AUSTRALIA / AGILITYPR.NEWS / October 04, 2021 / International engineering, design and advisory company Aurecon has announced its Managing Director – Energy, Resources & Water, Paul Gleeson, will also take on the newly created role of Group Director, Sustainability. The additional role will see him supporting Aurecon’s sustainability and climate change strategy, including growing the climate transition risk services business and managing Aurecon’s corporate sustainability transparency.

Aurecon CEO, William Cox, said Gleeson has been instrumental in shaping how Aurecon will meet its sustainability and climate change challenges.

“Sustainability and climate change are an integral part of Aurecon’s strategy. We believe we play a vital role in helping the communities and economies in which we operate transition to a net zero carbon future. We are supporting this transition by setting targets, metrics, and policies that reduce the direct impact of our operations on the environment. This includes becoming net zero carbon in our operations by 2025.”

“However, our biggest contribution will come from helping our clients to manage their climate-related risks and improve the sustainability of their operations. Paul understands the challenges and opportunities for future industries and business models, assets and workforces having navigated the energy transition for governments and industry for more than a decade.”

Gleeson is already working with organisations and governments globally to protect and enhance their performance by responding to the risks and opportunities presented by sustainability and climate change.

“We have to keep doing everything we can to limit climate change but we also need to accept that change is coming, and in some cases we are already starting to experience the affects, so as advisors and engineers we need to be planning and designing for the future, not the past..”

He noted the rapid hike in major companies announcing net zero targets. “This is increasingly an essential expectation from employees, clients and stakeholders – not just regulators. This is the most important work we will ever do in terms of making a positive contribution to society.”

Aurecon is a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact and is a supporter of the Australian Industry Energy Transition Initiative to accelerate the impact of emissions reductions across hard-to-abate sectors.