy Moring, Senior Director & Head of Sustainability, Carlson Wagonlit Travel UK & Ireland, Fran Hughes, Head of Programmes, International Tourism Partnership, Mark Avery, Head of Business Services, PwC and Jonathon Counsell, Head of Environment, British Airways.
