21st June marks the 11th anniversary of the Supply Chain Sustainability School, an industry-wide collaboration to enable a sustainable built environment.
To mark this occasion, we spoke with Hilary Hurrey, Head of the Supply Chain Sustainability School. We asked her to reflect on the history of the School, her experiences since joining, and what lies ahead for the School.
Tell us about yourself:
I’m Hilary, and I am an avid (slow) runner who loves being outside whenever I can. I have two children, a cat and a husband, who also works in sustainability. I like to think, as a family, we are making our mark on the world for the better by making as many small changes as we can!
How long have you worked at the Supply Chain Sustainability School?
I have worked for Action Sustainability (the School’s delivery partner) for over 8 years. I joined to help launch the offsite section of the Supply Chain Sustainability School. Now I am Head of the School, leading the team forward to deliver high-quality training and content for our Partners’ internal teams and supply chains.
How has the School impacted the built environment industry during this time?
I have seen the School grow from just over 40 Partners and a membership of around 2,500 to a whopping 197 Partners and 5,500 member companies (representing just over 24,000 active individuals).
There are now 20 different collaborative leadership groups. These are driven by our industry Partners, all of whom want to inspire change and support their supply chains to build more sustainably. They have helped establish the School’s solid reputation in the industry for enabling businesses (of all sizes) in the built environment to understand what changes they can make to have an impact; our annual Impact Report demonstrates this.
What has been your proudest moment?
It’s hard to choose a specific moment, but I am continually proud of those who are part of the School – from the core delivery team who work hard every day to ensure that the School delivers excellent training to the Partners who work with us to make it all happen. Everybody involved is so passionate about making change for the better. It’s a great team to be part of! I was especially delighted to see the School being recognised for this collaborative effort in 2022 when we received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development.
What’s next for the School?
The School will continue to build upon the impact it has made so far, inspiring the leaders in the built environment to want to make a change and helping to make that change happen. Our vision is an industry where everyone will have the skills and knowledge to deliver a sustainable future.
Connect with Hilary on LinkedIn.
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