Laing O’Rourke has appointed experienced environmental, social and governance leader Vicky Bullivant as its first ever group head of sustainability. She will join the company on 21 June from Drax Group plc, where she was head of sustainable business, and will report to group director of legal Madeleina Loughrey-Grant.

The appointment comes a month after the company unveiled ambitious targets in a new global sustainability strategy. These include committing to achieve operational net zero by 2030; to be a net zero company before 2050; and achieving 50:50 gender balance across 5,500 global staff by 2033.

Bullivant will lead a newly created, dedicated sustainability function and be responsible for the implementation of detailed road maps to deliver the new sustainability targets in both the company’s operating hubs – Europe and Australia.

Group director Madeleina Loughrey-Grant said: “We are delighted that Vicky is joining us to accelerate our work to become a sustainable business. We have to find solutions to help address some of the most complex and important challenges of our time and find new ways to support our clients to design and construct greener buildings and infrastructure projects. This requires leadership, collaboration and innovation, and Vicky’s experience will help us challenge ourselves to decarbonise faster and to deliver our sustainability ambitions at pace.”

Bullivant added: “I am delighted to be joining Laing O’Rourke at an exciting time on its sustainability journey. The business knows it has to go further faster and has set ambitious targets in terms of decarbonising its own operations, working with supply chain partners to reduce GHG emissions and delivering social value by helping people to thrive. I am looking forward to meeting my new colleagues, learning from them and implementing plans that help Laing O’Rourke achieve its mission to be the construction sector’s recognised leader for innovation and excellence.”

At Drax, Bullivant was responsible for developing the business’ climate ambition, social strategy and community and charity policies. She also implemented plans to ensure early compliance with the Taskforce on Climate Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) requirements. Prior to joining Drax, she held senior sustainability roles across the UK, Europe, US and Asia at Tate & Lyle plc and Rolls-Royce plc, having begun her career in the public sector after gaining a BSc from London Metropolitan University and an MSc from the University of Aberdeen.