What does a typical day look like for you?

It depends on the day! I tend to make my way into the office early, get up to speed with some critical tasks and then delve into the external world – getting up to speed with any news and insights related to industry and customers.

The rest of the day is typically spent collaborating with different functions across the business. This may include working closely with the Sustainability team across key strategic pillars, partnering with Customer teams on sustainability engagement and contributing to internal and external communications in collaboration with Corporate Affairs, Marketing, Legal and People teams. It also involves attending industry and partner engagements, supporting capability-building initiatives with the People team and working on process improvement projects to streamline workflows and resources across the business.

Tell us about your career journey. How did you get to your current role at Opal? 

While I was studying, I was introduced to the concept of Sustainability. At the time, Corporate Sustainability roles were very far and few between – the function wasn’t established yet.

I have spent my career working “customer side” bringing to life local and global brand platforms. About eight years ago, a shift started in the industry with a real focus on “conscious consumption” and with it I made the move to work with businesses and brands helping incorporate sustainability as part of their strategies and communications. Over the years, I realised that suppliers were instrumental to the delivery of a customer’s sustainability strategy and there was a lot of opportunity to help support that impact from within, so last year I made the switch to “supplier side” and have loved working with a variety of brand owners.

What do you enjoy most about your job? 

I love working for a business that tangibly supports a transition to a sustainable, more circular future, through its integrated value chain and the products and services that we provide every day to our customers, helping them work towards their own sustainability goals. Working with people is also great, whether that’s engaging with our customers or industry colleagues or coming into the office most days to collaborate in person!

What’s one thing most people don’t know about working at Opal? 

That there is a plethora of amazing sustainability projects, driven by passionate team members happening across Opal’s sites and divisions every day that help us move in the right direction and bring our strategy to life! Whenever I have a chance to visit one of Opal’s sites, I leave inspired by the wonderful stories and shared learnings from across the business.

Read more about Opal’s Sustainability journey here.