BCD Travel hired new vice president of sustainability to continue driving initiatives across six sustainability focus areas

UTRECHT, The Netherlands, November 17, 2022 – Leading travel management company (TMC) BCD Travel announced the appointment of Olivia Ruggles-Brise to the role of vice president, sustainability effective Nov. 14.

Ruggles-Brise joined BCD with more than 20 years of experience in international travel, tourism, hospitality and events in a variety of strategic sustainability, communications, policy and research roles. She previously was director for Greenview, a consulting and research firm that supports hospitality organizations in designing environmental, social and governance sustainability strategies. Prior to that she spent a decade at the World Travel & Tourism Council where she oversaw the organization’s policy, strategy and sustainability work. She will play an integral role in aligning and driving initiatives throughout BCD’s six sustainability focus areas. Ruggles-Brise will also actively engage with key stakeholders, partners and groups within the industry, using strategic collaboration to ensure continued progress for sustainability.

“I’m thrilled to bring my expertise in both travel and sustainability to BCD Travel at such a critical time in the current sustainability landscape,” said Ruggles-Brise. “Among the top global travel management companies, BCD has taken the lead in sustainability and is committed to creating stronger ethical, social and environmental business practices for the benefit of future generations.”

BCD’s Kathy Jackson served as vice president and executive chair, sustainability before announcing her retirement earlier this year. Ruggles-Brise will report directly to April Bridgeman, senior vice president at BCD Travel and managing director of Advito.

“Sustainability is at the core of everything we do. Olivia’s leadership and expertise will help us plot a course for the future of sustainability in the corporate travel industry. Our commitment goes beyond our environmental impact – we are taking broader accountability across our entire sustainability program,” said BCD President and CEO John Snyder.

BCD formally adopted its corporate social responsibility principles in 2007 and in 2017 transitioned to its global sustainability program with six focus areas, including governance, ethics and compliance; workplace practices; environment; sustainable procurement; service performance; and charity and community support. Its program aligns with key sustainability frameworks including the U.N. Global Compact, the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Reporting Initiative.

Growing sustainably is a priority for BCD demonstrated by a continual score increase in annual third-party assessments conducted by EcoVadis. The world leader in global sustainability ratings gave BCD its third consecutive Platinum rating for outstanding sustainability performance and validated best practices earlier this year. This maintains BCD’s position in the top 1% of more than 100,000 companies assessed.

BCD also has a focus on reducing its environmental impact and is the first TMC to both commit to the Science Based Targets initiative and have its target validated. As part of this year’s EcoVadis assessment, BCD’s Carbon Management Level has been rated as Advanced for EcoVadis’ Carbon Action Module. This solution is designed to help procurement, sustainability teams and trading partners collaborate on and address the need for carbon emissions reductions in the supply chain. With the appointment of Ruggles-Brise, BCD is set to build on this solid foundation. For more information on BCD’s sustainability program, download the 2022 Sustainability Update.