Australia-based Flight Centre Travel Group, one of the world’s largest travel operators, has appointed Michelle Degenhardt as its first global sustainability officer.
Degenhardt has been with the Brisbane-headquartered company for 17 years, most recently as its culture and employee engagement leader.
Degenhardt’s new role will involve her setting the company’s sustainability objectives and strategy, with a focus on people, environment and communities.
The role is “about reinforcing our longstanding commitment to operating sustainably across all areas of our business and establishing strategic mandates that drive the evolution of the travel industry,” Degenhardt told Eco-Business.
At Flight Centre Travel, which operates 550 overseas stores in 10 countries, she has been involved in the development of the company’s Responsible Travel charter and the creation of a head office recycling and waste reduction programme.
She takes on the position soon after Flight Centre Travel published its first sustainability report. The company’s FCM travel agency brand is soon to launch a new offering that helps enterprise customers select environmentally-minded travel options.
