P&M is committed to helping people fulfil their potential and develop the skills they need to excel. Our Sustainability Manager Joanne Swift has been hard at work building on her ESG knowledge base and has now been awarded the IEMA Certificate in Environmental Management Practitioner Membership (PIEMA). This internationally recognised qualification reflects Joanne’s achievements in improving ESG practice and will help the group embed sustainability across the organisation.
Since taking on her role as Sustainability Manager in 2022, Joanne has focused on helping P&M drive positive impacts for people, profit and planet. She has taken the lead in developing a robust ESG strategy and working with stakeholders to ensure P&M plays its part in securing a more sustainable future.
IEMA Practitioner Membership demonstrates a professional status that recognises in-depth understanding and experience as an environmental practitioner. Joanne and the P&M leadership team saw the value of its rigorous standards and support in promoting best practice. She embarked on the programme in February 2023 to expand her knowledge base and develop the tools needed to make P&M an ethical and responsible business.
The course consisted of three modules covering a range of issues from the fundamentals of sustainability, business and governance to environmental principles, policy and legislation. Joanne was assessed through written assignments and an Assessment of Competence to demonstrate how she has applied what she has learnt within the workplace.
The course was completed in September and Joanne received confirmation of her membership earlier this year. The assessor recognised her achievements in embedding ESG principles across the group. Key achievements included supporting the development of a comprehensive sustainability strategy, calculating carbon emissions, and the publication of P&M’s report trilogy “The hidden costs of a coldstore: from energy consumption to health and safety.” The series shares sustainability best practice with businesses across the sector, helping them boost energy performance of their facilities to cut costs and support the drive for Net Zero.
In terms of continued professional development, Joanne is now hard at work delivering a range of projects, including moving away from the use of diesel on construction sites, driving decarbonisation and delivering a workforce sustainability education programme.
Joanne said: “I’m really over the moon about achieving Practitioner Membership. It is great to have the recognition for what I have achieved in my first 18 months as Sustainability Manager and to put the icing on the cake, I received the news on my birthday.”
She added: “It’s a wonderful way to kick off the year. We have ambitious ESG plans for 2024 in terms of positive interventions within our group and influencing our supply chain and the wider industry to make more environmentally responsible choices. Securing PIEMA gives even more impetus and I’m very excited about what we can achieve this year and beyond.”
P&M’s Chairman Andrew Moon commented: “Joanne’s PIEMA accreditation gives credibility to our drive for sustainability. It highlights our ESG commitment, gives confidence to our customers and stakeholders that we are approaching things in the right way, and demonstrates that we have the capabilities required to meet our goals.”