Meet Kate, she leads the sustainability strategy for Kepak Group, where she helps to protect our environment. Kate spoke to us as part of our #IWD2021 series. Find out more about Kate and her role as Group Head of Sustainability below:
What is your name and your title?
Kate O’Driscoll – Group Head of Sustainability for Kepak
Describe your role with Kepak?
I lead the sustainability strategy for the company so as part of my role I try to promote sustainable farming methods and the use of environmentally friendly animal feeds. I’m also really focused on cutting down the amount of plastics and excessive packaging we use and ensuring we are recycling as many materials as possible.
Tell us about a typical day in your shoes?
My day-to-day priorities are often driven by the sustainability issues that our customers are focussed on or new government legislation being introduced in response to these issues. One day I’m studying best-in-class animal welfare standards and the next I’m examining the potential impact of environmental policies such as carbon tax. I try to stay ahead of the curve so we can be well-positioned to respond to society’s rapidly evolving sustainability agenda.
What do you love most about working for Kepak?
Working for Kepak has given me the opportunity to learn so many different elements of the business. While my primary focus is on driving the company’s sustainability initiatives, I’m given great exposure to a multitude of different elements of the business. Kepak also give me a certain level of autonomy which I feel has allowed me the freedom to grow in my role.
What is Kepak doing to innovate in sustainability?
Sustainability must be embraced and implemented across the whole value chain. We try hard not to give in to trends but rather stick to our longer-term strategic vision.
We believe that the key to a sustainable business is driving a culture of sustainability where everyone is given the opportunity to get involved. We have 5,000 employees if we can empower all those people to make even a little change that makes us a more sustainable business.