Sue Garrard

Key speaking topics

• Corporate sustainability strategy
• Embedding sustainability in large organisations
• Sustainable growth and brand performance
• Business response to investor and market pressure
• Governance and purpose-led business
• Net zero strategy and organisational transition
• Public–private sector leadership experience

Ideal for

• Boards and executive teams
• Sustainability and ESG leaders
• Brand and marketing leadership teams
• Organisations embedding purpose into business strategy

Audience outcomes

• Clear understanding of how to embed sustainability into core business strategy
• Insight into aligning sustainability with brand and commercial performance
• Perspective on navigating investor and stakeholder scrutiny
• Practical lessons from large-scale organisational change
• Clarity on governance and leadership for purpose-driven business

Why organisations work with Sue Garrard

• Senior executive experience leading sustainability at global scale within a FTSE-listed organisation.
• Direct involvement in integrating sustainability with brand growth and business performance.
• Experience advising major international companies on sustainability strategy.
• Credibility across corporate, public sector and non-profit governance contexts.

Biography

Sue Garrard brings senior-level experience in embedding sustainability at the heart of a global business. As former Executive Vice President, Sustainable Business and Communications at Unilever, she led the integration of the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan across the organisation, overseeing progress against more than 70 time-bound targets and aligning sustainability with core commercial strategy.

During her tenure, she contributed to positioning sustainability as a driver of brand performance, with the company publicly reporting that its sustainable living brands outperformed the wider portfolio. She was also part of the senior executive response to the Kraft Heinz approach, giving her first-hand experience of strategic decision-making under intense investor and market scrutiny.

Today, Sue advises boards and executive teams on embedding sustainability into strategy, governance and operational delivery. Her advisory work includes organisations such as Mars, ABF/Primark, Lloyds Bank, NatWest Banking Group, Natura, Danone and O2, supporting leadership teams navigating the commercial, reputational and regulatory dimensions of sustainable business.

She is Chair of Trustees of Blueprint for Better Business and a founder Trustee, reflecting her ongoing focus on responsible corporate leadership. A Fellow at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and Visiting Fellow at Cranfield, she contributes to executive education programmes focused on sustainability and leadership.

Earlier in her career, Sue held senior public sector leadership roles, including Director General for Customer Strategy and Communications at the UK Department for Work and Pensions. She also worked in senior positions in advertising and public affairs, and began her career in the UK Department of Energy, including work connected to the privatisation of British Gas and the ‘Tell Sid’ campaign.

This blend of corporate, public sector and governance experience gives her a practical perspective on how large organisations can embed sustainability into strategy, brand and performance at scale.