General Motors appoints Dane Parker as Chief Sustainability Officer

General Motors Co. announced that it has appointed Dane Parker as the company’s Chief Sustainability Officer, effective Feb. 1, 2020.

Parker, currently Vice President of Sustainable Workplaces, expands his current role with the newly-created position as Chief Sustainability Officer. In this role, he will lead a company-wide sustainability strategy, including integration of the company's goal to reach a zero emissions future.

“Climate change is real. That is indisputable, and we take the challenges it presents seriously,” said GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra. “The transportation sector must be part of any credible climate change solution and Dane's leadership, experience and passion will help us meet these challenges head-on. Our vision of a world with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion is ambitious and this appointment aligns our organization to accelerate achieving that vision.”

Parker's organisation will ensure the responsible consumption and production of materials, lead GM's efforts as a global advocate for climate-sensitive manufacturing and mobility operations, and lead the strategic design and implementation infrastructure for electric vehicles at GM facilities.

“Focusing on EVs remains a key measure of our commitment, but it's also important to recognise the role our facilities play in enabling our vision of zero emissions,” said Barra.

Under Parker's leadership, GM has reduced its manufacturing carbon intensity by 20% - three years ahead of its goal - and is an EPA-recognised leader in energy efficiency and renewable energy utilisation, including achieving seven consecutive EPA Energy Star Partner of the Year awards. Parker's other global responsibilities include facility design, engineering, construction and operations, energy procurement and efficiency, environmental compliance, real estate and workplace strategy.

GM is on its way to bringing 20 new all-electric models to market by 2023 including a battery electric truck; recently announced a joint venture with LG Chem to mass-produce battery cells in the Lordstown area of Northeast Ohio; and collaborates with three of the nation's leading EV charging networks to enable access to the largest collective electric vehicle charging network in the United States, including more than 31,000 charging ports.

Parker joined GM in July 2015 as executive director of global facilities. Prior to joining GM, he was vice president of global real estate, facilities and environment, health and safety for Dell Inc. Parker also spent more than 13 years at Intel Corporation in the technology and manufacturing organisation in a variety of operational roles.