Tuesday 11 January 2011

CA appoints chief sustainability officer

Software giant CA Technologies has promoted Cynthia Curtis to the role of chief sustainability officer.

Curtis will oversee CA's office of sustainability and is responsible for global sustainability strategy and initiatives.

Ken Bell, senior vice-president of global administrative services, said: "Since joining CA Technologies in 2010, Cynthia has established a track record with measurable results for the company's sustainability program."

Curtis said that "a mindset of sustainability-equals-innovation is essential to making an effective transition to this new economy" and added that she would "raise the bar in this area for CA."

Previously Curtis worked for Utimaco Software and EMC Global Services and was a vice-president at Unisys Corp.

The role of chief sustainability officer is a relatively new one in the boardroom, yet with more and more companies viewing their green credentials as a reputational issue, it is a post that it taken very seriously.

Last year, IKEA hired Steve Howard, the founder and chief executive of international NGO The Climate Group, as its chief sustainability officer. IKEA group president Mikael Ohlsson said at the time: "Sustainability is a cornerstone in our strategic direction. It is highly prioritised and serves as a catalyst for further innovation and development within IKEA."