Big Red Group appoint new chief sustainability officer

The newly created role of chief sustainability officer will see Jemma Fastnedge leading the company’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) agenda across the organisation.

“We have a responsibility to protect the natural environments, cultural diversity and heritage we showcase through the experiences we sell, and we’re currently witnessing the industry focus shift from ‘growth at any cost’, to ‘growth compatible with society and environment’,” said Ms Fastnedge.

“I am eager to take the whole organisation on a journey, and also to support our thousands of experience providers to deliver positive change.”

With over 19 years’ experience in the travel industry, Ms Fastnedge has previously held roles as CEO at RedBalloon, co-founded employee engagement program Redii, and most recently was the chief operating officer at Big Red Group.

Her newest role will see her managing the ESG of many established brands such as RedBalloon, Adrenaline, Experience Oz, Local Agent and Lime&Tonic.

CEO of Big Red Group, David Anderson said: “Since our foundation in 2017, social impact and governance have been core to the Big Red Group journey.”

“We’ve been ambitious in the positive environmental and societal legacy of the business, and we’re excited to have Jemma solely focused on bringing this to life at a time when the broader travel industry is bouncing back,” he said.

The Big Red Group centres their ESG framework around the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. The three pillars are as follows:
- Less stuff more stories
- Connection to country
- Experiential inclusion

The next 12 months will see Big Red Group committing to zero net emissions, as they “work collaboratively with its 2,500+ supply partners to understand and reduce scope 3 emissions.”

Jack Campbell

Jack is the editor at HR Leader.