Tritax Group, the market leading logistics real estate investment manager, is pleased to announce the appointment of Alan Somerville as Director of ESG.
In his role, Alan will lead the development and implementation of the Group’s ESG strategy, as it seeks to strengthen its ESG capabilities and reporting at a Manager and Fund level.
Alan started full time on 1 April 2022, based in the London office, having provided some consultancy support since the start of the year.
Alan is a highly experienced sustainability expert, most recently advising boards, investors and international businesses on ESG strategy development, implementation and engagement programmes. He has led zero carbon, climate change mitigation, green financing, technology integration and ESG disclosure in his role running ESG consultancy Governex Group and in former roles where he has worked as Executive Director for BRE (Building Research Establishment); Head of Energy, Infrastructure and Sustainability at Cushman & Wakefield; and Director of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation Bid Team at Capita. He started his career at Grosvenor and is a qualified Chartered Surveyor.
Alan is a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Energy Studies, APPG for Net Zero, the Green Finance Institute, UKGBC Leaders Network and a regular UK government consultee on evolving carbon based legislation. He was previously a member of the GRESB European Benchmark Committee and advisor to the GRESB Infrastructure Benchmark Taskforce.
Alan’s appointment is one of a number of recent hires, including Tim O’Reilly as Director of Strategic Power; Henry Stratton as Head of Research; Sophie Castle as Head of People Development; Nicola Krafft as Director of Marketing and Communications; Steven Bell as Property Manager and Alex Macdonald as Fund Controller.
On Alan’s appointment Petrina Austin, Head of Asset Management for Tritax Group, said:
“ESG is embedded in our approach and the way we think about all of our operations at a Manager and asset level. By appointing someone of Alan’s calibre, with such a deep understanding of the ESG landscape, we can make a step change in the delivery of our ESG strategy. Bringing his wealth of knowledge, across policy, regulation, asset and property management in different sectors, Alan can help us to achieve our ambition to create world-class, sustainable logistics centres and develop our team’s ESG expertise.”
Alan Somerville added:
“I am looking forward to working with the Tritax team in developing further the ESG performance of the business. I see huge potential in many of the existing assets as well as in the development pipeline to drive forward a clear ESG-led agenda, focused on best practice and performance measurement. Demand for high quality logistics centres will continue to outstrip supply, creating an opportunity for Tritax to lead the way through innovative, sustainable solutions that deliver buildings and infrastructure that are at the cutting edge of ESG performance, delivering to the needs of our occupiers and investors.”
